Admissions Factors
What Wellesley Looks For
Wellesley rates 4 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, recommendations and character and personal qualities.
How Wellesley rates each factor
Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.
Very important
Considered
Not considered
The numbers behind the class
Overall admit rate
14.8%
1,258 of 8,506 applicants
Early decision admit rate
29.4%
Early decision admits equal 52% of the class
Admitted from the waitlist
5.3%
59 of 1,121 who stayed on it
88% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.
Frequently asked questions
What does Wellesley look for in applicants?
Wellesley rates 4 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, recommendations and character and personal qualities.
Does Wellesley consider legacy status?
Wellesley rates alumni relation as "considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does Wellesley track demonstrated interest?
Wellesley rates the level of an applicant's interest as "considered".
What is Wellesley's waitlist acceptance rate?
1,121 students stayed on the waitlist and 59 were admitted, a rate of 5.3%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.
What is Wellesley's early decision acceptance rate?
Early decision: 301 of 1,023 applicants were admitted (29.4%), against 14.8% overall. Early pools include recruited athletes and other students with a strong tie to the college, so the gap overstates the boost for an ordinary applicant.
Source: Wellesley’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.
