Private nonprofit · University

Wesleyan University

Middletown, Connecticut · Small city

#2 most selective in Connecticut#3 graduation rate in Connecticut
16.5%
Admit rate
$30,177
Avg net price
93%
Graduation rate
$73,897
Median earnings

Wesleyan University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Middletown, Connecticut (small city setting), enrolling 3,067 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 3,067 undergradsSmall cityVery selective · 16% admitNCAA Division III with football · New England Small College Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Wesleyan University's admitted students.

Admit rate
16.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
1415–1540
Avg GPA (est.)
4.00

Enter a test score to see where you land against Wesleyan University's admitted students.

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

About Middletown, Connecticut

Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles (25.8 km) south of Hartford. When the primarily English European settlers arrived in the region the Mattabesset were a part of the Wangunk, a large tribe in the Connecticut Valley, at the time under a sachem named Sowheag. Middletown's riverfront and bridges were featured extensively in the music video for Billy Joel's hit song "The River of Dreams". TLC's reality series 90 Day Fiancé documented Darcey Silva's relationships. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
15 miles to Hartford, CT
To the ocean
19 miles
Nearest airport
23 miles to Tweed New Haven (HVN)

How Wesleyan University compares

Selectivity16.5%

More selective than 96% · #2 most selective of 24 in Connecticut

SAT average1501

Higher than 96%

Graduation rate93%

Higher than 97% · #3 of 26 in Connecticut

First-year retention95%

Higher than 93%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$73,897

Higher than 86% · #12 of 25 in Connecticut

Average net price$30,177

Cheaper than 15% · #16 cheapest of 26 in Connecticut

Median debt at graduation$17,000

Lower than 87%

Student–faculty ratio8 : 1

Lower than 89%

Undergraduate enrollment3,067

Larger than 69%

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

Wesleyan University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

3,273students
  • Undergraduate3,06794%
  • Graduate2066%

Undergraduates by gender

3,067undergrads
  • Women1,71256%
  • Men1,35544%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White54%
  • Black6.0%
  • Hispanic11%
  • Asian9.0%
  • Other or multiracial21%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,067
Graduate enrollment
206
Student–faculty ratio
8 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
14%
First-generation students
20%
Students over 25
2%
Median family income
$60,146
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$126,900
Endowment
$1,583,306,000

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 782 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Connecticut10%
  • Other U.S. states75%
  • International15%

A national draw — only 10% of first-years come from Connecticut; 75% arrive from other states.

15% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
16.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1415–1540
SAT average
1501
SAT reading
705–760
SAT math
710–780
ACT composite
33–35
Average GPA (estimated)
4.00

Cost

In-state tuition
$70,342
Room & board
$19,872
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$89,020
Average net price
$30,177

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)
93%
Graduated on time (4 years)
81%
First-year retention
95%
Transferred to another college
5%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$60,385
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$73,897
Median debt at graduation
$17,000
Students with federal loans
16%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
88%

About 12% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
81%
First-generation
90%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,989
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
97%
Application fee
$65
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
New England Small College Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
886 (513 men · 373 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 (17)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)203
Football108
Lacrosse94
Rowing80
Soccer58
Ice Hockey56
Baseball38
Wrestling32
Basketball30
Swimming and Diving (combined)30
Squash27
Field Hockey26
Volleyball24
Golf23
Softball20
Swimming19
Tennis18

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
8
Property offenses (2022–2024)
18

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,011 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.

8.7reported offenses a year
2.7 violent a year6.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
3.0
Rape
2.7
Burglary
2.7
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
$4,871
$30–48k
$3,604
$48–75k
$6,175
$75–110k
$17,294
$110k+
$51,140

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
$25,872

$6,175/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.

38%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$61,883
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 38% — get grant money from Wesleyan University itself, averaging $61,883, which softens the sticker price.

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 743 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)
$73,897
Typical debt at graduation
$17,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
23%
Out-earn a HS grad
69%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.3 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.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$69,246
Men
$85,716

Men out-earn women by $16,470 (24%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
84°F
Winter low
19°F
Annual rain
44.9″
Annual snow
38.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Meriden Markham Muni AP, CT US station (9.4 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 Wesleyan University

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

Colleges near Wesleyan University

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.