Wellesley College

Admissions

As Wellesley’s profile has risen in recent years, the percentage of students admitted has declined from fifty percent to about thirty-four percent. But if you have a strong academic record, are motivated and enthusiastic, and know you want to attend a top school, Wellesley should be an easy choice.

Since the college believes a diverse student body is important, Wellesley seeks to bring together a group of individuals who enrich the school by their different experiences, races, ethnicities, religions, geographic backgrounds, and interests. Approximately forty-four percent of the student body is white, twenty-five percent is Asian, and thirteen percent is African American, Latino, and Native American and eight percent are international students. While sixty-four percent have attended public high schools, the other thirty-four percent have gone to private schools and one percent have been home-schooled.

Decision Plans

The college offers three decision plans for prospective students, each with different deadlines and each geared toward a different kind of applicant. All, require the standard application fee of $50, although the fee is waived for online applicants and in cases of financial need.

• Early Decision is designed for women who are sure they want to attend Wellesley; about one-fifth of incoming students are accepted under this plan. If you think you might fall into this category, it’s best to visit the college early, attend a few classes, meet some professors, and arrange an overnight stay with a student in her dorm room. The Early Decision deadline falls on November 1, so you must take the SAT or ACT by October. The advantage of this plan is that you’ll know by the winter holidays whether you’ve been admitted or deferred to the regular application pool. The only disadvantage is that the decision is binding, so if accepted, you must withdraw your applications from all other schools.
• For students who are strongly considering Wellesley but aren’t sure they want to commit to the Early Decision program, the Early Evaluation plan has a deadline of January 1. You’ll receive a letter by the end of February that indicates your chances of acceptance, but the final decision is not sent out until April. Early Evaluation is a smart plan for people who want to know how realistic their chances of admission are without having to pledge to one school.
• Finally, Wellesley offers a Traditional Regular Decision plan. Applications are due January 15, so you can take standardized tests through December of your senior year. Again, the Board of Admissions will notify you of its decision in April. Students placed on the wait list will also be notified at this time. After you’ve chosen which plan is right for you, it’s time to think about assembling your application package.

Application Requirements

Wellesley requires its applicants to take either the ACT (with Writing) or SAT and two SAT Subject Tests (recommended one to be quantitative). In a recent incoming class, first-year students typically scored between 600 and 700 on the Math section and between 600 and 800 on the Verbal section of the SAT I.

Of course, standardized tests are only one part of your Wellesley application. High school grades are equally, if not more, important. Ninety-five percent of incoming students were in the top quarter of their class; all ranked in the top half. You