Native point defects in yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) are studied in the framework of the pair-potential approximation, coupled with the shell-model description of the lattice ions. For the perfect lattice, a new set of potential parameters is obtained; these parameters reproduce the structure, elastic, and dielectric constants of YAG very well. The calculated formulation energies for native defects suggest that antisite disorder is preferred over Frenkel and Schottky-like disorder in YAG. The calculated values of the distortion that is caused by the antisite Y atom that substitutes in the Al site in the lattice are in excellent agreement with the extended X-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) measurements. In nonstoichiometric YAG, the calculated reaction energies indicate that excess Y 2 O 3 or Al 2 O 3 most likely is accommodated by the formation of antisites, rather than vacancies, in the lattice.