Private nonprofit · College

Wellesley College

Wellesley, Massachusetts · Large suburb

14.1%
Admit rate
$25,496
Avg net price
92%
Graduation rate
$84,803
Median earnings

Wellesley College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Wellesley, Massachusetts (large suburb setting), enrolling 2,300 undergraduates. It is a women's college.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,300 undergradsLarge suburbHighly selective · 14% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Wellesley College's admitted students.

Admit rate
14.1%
SAT (mid 50%)
1460–1560
Avg GPA (est.)
4.00

Enter a test score to see where you land against Wellesley College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Wellesley College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Wellesley, Massachusetts

Wellesley is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley was settled in the 1600s as part of Dedham, Massachusetts. It was subsequently a part of Needham, Massachusetts, called West Needham. Wellesley is home to the headquarters of many local, national and global businesses including Benchmark Senior Living, Blank Label Apparel, Eagle Investment Systems, EPG Incorporated, GrandBanks Capital, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Livingston and Haynes PC, and Sun Life Financial U.S. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
14 miles to Boston, MA
To the ocean
13 miles
Nearest airport
12 miles to Laurence G Hanscom Field (BED)

How Wellesley College compares

Selectivity14.1%

More selective than 96% · #8 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts

SAT average1520

Higher than 97%

Graduation rate92%

Higher than 96% · #8 of 66 in Massachusetts

First-year retention97%

Higher than 94%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$84,803

Higher than 93% · #14 of 67 in Massachusetts

Average net price$25,496

Cheaper than 27% · #29 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$10,000

Lower than 97%

Student–faculty ratio7 : 1

Lower than 92%

Undergraduate enrollment2,300

Larger than 61%

Percentiles compare Wellesley College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.

Student body

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White30%
  • Black8.4%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Asian26%
  • Other or multiracial22%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,300
Student–faculty ratio
7 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
21%
First-generation students
17%
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$59,990
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$127,080
Endowment
$2,991,224,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
14.1%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1460–1560
SAT average
1520
SAT reading
730–770
SAT math
730–790
ACT composite
33–35
Average GPA (estimated)
4.00

Cost

In-state tuition
$67,176
Room & board
$21,024
Books & supplies
$800
Total cost of attendance
$86,290
Average net price
$25,496

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
92%
Graduated on time (4 years)
78%
First-year retention
97%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$65,961
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$84,803
Median debt at graduation
$10,000
Students with federal loans
16%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
88%

About 14% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,191
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
95%
Housing charge (year)
$10,320
Meal plan (year)
$9,600
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
300 (0 men · 300 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (14)

Rowing57
Track and Field (Outdoor)28
Soccer26
Track and Field (Indoor)25
Lacrosse22
Softball22
Fencing20
Field Hockey19
Swimming and Diving (combined)19
Cross Country15
Volleyball14
Basketball13
Golf10
Tennis10

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
9
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,407 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

3.3reported offenses a year
3.0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
2.7
Rape
0.3
Arson
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$2,546
$30–48k
$2,836
$48–75k
$6,587
$75–110k
$11,551
$110k+
$54,188

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$27,842

$6,587/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

52%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$59,412
average award, among those who get one

Wellesley College discounts heavily: 52% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $59,412. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 586 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$84,803
Typical debt at graduation
$10,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
12%
Out-earn a HS grad
76%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

Campus climate

Summer high
82°F
Winter low
18°F
Annual rain
47.3″
Annual snow
45.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Natick, MA US station (2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Wellesley College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Wellesley College side by side →

Colleges near Wellesley College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.