Wellesley College
Wellesley College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Wellesley College Featured Rankings
- #2 Liberal Arts Colleges for Education Degrees
- #4 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Massachusetts 2026
- #4 Small Colleges in Massachusetts
- #5 Earth Sciences Liberal Arts Colleges
- #5 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Psychology Majors
- #6 History Liberal Arts Colleges
- #6 Anthropology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #6 Religious Studies Liberal Arts Colleges
- #7 Physics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #7 Computer Science Liberal Arts Colleges
- #7 Philosophy Liberal Arts Colleges
- #7 Math Liberal Arts Colleges
- #8 Sociology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #8 Political Science Liberal Arts Colleges
- #8 Economics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #8 English Liberal Arts Colleges
- #8 Chemistry Liberal Arts Colleges
- #8 Liberal Arts Colleges for Biology Degrees
- #9 Best Small Colleges 2026
- #9 Political Science Colleges and Universities
- #9 Best Liberal Arts Colleges 2026
- #10 Sociology Colleges and Universities
- #10 Private Colleges in Massachusetts 2026
- #11 Best Colleges in Massachusetts
- #11 Psychology Colleges and Universities
- #36 Best Undergrad Private Colleges
- #39 Best Undergrad Colleges 2026
About Wellesley College
Wellesley College was founded in 1870. A four-year, women’s, liberal arts college, Wellesley enrolls more than 2,500 undergraduates.
Wellesley consists of 56 academic departments providing courses across the liberal arts spectrum. Among the most popular programs are those in social sciences, in biological and biomedical sciences, and in computer and information sciences.
Wellesley is associated with one Nobel laureate for peace, Emily Greene Balch.
Other distinguished Wellesley connected individuals include the following:
- Mathematicians, Mabel Minerva Young and Judith Roitman
- Computer scientist, Erna Schneider Hoover
- Philosophers—Marjorie Grene, Julián Marías, Richard Rorty, and Ruth Anna Putnam
- Poets—Jorge Guillén, Josephine Preston Peabody, Robert Pinsky, Frank Bidart, Dan Chiasson, and Rosario Ferré
- Poet and “America the Beautiful” author, Katharine Lee Bates
- Novelists—Vladimir Nabokov, Alice Walker, Helen Hooven Santmyer, and Jasmine Guillory
- Chinese children’s author, Bing Xin (Xie Wanying)
- English scholar and mystery writer, Carolyn G. Heilbrun
- Classicists, Emily Vermeule and Mary Lefkowitz
- Translators, Grace Frick and David Ferry
- Screenwriters, Nora Ephron and Daisy Gardner
- Actors—Ali MacGraw, Elisabeth Shue, and Barbara Babcock
- Art historian, Margaret Henderson Floyd
- Conceptual artists, Adrian Piper and Lorraine O’Grady
- Classical pianist and composer, Katherine K. Davis
- Astronomers, Sarah Frances Whiting and Annie Jump Cannon
- Physicist, Persis S. Drell
- Geologist, Katherine Freeman
- Microbiologist, Rebecca Craighill Lancefield
- Zoologist, Marian E. Hubbard
- Paleontologist, Winifred Goldring
- Psychologists, Mary Whiton Calkins and Martha McClintock
- Psychoanalyst, Muriel Gardiner
- Political scientist, Nannerl O. Keohane
- Economists, Emily Greene Balch and Carolyn Shaw Bell
- Harlem Renaissance journalist, playwright, and poet, Angelina Weld Grimké
- Suffragists, Marjory Stoneman Douglas and Anita Whitney
- Educator and nonfiction author, Diane Ravitch
- Journalists, Elizabeth Drew and Michelle Caruso-Cabrera
- Journalist and etiquette expert, Judith Martin (Miss Manners)
- Television journalists—Cokie Roberts, Diane Sawyer, Linda Wertheimer, and Lynn Sherr
- Former US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright
- Former US Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic Party presidential candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton
Wellesley is regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) (formerly known as the New England Association of Schools and Colleges [NEASC]).
According to Wikipedia, Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial grouping of current and former women's colleges in the northeastern United States.
Wellesley College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8,184 | 14% | 97% | 91% | 1510 | 34 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Wellesley College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $70,144 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $11,253 |
| 30K - 48K | $2,791 |
| 48K - 75K | $5,535 |
| 75K - 110K | $12,053 |
| 110K+ | $46,438 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Wellesley College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Wellesley College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $90,458 a year, and 93% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Wellesley College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads |
|---|---|
| 2,503 | 2,503 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Wellesley College?
Wellesley College is located at 106 Central St, Wellesley, MA 02481-8203.
How Safe is Wellesley College?
Relative to its enrollment, Wellesley College has a violent crime rate of less than 0.01% and a property crime rate of 0.04%. Wellesley has a violent crime rate of 0.03% and a property crime rate of 0.49%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Wellesley College Known For?
Wellesley College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Sociology
- Philosophy
- Literature
- Political Science
- Physics
- Education
- Economics
- History
- Psychology
- Anthropology
- Biology
- Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Chemistry
- Religious Studies
- Earth Sciences
Wellesley College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Wellesley College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Wellesley College ranks #49 in the U.S. and #135 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesWellesley College ranks #55 in the U.S. and #175 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesWellesley College ranks #61 in the U.S. and #156 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesWellesley College ranks #70 in the U.S. and #243 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesWellesley College ranks #73 in the U.S. and #303 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesWellesley College ranks #75 in the U.S. and #239 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesWellesley College ranks #80 in the U.S. and #304 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesWellesley College ranks #93 in the U.S. and #239 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesWellesley College ranks #100 in the U.S. and #204 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesWellesley College ranks #113 in the U.S. and #313 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesWellesley College ranks #116 in the U.S. and #386 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesWellesley College ranks #142 in the U.S. and #527 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesWellesley College ranks #151 in the U.S. and #565 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesWellesley College ranks #172 in the U.S. and #772 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesWellesley College ranks #193 in the U.S. and #856 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesWellesley College ranks #193 in the U.S. and #801 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesWho Are Wellesley College's Most Influential Alumni?
Wellesley College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Social Work, Sociology, and Literature. Here are some of Wellesley College's most famous alumni:
- Hillary Clinton
- An American politician and diplomat .
- Diane Sawyer
- An American journalist.
- Annie Jump Cannon
- An American astronomer .
- Ayesha Jalal
- A Pakistani historian.
- Cokie Roberts
- An American journalist .
- Mary Lefkowitz
- An American scholar of Classics .
- Emily Greene Balch
- An American economist and writer.
- Bing Xin
- A Chinese writer，poet .
- Nergis Mavalvala
- A Pakistani-American quantum astrophysicist.
- Judith Martin
- An American etiquette expert.
- Susan Estrich
- An American lawyer, academic and political analyst.
- Diane Ravitch
- An American academic.
Who Are Wellesley College's Most Influential Faculty?
Wellesley College's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Social Work, Sociology, and Literature. Here are some of Wellesley College's most famous faculty:
