Wellesley College

Quick Stats

106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481-8203: [map]

Phone: (781) 283-1000

2011-2012 Tuition

$40,660: tuition and fees

Students

2,411: enrolled

2%: male /

98%: female

Admissions

Jan. 15: application deadline

33.8%: accepted

More Information

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U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category

U.S. News rank	Category Name
#6	National Liberal Arts Colleges

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Summary

Wellesley College is a private institution that was founded in 1870. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,411, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 500 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Wellesley College's ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 6. Its tuition and fees are $40,660 (2011-12).

Wellesley College, located 12 west miles outside of Boston in Wellesley, Mass., has a scenic campus encompassing a lake, woodlands, an arboretum, and open meadows. It is a liberal arts college for women and is one of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, which includes Mount Holyoke, Vassar, Smith, Radcliffe (now part of Harvard), Bryn Mawr, and Barnard. Students can choose from more than 160 student organizations on campus. The school has 13 varsity athletic teams that are part of NCAA Division III East College Athletic Conference. Instead of sororities, Wellesley has societies that serve as social and academic clubs. Housing is guaranteed for incoming freshmen, and the majority of students live in Wellesley’s 21 residence halls throughout their four years.

Wellesley has a cross-registration program with MIT, offering students a greater range of courses. Also, students can spend a semester in another college in the Northeast as part of the Twelve College Exchange Program. The college has a strong science program, including the nation’s second oldest physics lab. Wellesley has a program called the Davis Degree Program, which allows women older than 24 to attend college. The school also has many traditions, including an annual hoop-rolling race between the seniors, and step-singing, when the academic classes try to out-sing each other. Notable alumni include Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; and ABC news anchor Diane Sawyer.

School mission (as provided by the school):

One of the most academically challenging colleges in the country and widely acknowledged as the nation's top women's college, Wellesley provides students with myriad opportunities. With a longstanding commitment to and established reputation for academic excellence, Wellesley offers more than 1,000 courses in 56 established majors and supports more than 100 student clubs and organizations. Wellesley's blend of high academic standards, strong sense of community and dedicated faculty create an ideal environment for women who want to succeed. Because Wellesley is an undergraduate institution, students don't compete with graduate students for faculty attention, academic resources, the use of facilities or research projects. Wellesley's admission process is "need-blind" for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, which means that the college admits students without regard to their family's ability to pay. Wellesley is one of the few institutions that meets 100 percent of a student's demonstrated financial need and is committed to working with students and their families to make college affordable. Wellesley has boosted its generous financial aid to eliminate loans for students with the greatest need. One of the most socio-economically diverse colleges in the country, Wellesley provides financial aid to 54 percent of its students, placing it among a handful of colleges and universities that provide financial aid to more than half of its students. The average financial aid package (2009-2010) is $35,951 in grants, loans, and work study. Wellesley's 2300 students enjoy an average class size of 17-20 students and a student to faculty ratio of 8:1. Each year several hundred students spend a semester or year studying abroad. Cross-registration of courses is available with MIT, Babson College, Olin College of Engineering and Brandeis University. Exchange programs are offered with the Twelve College Exchange Program, Spelman College and many others. Wellesley has outstanding internship and career services, with about three-quarters of its students participating in at least one internship. The Center for Work and Service provides internship stipends of $3,000 for about 300 students each year, making it possible for many to devise their own internship or to accept an otherwise unpaid opportunity. Wellesley has 13 varsity teams as well as club teams and recreational activities. There are 21 residence halls that vary in size from 140 to 285 students. Students from all four classes live in most residence halls. Facilities include the Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center, Science Center, Knapp Media & Technology Center, Library, Davis Museum & Collins Cinema, Keohane Sports Center, Hunnewell Arboretum & Alexandra Botanic Garden, Ferguson Greenhouses, Jewett Arts Center, Nehoiden Golf Course, Newhouse Center for the Humanities, Pforzheimer Learning and Teaching Center, Slater International Center, Wellesley Centers for Women, Whitin Observatory and Wellesley College Theatre. The Albright Institute for Global Affairs educates women for leadership in the world. Alumnae connections are very strong at Wellesley, with approximately 32,000 alumnae members. Notable alumnae include U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton '69, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright '59, ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer '67, former first lady of the Republic of China Madame Chiang Kai-Shek '17, former Space Shuttle Commander Pamela Melroy '83 and many more. Wellesley is easily accessible to Boston, a great city in which to meet thousands of other college students and to experience theatre, art, sports and entertainment. One of the most diverse colleges in the nation, Wellesley College enrolls students from 66 countries and all 50 states.

General Information

School type	private, women's college
Year founded	1870
Religious affiliation	N/A
Academic calendar	semester
Setting	suburban
2010 Endowment	$1,330,244,000

Applying

When applying to Wellesley College, it's important to note the application deadline is January 15, and the early decision deadline is November 1. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due December 30. The application fee at Wellesley College is $50. It is most selective, with an acceptance rate of 33.8 percent.

For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	most selective
Fall 2010 acceptance rate	34%
Application deadline	January 15
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	December 30

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Wellesley College is 8:1, and the school has 63.5 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Wellesley College include: Social Sciences; Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics; Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies; and Psychology. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 95.0 percent.

