Wellesley College

Wellesley is a women's college, and its undergraduate student body is almost entirely women — about 98.7% of enrolled students (2,329 of roughly 2,360). A small number of students report a different gender, but Wellesley admits and educates women, so a typical male applicant would not apply for degree-seeking admission. The residential experience is built around that women's-college community, with every first-year living on campus.

Wellesley admitted about 14.8% of applicants in the most recent cycle, offering admission to roughly 1,258 of more than 8,500 applicants and enrolling about 576 first-years. It is a highly selective liberal-arts college, and as a women's college it also offers binding Early Decision I and II rounds.

It can help at the margin. Wellesley's binding Early Decision rounds (ED I and ED II) drew 1,023 applications and admitted 301, an early admit rate of roughly 29% — well above the school's overall 14.8% rate. ED is a binding commitment, so it suits applicants certain Wellesley is their first choice; the rest of the class is filled through Regular Decision.

No. Wellesley is test-optional, so you may apply without submitting scores, and standardized test scores are only 'considered' in the review rather than a deciding factor. Among enrolled students who did submit, the middle 50% scored between 1460 and 1540 on the SAT and 33–35 on the ACT, with the 50th-percentile SAT around 1500.

Wellesley does not publish an average admitted GPA, but admitted students cluster near the top of their high school class — among enrolled first-years who reported class rank, about 88% were in the top tenth and 99% in the top quarter. There is no hard cutoff, but academic GPA and the rigor of your high school record are both weighed as very important factors.

Tuition and required fees run about $70,144 per year, with housing and food adding roughly $22,296 before books and personal expenses. Wellesley meets 100% of demonstrated financial need — about 54% of first-years receive need-based scholarship or grant aid, and the average first-year aid package is near $72,294.

The social sciences are the single most popular area at about 23% of degrees, followed by computer science at roughly 13% and the biological sciences near 10%. Psychology, the physical sciences, and interdisciplinary programs each account for about 7%, rounding out the most-conferred fields at this liberal-arts college.

Wellesley reviews applications holistically and weighs four factors as very important: the rigor of your high school record, academic GPA, recommendations, and character or personal qualities. Class rank, the application essay, extracurricular activities, and talent or ability are important, while standardized test scores are only considered — so a thoughtful, well-revised essay is one place to stand out.