Admissions Factors
What Wesleyan Looks For
Wesleyan rates 1 factor as very important: rigor of high school courses.
How Wesleyan rates each factor
Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.
Very important
Important
Considered
The numbers behind the class
Overall admit rate
16.4%
2,451 of 14,973 applicants
Early decision admit rate
42.8%
Early decision admits equal 63% of the class
Admitted from the waitlist
4.3%
54 of 1,246 who stayed on it
72.8% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.
Frequently asked questions
What does Wesleyan look for in applicants?
Wesleyan rates 1 factor as very important: rigor of high school courses.
Does Wesleyan consider legacy status?
Wesleyan rates alumni relation as "not considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does Wesleyan track demonstrated interest?
Wesleyan rates the level of an applicant's interest as "not considered".
What is Wesleyan's waitlist acceptance rate?
1,246 students stayed on the waitlist and 54 were admitted, a rate of 4.3%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.
What is Wesleyan's early decision acceptance rate?
Early decision: 522 of 1,220 applicants were admitted (42.8%), against 16.4% 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: Wesleyan’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.