Class sizes

Student-faculty ratio

8:1

4-year graduation rate

84% - High

Five most popular majors for 2010 graduates

Social Sciences	27%
Biological and Biomedical Sciences	11%
Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	11%
Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies	8%
Psychology	8%

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Student Life

Wellesley College has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,411, with a gender distribution of 2.4 percent male students and 97.6 percent female students. 96.8 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 3.2 percent of students live off campus. Wellesley College is part of the NCAA III athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at Wellesley College.

Total enrollment	2,411
Student gender distribution

Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity	N/A
Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority	N/A
Collegiate athletic association	NCAA III

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Campus Info & Services

Wellesley College offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, health service, and health insurance. Wellesley College also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Of the students at Wellesley College, 26 percent have cars on campus. Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Wellesley College.

Students who have cars on campus	26% - Low
Health insurance offered	Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer	No

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Paying for School

At Wellesley College, 63.0 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $36,299.

Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

Tuition and fees	$40,660 (2011-12)
Room and board	$12,590 (2011-12) - High
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews Ratings data provided by Unigo

One of the things which I think is fairly unique about Wellesley is the extent to which students are involved in the running of the college. There are hardly any groups or boards which don't have student members. Students take part in Board of Trustees meetings, control the distribution of the student activities fee, are part of every major academic council committee, practically everything. Every year, four or five students are selected by their peers through the SOAC (Student Organizations and Activities Committee - a subcommittee of College Government) to sit on the Board of Admissions for two year terms. It's really incredible to read applicationst and be part of selecting the students who will come to Wellesley... in a very real way, you're shaping the future student body and alumnae network, the way Wellesley is seen in the world. With those opportunities for involvement, though, I think that it can be hard to keep perspective and there can be conflict between students' more short term goals and the administrative longview. Neither side is always right, and sometimes I think students take the instances of disagreement as proof that the administration doesn't necessarily listen to students - and by this, I think sometimes an issue of students wanting to, for better or for worse, dictate all directives - and sometimes get disillusioned rather than impassioned... it leads to a relatively small part of the student body serving in a large portion of the roles that shape the administrative view of the student body. And that's something that I think happens on a lot of levels at Wellesley - people find their niches and can sometimes get tunnel visioned within them... Crossing group boundaries can be tricky (especially to do it without getting wicked overexended) and that's something that every student determines for herself how best to navigate.

Wendy Junior

Wellesley is a bubble. A big, shiny, translucent bubble, with little rainbow swirls of 'real life'. I, personally, find this to be a wonderful environment most of the time. Honestly, I'm not ready for the 'real world' yet. I want to live in a bubble, developing my ideas at leisure and sharing them with my fellow students. Sometimes, however, this bubble gets oppressive, and even discouraging. Bubbles, you see, are finite - the possibilities of real life, and the real world, however, are (for the most part) infinite. There are some times when you want to reach out to try something, and find someone gently slapping your hand saying, no, sorry, not now. The traditions of Wellesley inspire a strong sense of community, and, while they can sometimes feel strange (traditions of an old world presented to modern women), they are definitely an experience to enjoy at Wellesley. If I could change anything, it would have to be where Wellesley is situated. Don't get me wrong - the campus is absolutely gorgeous! - it's the college town, or lack thereof. Wellesley is stuck smack dab in the middle of upperclass suburbia. "The Vil" (our so-called college town) is, for the most part, a collection of incredibly expensive boutiques, with clothing items ranging on average from $50 to $300+. There is, however, a wonderful book store, a CVS, a Starbucks... and the bus to Boston. The local mall is a prime example of gentrification, but there is another mall approximately a half hour away that's probably just like the mall of your home town. The only problem is that you're going to need either a car (or a friend with a car) to get there. The surrounding area of Wellesley is rather wealthy, and it is reflected in the shopping areas.

Nooreen Freshman

My friends and I love Wellesley as it is. Wellesley is so unique in character, and I have the closest girlfriends that I have ever had in my life (probably because there are no men)...who needs guys when you have your best friends?! As I say, "Hos before bros!" Besides my friends, the best thing about Wellesley are the amazing professors. I love each and every one of my professors- they are all willing to go out of their way for their students. It is obvious that they truly love what they do. Most of the time, I think Wellesley's student body is just the right size, but there are other times (like when finals come around) when it does feel a bit too small because of high stress levels. I spend my time all over campus, but the I probably spend the most time in the following areas: my room, my friends' rooms, Pendleton (more specifically, the economics department on the fourth floor), the dining hall, and when the weather is nice, on Severance Green or the Tower Courtyard. Make no mistake, Wellesley, MA is not a college town. It is a quiet upper class suburb of Boston with some cute shops (the Cheese Shop is to die for!), but the town basically shuts down after 8 pm. That said, however, it is extremely easy to get into Boston to access its never-ending nightlife. Wellesley has buses that go into Cambridge and Boston once every hour (more often on the weekends) and they run late into the night. The ride can take anywhere from 25 minutes to 1 hour, depending on traffic.

Noelle Junior

More student reviews

* Overview details based on 2010 data

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Summary

General Information

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