--- title: Olympic Figure Skater Nathan Chen Will Be Heading to Yale description: The Olympic skater and 2018 World Champion has accepted an admissions offer from Yale University in New Haven to join the class of 2022. canonical: https://time.com/5226684/nathan-chen-yale-class-2022/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-04-03T20:18:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:51:51.209Z og:title: Olympic Figure Skater Nathan Chen Is Officially Heading to Yale in the Fall og:description: Chen isn't letting his pursuit of high scores get in the way of higher education og:url: https://time.com/5226684/nathan-chen-yale-class-2022/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf22578d0e6b23343/698928cd97cdff0b506b473b/nathan-chen-figure-skating.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Nathan Chen Olympics og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Olympic Figure Skater Nathan Chen Is Officially Heading to Yale in the Fall twitter:description: Chen isn't letting his pursuit of high scores get in the way of higher education twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf22578d0e6b23343/698928cd97cdff0b506b473b/nathan-chen-figure-skating.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Olympic Figure Skater Nathan Chen Is Officially Heading to Yale in the Fall  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Apr 3, 2018 8:18 PM UTC  Nathan Chen during the Figure Skating Men Free Program at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 17, 2018 in Gangneung, South Korea Nathan Chen during the Figure Skating Men Free Program at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 17, 2018 in Gangneung, South KoreaJean Catuffe—Getty Images  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Apr 3, 2018 8:18 PM UTC [Olympic figure skater Nathan Chen](http://time.com/5164155/nathan-chen-long-program-free-skate/) may have just won the World Figure Skating Championships last month, but he has even more big news this week. Chen, who is 18, has accepted a spot in Yale Class of 2022, a representative confirmed Tuesday to TIME. Chen is best known as a master of the ice, setting records and completing as many as [six quad jumps](http://time.com/5164072/nathan-chen-quad-jump-figure-skating/) in competition (although he did [fumble on Olympic ice in his short program](http://time.com/5162283/nathan-chen-olympics-2018-reactions/)). He helped earned his [U.S. team a bronze medal](http://time.com/5138220/team-usa-2018-winter-olympic-medals/) at the [Pyeongchang Winter Olympics](http://time.com/5139367/nathan-chen-figure-skating-olympics-hopeful/) and became the first U.S. winner of the World Championship men’s title [since 2009](http://www.milano2018.com/en/nathan-chen-close-to-the-perfection-wins-the-gold-medal/) when he completed his routine in Milan last month. But Chen clearly isn’t letting his pursuit of high scores get in the way of higher education. Fans first noticed Chen’s future plans when he added “Yale ’22” to his [Instagram bio](https://www.instagram.com/nathanwchen/) over the weekend (admissions letters went out last week). He’s also been busy liking posts shared from the Ivy League university’s account. When he arrives on campus in the fall, he’ll join a [long list](http://www.yalebulldogs.com/olympics/OLYMPICS.WEB.pdf) of other Olympians who’ve attended the New Haven institution, including 2002 skating gold medalist [Sarah Hughes](https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2012/10/12/olympic-skater-returns-to-campus/). While most pursued the Olympics either before or after their undergrad years, Chen appears to be looking to juggle both at once: He has already made it clear that he hopes [to compete in 2022.](https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2018/04/03/figure-skater-nathan-chen-touts-yale-acceptance-on-instagram/) Yale does not have a competitive figure skating team, but students do have a Figure Skating Club. And the on-campus ice rink, known affectionately as “The Whale” for its unique architecture, [is considered](https://www.wired.com/2015/07/worlds-beautiful-hockey-rink-gets-big-upgrade/) one of the world’s most beautiful. Chen is currently training in Florida for the start of the Stars on Ice tour. Hopefully he’ll have time to stock up on dorm bedding before he hits the campus’s hallowed halls this fall. 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