Wellesley, MA
Wellesley College was founded in 1870 by Pauline and Henry Fowle Durant and welcomed its first class of 314 students in 1875, with Ada Howard as its first president. It operates as a private women's liberal arts college under the motto "Not to be ministered unto, but to minister." Wellesley describes itself as devoting its faculty, campus, and research resources exclusively to undergraduate education.
Admissions
Test scores for the Fall 2025 entering class come from Wellesley College's own 2025-26 Common Data Set: 44% submitted SAT scores, 18% submitted ACT scores.
Application deadlines for Fall 2027 entry
- Early Decision I: Nov 1, 2026
- Early Decision II: Jan 5, 2027
- Regular Decision: Jan 8, 2027
Confirm on Wellesley College's own admissions site before you apply.
Cost & outcomes
From the US Dept of Education College Scorecard, most recent year reported. Not every school reports every field. Tuition & fees are the sticker price for a full-time first-year undergrad, before financial aid, and don't include room and board.
Where do you stand against Wellesley College's numbers?
Check your chances hereHow Wellesley College weighs your application
From Wellesley College's own Common Data Set, 2025-26, Section C7 -- not a generic admissions checklist. What is a Common Data Set?
What applicants who posted their results listed
24 self-reported applicant profiles from public posts, 2024–25 and 2025–26 admissions cycles: 10 admitted, 14 rejected or waitlisted. Figures read admitted vs. rejected or waitlisted.
Most common activities
Most common awards among admits
Who posted
How this compares across selective liberal arts colleges: Liberal Arts College Accepted vs. Rejected Applicants →
These are people who chose to post their results publicly, mostly on Reddit -- a group that skews toward high scores and STEM. They describe posters, not Wellesley College's admitted class, and recruited athletes are left out. For official numbers, use the admissions figures above.
See full profile -- financial aid, campus life, and what Wellesley College weighs in your application
Paying it back
"Still growing" means a borrower's payments aren't yet covering interest 3 years into repayment -- not a default rate. A high number here can mean real repayment difficulty, or just a lot of grads who deferred for graduate school, so read it alongside the school's typical outcomes above.
Majors & earnings
Median earnings 4 years after graduation, by major, from the US Dept of Education. Only shown where the school reports a real figure for that major -- most schools don't report every major they offer, especially smaller programs.
Campus life
Room and board are shown separately from the cost of attendance above -- that total already includes them alongside tuition and fees, this just breaks out the living-cost portion.
What matters in your application
From this school's own reporting to the US Dept of Education on what it formally requires, considers, or doesn't use when reviewing applications.
Frequently asked questions
What does Wellesley College look for in applicants?
Per Wellesley College's own Common Data Set (Section C7), it rates academic GPA, recommendations, character/personal qualities, rigor of secondary school record as "very important" in admissions decisions -- its own stated top factors, not a generic guess.
What is Wellesley College's acceptance rate?
Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA admits approximately 14% of applicants, based on the US Dept of Education's most recently reported figures.
What SAT score do I need for Wellesley College?
Per Wellesley College's own 2025-26 Common Data Set, the middle 50% of enrolled first-years scored 1460–1540 on the SAT (25th–75th percentile, among students who submitted scores).
What ACT score do I need for Wellesley College?
Per Wellesley College's own 2025-26 Common Data Set, the middle 50% of enrolled first-years scored 33–35 on the ACT (25th–75th percentile, among students who submitted scores).
How much does Wellesley College cost?
Wellesley College's total cost of attendance is reported at $86,290 per year, including tuition, fees, and room and board.
When is the application deadline for Wellesley College?
Wellesley College's deadlines are Early Decision I Nov 1, 2026; Early Decision II Jan 5, 2027; Regular Decision Jan 8, 2027, per its own published admissions calendar.
Does Wellesley College require students to live on campus?
No -- Wellesley College doesn't require students to live in on-campus housing.
Related reading
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