In a typical year, here is a simplified timeline for the Alumni Fellow process:

March-April
The Chair of the Association of Yale Alumni's Board of Governors appoints six or more AYA Board members to serve on the following year's Alumni Fellow Nominating Committee. These members meet briefly in April for an orientation to the process.

May-June
Letters soliciting suggestions for Alumni Fellow candidates are sent by the AYA to Yale College class officers, Yale Club Presidents, Graduate and Professional Alumni Association Presidents, AYA Delegates and other alumni who lead alumni organizations and constituency groups. Letters also go to senior Yale faculty as well as Yale Deans, administrators and University Officers.

June-September
The Nominating Committee meets as often as it decides necessary during this period to conduct research and to discuss potential candidates.

October-January
Any eligible Yale alumnus who wishes to submit petitions in pursuit of a petition candidacy must do so by October 1. Because the ballot can contain a maximum of five names, with a maximum of three being petition candidates, the Committee must wait until after October 1 to determine its slate. By the regulations, the Committee must submit its slate of candidates to the Office of the Secretary of the University by February 1.

February-April
Once the full slate of nominated and petition candidates has been composed, the Vice President and Secretary of the University has until May 1 to produce and send a ballot to all eligible alumni electors. The ballot contains brief biographies of the candidates and sometimes contains personal statements.

May
Alumni have until a certain date specified in Yale's Charter to return their ballots. On that date, all valid ballots are tallied. The winner of the election is then traditionally announced at the first weekend of Yale College reunions. The date for the final tallying of votes this year is May 26.