Careerhelp
Drawing of Galen L. Stone Tower (Green Hall)

Wellesley College

Wellesley, Massachusetts · Private, a large suburb · 2,300 undergraduates

A women's college.

Counsellors: add notes to this page for a student

Is it hard to get into Wellesley?

The middle half of admitted students scored in these ranges: a quarter scored lower, a quarter higher. Fall 2024 admissions, from the College Scorecard.

Acceptance rate
14.1%
8,184 applied
SAT, middle half
1460 to 1560
Reading plus math, out of 1600
ACT, middle half
33 to 35
Composite, out of 36
Test scores this year
Optional: considered if sent
50% of admitted students enrolled
What they look at
  • High school GPAConsidered
  • Class rankConsidered
  • Courses takenRequired
  • College-prep programConsidered
  • RecommendationsRequired
  • EssayRequired
  • PortfolioConsidered

How much does Wellesley cost?

Sticker prices and what students actually paid after grants, by family income. A year means tuition, fees, room, board, books and other costs.

Tuition and fees
$70,144
A full year, sticker price
$90,250
Living on campus
Average price after grants
$23,995
Students who got federal aid

What a year cost, by family income

Family incomeAverage paid after grants
Under $30,000$11,253
$30,001 to $48,000$2,791
$48,001 to $75,000$5,535
$75,001 to $110,000$12,053
Over $110,000$46,438
Room and board on campus
$22,296 a year
Books and supplies
$800 a year
The school's own grants
52% of full-time first-years get one, averaging $59,412

Tuition over the years

Tuition and fees for a year, as reported to the federal government.

$0K$21K$41K$62K$82K201220142016201820202022Wellesley

How much do Wellesley students borrow?

Federal student loans only, for students who borrowed.

Typical debt at graduation
$9,788
About $111 a month over ten years
Students who borrow
23.8%
Get a Pell Grant
24.7%
Federal grant for lower-income families
Over 25 when they start
0.7%

What do Wellesley graduates earn?

Typical yearly pay of everyone who started here with federal aid, whatever they studied and whether or not they finished.

Six years after starting
$62,408
Ten years after starting
$90,458
Middle half: $58,937 to $147,710
Best-paid program, five years out
$186,284
Computer and Information Sciences, General
Lowest-paid program, five years out
$59,144
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

Do Wellesley students finish?

Of the students who started full time, first time.

Back for second year
96.5%
Graduate in six years
90.8%
The four-year figure is for a later, smaller group, so it is not shown
After eight years
92% graduated
4% transferred, 0% still enrolled

Who goes to Wellesley?

Women
99.9%
First in their family at college
17.2%
Part-time
0%
Students per teacher
7
Background
White 30%, Hispanic 14%, Black 8%, Asian 26%, Two or more 8%, International 13%
Housing
Campus housing, 2,191 beds

What do Wellesley graduates earn, by program?

Every bachelor's program the school awards, with what its graduates earn and owe. The government hides pay for small programs, so some rows have no figure.

Computer science

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Computer and Information Sciences, General127$105,692$186,284$6,500
Computer Software and Media Applications50$67,236$134,819$11,875

Life sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology40HiddenHiddenHidden
Biology, General72$51,735$63,629$11,618
Natural Resources Conservation and Research45$43,748Hidden$11,000
Neurobiology and Neurosciences71$42,005HiddenHidden

Math and physical sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Astronomy and Astrophysics12HiddenHiddenHidden
Chemistry41HiddenHiddenHidden
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences13HiddenHiddenHidden
Mathematics52Hidden$109,533Hidden
Physics29HiddenHiddenHidden

Social sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Anthropology32HiddenHiddenHidden
Area Studies46$54,577$76,800Hidden
Economics176$79,471$144,876$8,095
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies39$34,787$100,712Hidden
International Relations and National Security Studies36HiddenHiddenHidden
Political Science and Government85$52,730$83,732$11,378
Research and Experimental Psychology141$46,532$68,234$11,000
Sociology35$54,351HiddenHidden

Arts and humanities

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics18HiddenHiddenHidden
English Language and Literature, General49$49,650$72,519Hidden
History24HiddenHiddenHidden
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services5HiddenHiddenHidden
Philosophy32HiddenHiddenHidden
Religion/Religious Studies7HiddenHiddenHidden
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies10HiddenHiddenHidden
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics40$52,210$59,144Hidden
Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics8HiddenHiddenHidden

Education (teaching)

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Education, General27$43,429HiddenHidden

Fine and performing arts

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft10HiddenHiddenHidden
Film/Video and Photographic Arts14HiddenHiddenHidden
Fine and Studio Arts38HiddenHiddenHidden
Music12HiddenHiddenHidden

Architecture and design

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Architecture16HiddenHiddenHidden

General arts and science (major chosen later)

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Classical and Ancient Studies12HiddenHiddenHidden
Mathematics and Computer Science36HiddenHiddenHidden
Medieval and Renaissance Studies4HiddenHiddenHidden
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other3HiddenHiddenHidden
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution24HiddenHiddenHidden

Compare Wellesley with other universities

Side by side: acceptance rates, scores, costs and pay.

Where these numbers come from

College Scorecard release 10152026, Most Recent Cohorts files, fetched 2026-10-20. Test policy: the school's page (opens in a new tab). Tuition history, housing and the school's own grants: the federal IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) survey.

How every figure in this part of the site is sourced, and the check of every link.

Careerhelp is not affiliated with Wellesley College. Figures describe past students; check the school's own pages before you apply.

Spot a mistake, or like something?

Tell us about this page. A person reads every message.

No email app on this device? Use Gmail instead: report a mistake in Gmail or say what you like in Gmail.