Wellesley, MA · private · 2,300 undergraduates
Wellesley College acceptance rate, SAT range and net price
Wellesley admitted 14.8% of its fall 2025 applicants, about 1 in 7, and it is the first women's college to guarantee free tuition at the $200,000 level.
Net price per year at Wellesley
$11,551
Reach · admit rate 14.8%
| Admit rate, Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) | 14.8% (1 in 7) |
| Middle 50% of enrolled students (SAT) | 1,460 to 1,540 |
| Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.) | 1% |
| This site’s label | Reach |
| Sticker price 2026-27 | $98,186 |
| Paid by families with $75,001-$110,000 (2023-24) | $11,551 |
| Share of the sticker price | 12% |
Net price: average paid after grants by students on federal aid in that income band (2023-24), not a quote. The label is a fixed rule of this site (admit rate under 15% is a reach for everyone), not a prediction. Your exact price: Wellesley net price calculator. How this is calculated.
Admissions: Wellesley College Common Data Set 2025-2026, C1 · net price: College Scorecard, 2023-24 · figures checked · Built by Radif Partners · Method and data
- Admit rate, newest cycle
- 14.8%
- SAT middle 50%
- 1,460 to 1,540
- Sticker price 2026-27
- $98,186
- Net price, income $48k to $75k
- $6,587
Wellesley College admitted 1,258 of 8,506 first-year applicants for the class that entered in fall 2025 (Class of 2029), an acceptance rate of 14.8%, and 576 enrolled, according to its Common Data Set 2025-2026. Wellesley stays test optional for fall 2027 entry; 44% of the last class sent an SAT, with a middle 50% of 1,460 to 1,540. The listed 2026-27 costs add up to $98,186 before travel and the waivable health plan. That figure will matter less to many families from fall 2027, when the Wellesley Tuition Promise makes tuition free for U.S. students whose family income is $200,000 or less with typical assets. In 2023-24 the federal average net price was already $2,836 for incomes between $30,001 and $48,000 and $11,551 between $75,001 and $110,000.
A women's college with a wider door than its peers
Wellesley's applicant pool is smaller than at coeducational colleges of the same standing, 8,506 applications for fall 2025, and its rate is correspondingly higher. The Common Data Set breaks the pool down by origin: international students filed 3,132 applications, close to four in ten, but received only 107 of the 1,258 offers, while Massachusetts residents filed 698 and received 151. For a U.S. applicant, the effective odds are therefore better than the headline rate.
Wellesley runs two binding rounds, Early Decision I on November 1 and Early Decision II on January 5, with Regular Decision on January 8. For fall 2025, 1,023 students applied early and 301 were admitted. The college's own advice is that early applicants are admitted at a slightly higher rate because they are a strong, self-selected group, not because the standard changes. The waiting list was long and slow: 2,214 offered, 1,121 accepted, 59 admitted.
Wellesley: where your SAT score lands
Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.)
50%
| Middle 50% | 1,460 to 1,540 |
| Your score is | inside the middle 50% |
Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), CDS 2025-2026, C9 (253 SAT submitters, 103 ACT submitters). Normal curve fitted to the two published percentiles.
Test optional, with writing and math checked other ways
About 45% of enrolling students have applied without testing since Wellesley went test optional, and the policy holds for fall 2027. Without a score, the committee looks for evidence of writing and quantitative skill elsewhere: advanced English or math courses, AP or IB results, competitions, publications. In the fall 2025 class the SAT senders, 44% of students, scored 1,460 to 1,540, and the 18% who sent the ACT scored 33 to 35.
From the 2026-27 bill to the Tuition Promise
For 2026-27 Wellesley bills tuition of $72,570, housing and meals of $23,206 and an activity fee of $360, and budgets $800 for books and $1,250 for personal costs. Massachusetts requires health insurance, so the college bills its plan to everyone unless waived. From fall 2027 the Tuition Promise covers full tuition for U.S. families up to $200,000, with no loans up to $100,000; the college estimates that eligible students will pay between $0 and $26,000 in 2027-28 for room, meals and the activities fee. Admission is need-blind for U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
Wellesley: net price for your family income
Average net price, 2023-24
$6,587
| Income band | $48,001-$75,000 |
| Share of the 2023-24 cost | 8% |
Federal figure for first-year students on federal aid.
Wellesley in the comparison
Its rate sits well above Williams and Amherst, while its price and aid rules now match theirs closely. Above $110,000, families paid an average of $54,188 in 2023-24, before the Promise. Put the three side by side in the comparison tool.
From Wellesley College’s own documents
- For fall 2025, 1,023 students applied Early Decision and 301 were admitted, close to a quarter of all 1,258 admits. source
- International applicants were 3,132 of 8,506 applicants (37%) but only 107 of 1,258 admits; Massachusetts residents were 698 applicants and 151 admits. source
- From fall 2027, the Wellesley Tuition Promise makes tuition free for U.S. families earning $200,000 or less with typical assets, with no loans up to $100,000; the college estimates the remaining cost for eligible students at $0 to $26,000 a year for housing, meals and the activity fee. source
- Wellesley offered 2,214 students a place on the waiting list for fall 2025; 1,121 accepted it and 59 were admitted. source
- Massachusetts requires all college students to have health insurance, so Wellesley bills every student its health plan fee unless the student waives it with qualifying coverage. source
- Wellesley says it is the first women's college, and only the second liberal arts college in the nation, to guarantee free tuition at the $200,000 income level. source
Net price at Wellesley College by family income
| Family income | Average net price 2023-24 | Share of the 2023-24 cost |
|---|---|---|
| $0-$30,000 | $2,546 | 3% |
| $30,001-$48,000 | $2,836 | 3% |
| $48,001-$75,000 | $6,587 | 8% |
| $75,001-$110,000 | $11,551 | 13% |
| $110,001 and up | $54,188 | 63% |
| All aided students | $25,496 | 30% |
Cost of attendance at Wellesley College, 2026-27
| Item | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $72,570 | |
| Fees | $360 | |
| Housing and food | $23,206 | |
| Books and supplies | $800 | |
| Personal | $1,250 | |
| Total | $98,186 |
Wellesley College admissions by cycle
| Entering class | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) | 8,506 | 1,258 | 576 | 14.8% |
| Fall 2024 (federal IPEDS figure) | n/a | n/a | n/a | 14.1% |
SAT and ACT scores at Wellesley College
| Score | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), CDS 2025-2026, C9 (253 SAT submitters, 103 ACT submitters)) | 1,460 | 1,500 | 1,540 |
| ACT composite (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) (CDS 2025-2026, C9 (253 SAT submitters, 103 ACT submitters))) | 33 | 34 | 35 |
| SAT sections, fall 2024 (Scorecard) | 730 + 730 | n/a | 770 + 790 |
Outcomes at Wellesley College
| Measure | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Graduated within 6 years | 92% | fall 2018 entering cohort |
| Returned for a second year | 97% | fall 2023 entering cohort |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $84,803 | measured 2020-2021, 10 years after entry, 2022 dollars |
| Median federal debt of graduates | $10,000 | students who finished in 2019-20 and 2020-21 |
| Undergraduates | 2,300 | fall 2024 |
| Students with a Pell Grant | 21% | 2023-24 |