OVERVIEW

Wellesley College is a private women’s liberal arts college with about 2,400 undergraduate students. It is one of the original Seven Sisters Colleges in the United States, which include colleges like Barnars, Bryn Mawr, and Vassar. It was founded as the Wellesley Female Seminary, and got the present name in 1873. Since its establishment, Wellesley has been well-known for the thousands of thoughtful and accomplished women who have graduated and are commited to make a difference.

Wellesley was founded by Pauline and Henry Fowle Durant, and chartered by Massachusetts Governor William Claflin in 1870. In 1875, it began to enroll students. Wellesley is known for its 500-acre campus, which is one of the most beautiful campuses in North America. With more than 1000 plant species and various landscapes, the campus include historic buildings, a private lake, open meadows, lawns, and so on.

Wellesley College offers degrees in bachelor’s program. It also offers research collaborations and cross-registration programs with other higher education institutions surrounding Boston, including Babson College, MIT, Olin College, and Brandeis University. In addition, Wellesley has the Elisabeth Kaiser Davis Degree Program, which is specially open to the nontraditional aged students.

The mission of Wellesley College is:

To provide an excellent liberal arts education for women who will make a difference in the world. Smart, serious women choose Wellesley because it offers one of the best liberal arts educations—and total learning environments—available anywhere. But they graduate with more than a highly regarded degree and four memorable years. They leave as “Wellesley women,” uniquely prepared to make meaningful personal and professional contributions to the “real world”—and to be major influences in it. The world’s preeminent college for women, Wellesley is known for intellectual rigor, its belief in the enduring importance of service (and putting that belief into practice), and its cultivation in students of an inclusive, pragmatic approach to leadership.

ACCREDITATION

Wellesley College has been accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education since 1929.

ACADEMICS

Wellesley College has 32 academic departments, from Africana Studies, Anthropology to Spanish, Women’s & Gender Studies.

The most popular majors and course of study for students are as follows:

1. Social Sciences
2. Biological and Biomedical Sciences
3. Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
4. Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies
5. Psychology

Wellesley College ranks 6th in the 2012 U.S. News and World Report rankings of liberal arts colleges.

At Wellesley, the average class size is between 12 to 24 students. Each od the 32 academic departments offers a major, together with 22 interdepartmental majors. Moreover, students can choose to design an individual major on their own.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants are required to complete a school supplement and the Common Application, and submit them with a personal essay, two high school teacher evaluations, and SAT or ACT test scores. Besides submitting all the materials required, noon-traditional students applying for the Davis Scholars program need to complete an interview with a Wellesley faculty member or alumnus before the deadline.

COSTS AND FINANCIAL AID

The tuitions and fees for the 2011-2012 academic year is USD 40,660. The room and board fee is USD 12,590 or higher.

The average annual financial aid at Wellesley is USD 38,000. About 56 percent of the students receive financial aids, and the student employment program can also help cover about USD 2,000 of expenses.