Here is information about introductory chemistry courses and placement in these courses for first-year students. This video contains the same information in the tabs below and is meant to help you better understand the placement process.
Yale First Year Chemistry Orientation 2025
Course Placement
The majority of first-year students begin with a General Chemistry sequence consisting of either:
- General Chemistry I (CHEM 1610), Fall term, and General Chemistry II (CHEM 1650), Spring term
- Or Quantitative Foundations of General Chemistry (CHEM 1700), one-term course offered in the Fall
Most students enrolled in CHEM 1610 and 1650 may be taking chemistry for the first time, perhaps high school chemistry, or may have taken AP Chemistry but not fully mastered the subject at that level.
The corresponding General Chemistry lab courses are listed separately.
- General Chemistry I is CHEM 1340L (most often taken in the fall along with CHEM 1610)
- General Chemistry II is CHEM 1360L (typically taken in the spring term alongside CHEM 1650).
Labs can be taken at the same time as or after the General Chemistry lecture.
We understand that many incoming students have taken quite a bit of chemistry, perhaps even getting a 5 on the AP exam, but are not ready to skip general chemistry entirely – and the AP exam does not suffice for course credit at Yale. For this reason, we have designed an accelerated general chemistry – CHEM 1700.
Students enrolled in Quantitative Foundations of General Chemistry (CHEM 1700) will have more recently completed a year or two of high school chemistry and have a strong math and physics background. This accelerated class helps you to review chemistry concepts at a fast pace, and explores various concepts in greater depth, and to keep it interesting! Furthermore, Quantitative Foundations of General Chemistry (CHEM 1700) course enables you to complete general chemistry in only one term.
If you earn a grade of B or above receive two acceleration credits for General Chemistry, which can be used to satisfy the General Chemistry prerequisite in the chemistry major and other science-based majors, such as biology or chemical engineering. Acceleration credits can also be used to fulfill pre-medical requirements. To learn more about acceleration credits, visit Yale College’s Acceleration.
The corresponding lab is also listed separately – CHEM 1710L and also earns 0.5 credits towards Yale graduation.
Each general chemistry sequence fulfills the prerequisite for General Chemistry for the Chemistry majors and other science-based majors, such as biology or chemical engineering. Both course sequences also fulfill the pre-medical requirements.
Typically, a student who starts in CHEM 1610 in the fall will subsequently complete CHEM 1650 in the spring, while a student who starts in CHEM 1700 in the fall may choose to complete CHEM 2200 (Organic Chemistry) in the spring term.
Only students placed into CHEM 1700 are permitted to take this course, while any student can enroll in CHEM 1610.
Note that the Director of Undergraduate Studies permission is required. The registration system will only permit enrollment in the course you were placed in to.
The Chemistry Department reviews the first-year students’ preparation before the beginning of the fall term, using test scores, admission records, and information supplied by students through the High School Math and Science Survey. The department then determines the appropriate course, either CHEM 1610 or 1700, for every student entering.
Incoming students should complete the High School Math and Science survey as soon as possible or during the summer before matriculation. Learn more and take the survey here.
If a student initially placed in CHEM 1610 wants to complete CHEM 1700, they will be required to demonstrate their proficiency in an online placement exam.
Who should take the online placement exam?
All incoming first-year students are planning to take chemistry courses. Chemistry is required for many majors in engineering and health sciences, as well as premedical students. Anyone considering these tracks should take the exam between July 1, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. to July 31, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. (noon)
Click here to enroll in the online chemistry placement exam.
Results will be posted through the “Course Placement 2025” Canvas site.
In addition, results will be sent via email directly from the Chemistry DUS (chemistry.dus@yale.edu). This email will also give more specific instructions on how to register in the fall.
Any student who does not know their placement should email the DUS after all results are posted by Friday, August 15.
Students with a sufficiently strong background in chemistry may place out of General Chemistry and initiate their studies in Organic or Physical Chemistry courses after demonstrating proficiency through the department’s online placement exam.
Organic Chemistry for First-Year Students I and II, CHEM 1740 and 1750, are offered expressly for incoming students, with the vast majority of individuals starting in a higher-level course completing CHEM 1740.
Students can also complete the standard organic sequence for sophomores Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 2200, fall) and Organic Chemistry II (CHEM 2210, spring) or Physical Chemistry I (CHEM 3320, fall) and Physical Chemistry II (CHEM 3330, spring).
First-year students who complete CHEM 1740, the standard sophomore organic chemistry class (CHEM 2200), or physical chemistry (CHEM 3320), and earn a grade of B or above receive two acceleration credits for General Chemistry, which can be used to satisfy the General Chemistry prerequisite in the chemistry major and other science-based majors, such as biology or chemical engineering. Acceleration credits can also be used to fulfill pre-medical requirements. To learn more about acceleration credits, visit Yale College’s Acceleration.
Online Placement Exam
First-year students wishing to take Organic or Physical Chemistry CHEM 1740, 2200, or 3320 are required to demonstrate their proficiency by completing an online placement exam. Typically, only individuals who have scored a five on the AP Chemistry exam, or equivalent, and have a strong background in math and physics will start their studies in a higher-level course. Nevertheless, any student can take the exam. Anyone uncertain about their preparation is encouraged to sit for the exam, as it provides the best measure of a student’s readiness to enter the wide variety of courses offered to first-years.
The exam is a closed-book, 55-minute timed, multiple-choice test, which students can take any time between 9:00 a.m. (EST) on Tuesday, July 1, to 12:00 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, July 31, 2025.
A standard, non-graphing calculator is allowed. Students are advised to review general chemistry beforehand.
ENROLL IN EXAM
Check for your test scores in Canvas after 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 5.
Chemistry lab courses are separate from chemistry lecture courses and do not need to be completed simultaneously. Nevertheless, there are pedagogical advantages to completing the lecture and lab courses together.
If taking CHEM 1610 & 1650, there is a General Chemistry lab. All students complete General Chemistry Laboratory I (CHEM 1340L) and General Chemistry Laboratory II (CHEM 1360L), each counts as 0.5 credits towards Yale College graduation.
Similarly, for Quantitative Foundations of General Chemistry (CHEM 1700), there is a corresponding lab course called Quantitative Foundations of General Chemistry Lab (CHEM 1710L). Again, each counts as 0.5 credits towards Yale College graduation.
On the other hand, there is only one sequence of Organic Chemistry lab.
Regardless of whether a student is taking Organic Chemistry through the CHEM 1740 and CHEM 1750 or CHEM 2200 and CHEM 2210, all students complete Organic Chemistry Laboratory I (CHEM 2220L) and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II (CHEM 2230L), each counts as 0.5 credits towards Yale College graduation.
A first-year student who is placed into CHEM 1740 also places out of the General Chemistry lab sequence and should start their laboratory studies by taking Organic Chemistry lab I.
Students starting their studies in CHEM 3320 are encouraged to contact the DUS to determine an appropriate lab class.
Departmental Permission for CHEM 1700 & CHEM 1740
Enrollment in CHEM 1700 or CHEM 1740 through the Yale Hub (Yale Course Search) requires departmental permission from the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) and is automatic after placement. Permission is granted normally occurs around the third week of August. Students experiencing problems with enrolling in a class for which they believe they have permission should email the DUS.