SAT or ACT: Which Exam to Choose for US Admissions
She enrolled in Fashion PR programs at five US universities
Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA · Wellesley College is a leading U.S. women's college and one of the most renowned liberal arts colleges in the world. Its alumnae include Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, journalist Diane Sawyer, and stateswoman Soong Mei-ling. Wellesley offers students a unique opportunity: cross-registration at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), providing access to its courses, laboratories, and resources at no additional cost. The acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 is 13.7%. Approximately 60% of students receive financial aid, with an average grant of $70,519 and no loans involved.
Wellesley College was founded in 1870 in Wellesley, Massachusetts, 12 miles west of Boston. It is one of the legendary “Seven Sisters”, an association of leading women’s colleges in the United States, comparable to Ivy League universities in academic status.
Today, Wellesley is a women’s college with 2,400+ female students from more than 50 countries.
The main academic advantage of Wellesley is cross‑registration with MIT: female students can attend MIT courses at no additional cost and count them toward their degree requirements. MIT is a few minutes away by bus. This combination of Wellesley’s liberal arts education with MIT’s technical foundation is one of the rare academic opportunities in American higher education.
Wellesley’s admissions policy is transgender‑inclusive: the college accepts all applications from people who identify as women, including transgender women and non‑binary individuals who were assigned female at birth.
Wellesley College was the first among leading liberal arts colleges to exceed the $100,000 mark per year in total cost of attendance (COA) in the 2025–2026 academic year.
Tuition + fees 2025–2026: $70,144 per year
Tuition 2026–2027: $72,570 per year
COA 2025–2026: approximately $100,541 per year (tuition + housing + meals + fees + personal expenses)
COA 2026–2027: approximately $96,136 per year (direct expenses: tuition $72,570 + housing $12,020 + meals $11,186 + fees $360)
55% of first‑year students receive need‑based financial aid. Wellesley is an undergraduate‑only college: no master’s programs, no PhD.
Wellesley is an undergraduate-only women’s college with more than 55 majors and an active research culture. Students shape their curriculum with broad freedom of choice — subject to minimum mandatory requirements across knowledge categories.
Humanities: English language and literature, history, philosophy, religious studies, classical languages, art history, theater, music, film/media arts, comparative literature, women’s and gender studies, African studies.
Social sciences: economics, political science, psychology, sociology, anthropology, international relations, educational studies.
Natural and exact sciences: biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, mathematics, statistics, computer science, neuroscience, geosciences, cognitive sciences, biochemistry.
A unique opportunity — cross‑registration with MIT: Wellesley students can attend courses at MIT for free and count them toward their degree requirements. MIT engineering, technology, and science courses are available — at no additional cost, with full access to MIT libraries and laboratories.
In addition to MIT, Wellesley participates in the Twelve College Exchange Program: female students can spend a semester at Amherst, Bowdoin, Connecticut College, Dartmouth, Mount Holyoke, Smith, Trinity, Vassar, Wheaton, Whittier, or Williams for the standard Wellesley fee.
The average class size is about 16 students. The ratio of female students to teachers is 7:1.
The Wellesley campus is located on the picturesque Wellesley Hills and covers 500 acres — one of the most beautiful university campuses in New England. In the center of the campus is Lake Waban, surrounded by forest paths, gardens, and historic buildings. The campus’s botanical garden is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Wellesley requires all female students to live on campus for all four years, guaranteeing housing for each student. The system of residential buildings (dorms) creates dense academic communities within a large campus. The student housing units are equipped with study lounges, kitchens, and spaces for informal communication.
The campus has more than 160 student organizations: academic societies, cultural associations, sports teams, political clubs, and entrepreneurial groups. A special role is played by the Hoop Rolling ceremony — an annual hoop race, in which the winner, according to legend, will be the first to get married or become a CEO. Boston is 12 miles away — the subway (Green Line) connects Wellesley to the city center in 25–30 minutes.
Wellesley — Needs Assessment Resource is an additional resource for female students experiencing difficulties with basic needs (food, transportation, vacation housing). The college recognizes the real barriers and works with them directly.
The acceptance rate for the class of 2029 is 13.7% (1,192 out of 8,700 applications). Applications are submitted via the Common App.
Wellesley accepts applications from people who live and identify as women. This includes transgender women and non‑binary people assigned female at birth.
Important for international students: if you plan to request financial aid, you must indicate this in your admission application. Financial documents are submitted after receiving the offer.
The GPA of most admitted students is 3.9+. Wellesley is test‑optional for the class of 2030. SAT mid‑50% of admitted students: 1,430–1,550; ACT: 32–35.
