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.
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
More selective than 96% · #8 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts
Higher than 97%
Higher than 96% · #8 of 66 in Massachusetts
Higher than 94%
Higher than 93% · #14 of 67 in Massachusetts
Cheaper than 27% · #29 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts
Lower than 97%
Lower than 92%
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Natick, MA US station (2 mi from campus).
What Wellesley College graduates study — and earn
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 →
Colgate University
Hamilton, New York · Distant rural · 35 mi to Syracuse
- Students
- 3,180
- Admission
- 14%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1508
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $85k
Hamilton College
Clinton, New York · Midsize suburb · 37 mi to Syracuse
- Students
- 2,030
- Admission
- 14%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1506
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $78k
Haverford College
Haverford, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 8 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 1,430
- Admission
- 12%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1513
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $80k
Barnard College
New York, New York · Large city · 7 mi to New York
- Students
- 3,264
- Admission
- 9%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1520
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $81k
Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts · Small city · 19 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 1,911
- Admission
- 9%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1533
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $78k
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 11 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 1,613
- Admission
- 7%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1534
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $80k
Colleges near Wellesley College
Babson College
Wellesley, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,728 students
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
Needham, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 377 students
Massachusetts Bay Community College
Wellesley Hills, MA · Public · Associate · 3,837 students
Regis College
Weston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 956 students
Hebrew College
Newton, MA · Private nonprofit · Graduate · 0 students
Lasell University
Newton, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,226 students
William James College
Newton, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 39 students
Brandeis University
Waltham, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,618 students
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.












