How to Apply

Wellesley's application process is straightforward.

Below are the four “must have” items that we need from all first-year applicants. (See separate instructions for Transfer and Davis Degree applicants.) We also urge you to get to know the College better by visiting us or scheduling an interview.

Required for All Applicants:
 

1. Take Standardized Tests and Submit Scores.

Wellesley requires that first-year applicants take the SAT Reasoning and two SAT Subject Tests or the ACT with Writing. Please request that the official score reports be sent to Wellesley. You may either list Wellesley on the test registration form or ask your guidance counselor for an additional Report Request Form.

• For more information about SAT testing, go to the College Board website.
• Wellesley’s SAT school code number is 3957.
• For more information about ACT testing, go to the ACT website.
  Wellesley’s ACT school code number is 1926.
• We also strongly recommend that students for whom English is not their first language and who have been studying in English for less than five years take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Please let us know the date you took or will take the exam. All exams must be completed by the stated application deadline for your decision plan.
   

2. Complete and Submit the Wellesley College Supplement

The Wellesley Supplement is brief. It asks that you indicate your decision plan and provide brief biographical and school contact information. It also poses one question, giving you the opportunity to tell us more about your reasons for choosing Wellesley and why we might be a good fit for you. We ask that you respond to this question in two well-developed paragraphs:

"When choosing a college, you are choosing an intellectual community and a place where you believe that you can live, learn, and flourish. To this end, the Board of Admission is interested in knowing your reasons for applying to Wellesley College, and how Wellesley will help you to realize your personal and academic goals.”

We encourage you to apply online; the application fee is waived if you do. We want everyone, regardless of ability to pay, to feel they can apply. When applying electronically, you will need to complete the Wellesley Supplement before you submit the Common Application. Students who submit a paper application should include a $50 application fee, payable to Wellesley College, drawn on a U.S. bank. An applicant requesting a fee waiver should enclose documentation from her guidance counselor.

Complete the Wellesley Supplement at www.commonapp.org.

View a pdf of the Wellesley College Required First-Year Supplement.  View a pdf of the Required Transfer Supplement and application instructions for Transfer and Davis Degree  candidates.

3. Complete and Submit the Common Application

You may use the Common Application to apply to multiple schools. Submit a separate application to each school individually and indicate your chosen decision plan for each school. It’s easy to do. 

Keep in mind that colleges will refer to you by the name you list as your "preferred name" on the Common Application.

You will need to write one personal essay for all the schools to which you apply via the Common App. (See section on essay.) This essay is important, as it provides you with an excellent opportunity for reflection and for communicating to colleges what they should know about you. As you will have only one essay to write, we hope it will represent your best efforts. 

Complete the Common Application at www.commonapp.org. Take a deep breath! You’re nearly done. Perhaps you’ll find time to relax a bit (check Facebook, go for a run, or catch an episode of The Office).

4. Submit Required Credentials

The deadlines for submitting credentials vary, depending upon the decision plan you choose. Communicate deadlines with your guidance counselors and the teachers who will be writing your recommendations.