The additional question at Wellesley traditionally concerns the student’s specific contribution to the college community and academic interests. The admissions committee is looking for intellectually active students with a clear understanding of what specifically attracts them to Wellesley — and, in particular, how they plan to make use of the opportunity to study at MIT.
Two from subject teachers and one from the homeroom teacher.
Wellesley offers alumni interviews in most regions of the world. Participation is recommended.
Early Decision — by November 1: acceptance rate is about 30% — twice as high as Regular Decision. Regular Decision — by January 8.
For international female applicants — transcripts with translation, TOEFL 100+ iBT or IELTS 7.5+.
An honest point regarding financial policy. Wellesley applies a need-aware (need-sensitive) policy for international students — the college’s official website explicitly states: “Wellesley is not need-blind for students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The
The college has the resources to support a limited number of need‑based financial aid awards for international citizens with calculated need. This means that the competition for spots among international female students requesting financial aid is “extraordinarily competitive,” as the college itself puts it.
At the same time, if an international student is admitted with financial aid, Wellesley covers 100 % of the confirmed need without loans for all four years.
International students who do not need financial aid compete in the standard pool alongside American applicants.
Wellesley is one of the few schools in the country that guarantees 100% need‑based financial aid without loans:
Additional programs:
Wellesley graduates hold leadership positions in politics, science, business, medicine, and international organizations in disproportionately high numbers relative to the size of the college. Among the most notable are: Hillary Clinton (the 64th U.S. Secretary of State), Madeleine Albright (the first female U.S. Secretary of State), Diane Sawyer (ABC News journalist), Soong Mei‑ling (a stateswoman of the Republic of China), geneticist Nora Sporo, and economist Kathy Jane Coleman.
Wellesley graduates go on to the best graduate programs and professional schools in the country. The retention rate is 95% — one of the highest among all colleges. The alumni network — about 36,000 graduates worldwide — is particularly active through the club and mentoring systems.
Wellesley conducts active research despite its status as an undergraduate‑only college. Students can participate in research projects starting in their first year through the Summer Research Program and the Tanner Conference — an annual student research conference.
The Wellesley Centers for Women is one of the leading academic research centers in the field of women’s rights, gender studies, and international development. The center publishes research that influences public policy in the United States and abroad.
Cross‑registration with MIT gives Wellesley students access to the laboratories and research projects of one of the world’s leading technical universities — without enrolling at MIT.
Wellesley is one of the legendary “Seven Sisters”: Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe, Smith, Vassar and Wellesley. These colleges were historically founded as the women’s answer to Ivy League universities.
Cross‑registration with MIT — Wellesley students can study physics, engineering, computer science, and dozens of other subjects at MIT for free. This is one of the few academic partnerships of its kind in the USA.
Hoop Rolling ceremony (a race with hoops) is an annual spring tradition since 1895. According to legend, the winner will “be the first to get married” (in the 19th century) or “become a CEO” (in the 21st century). One of the most famous student rituals in American higher education.
Wellesley was the first elite college to cross the $100,000 per year mark in full cost of attendance (2025–2026) among liberal arts colleges. This event was widely covered in the American media.
The Twelve College Exchange Program offers Wellesley students access to 11 other colleges — including Dartmouth, Amherst, and Williams — for one semester at no additional cost.
Getting into Wellesley requires a clear strategy: ED, with an acceptance rate of ~30%, is the main tool; for international students with financial needs, the competition is especially high; the essay should show how you plan to use Wellesley’s unique opportunities — cross‑registration with MIT, Twelve College Exchange, and research programs.
We at SelfStartGlobal help:
Our students have already received scholarships worth more than $35 million.
Want to get into Wellesley College? Come to a free consultation.
She enrolled in Fashion PR programs at five US universities
I was accepted to the PhD program at Columbia University on my first try, having strengthened my profile and compiled my achievements into a strong application.
He entered a master’s program in the USA at two universities at once – Brandeis University and Washington University in St. Louis, receiving scholarships totaling $80,000. He chose Brandeis University and went to study on the first try.
She was admitted to three American universities at once: Augustana College, Widener University, and the University of South Dakota. She chose Augustana College, where she received a scholarship of $45,000 per year.
She enrolled in graphic design at universities in France, Italy and Hungary. She received scholarships at all of them and chose the university with the maximum funding — $135,000 for the entire period of study.
He entered Siena Heights University (USA) for the Theater and Music program with a full scholarship of $170,000. Preparation took less than a year.
She entered graduate school at Kent State University and Ohio University. At Ohio University, she won a Graduate Teaching Assistantship with full funding of $37,774, covering tuition, insurance, and living expenses.
Got accepted to NYU Abu Dhabi on the first try (acceptance rate 4%) with a scholarship of $217,000. Also received offers from Lynn and Drexel University.
Leave your contacts — our consultant will get in touch
