by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is the data on what it actually costs to attend Wellesley College, covering the cost range, projected degree costs, net price, debt at graduation, default rates, and aid distribution patterns.
Use the section links below to navigate this overview:
The cost of attendance at Wellesley College is about $83,050.00 per academic year.
Cost is shown below as the full sticker price, the average net price after aid, and the low-income net price.
| Tuition and fees | $67,176.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $15,874.00 |
| Total cost | $83,050.00 |
| That is 153% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $83,050.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$60,794.00 |
| Net price | $22,256.00 |
| That is 32% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $83,050.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$83,744.00 |
| Net price | $-694.00 |
| That is 102% below the national average net price. | |
| Want the line-by-line detail? Dig into tuition and fees and room and board. |
The reported cost series has been increasing by roughly 3.4% a year, so a full degree will cost more than a single year — the tables below carry that forward. The detailed projections below compare a degree for a low-income aided student, an average-aid student, and a no-aid student. Loan figures amortise the projected total over ten years at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.4% |
| Freshman year | $-718.00 | $23,016.00 | $85,884.00 |
| Senior year | $-794.00 | $25,453.00 | $94,982.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $-3,021.00 | $96,884.00 | $361,529.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $-1,151.00 | $36,909.00 | $137,729.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $-35.00 | $1,115.00 | $4,160.00 |
| Total amount paid | $-4,172.00 | $133,793.00 | $499,258.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.4% |
| Freshman year | $-718.00 | $23,016.00 | $85,884.00 |
| Senior year | $-742.00 | $23,801.00 | $88,816.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $-1,460.00 | $46,817.00 | $174,700.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $-556.00 | $17,835.00 | $66,554.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $-17.00 | $539.00 | $2,010.00 |
| Total amount paid | $-2,016.00 | $64,652.00 | $241,255.00 |
See the full net-price breakdown in the net price section below.
Net price reflects the true cost to attend after grant and scholarship aid is deducted. This is the more honest cost figure for most families, since it accounts for institutional and federal aid.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $25,496.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $25,008.00 |
Net price is far from uniform: lower-income families typically pay much less after aid. The figures below give average net price by income bracket:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $5,695.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $634.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $15,511.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $24,314.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $50,305.00 |
Estimate your specific net price using the school’s Wellesley College Net Price Calculator, or contact the financial aid office.
Want to know how that aid is awarded? See the financial aid breakdown.
Median graduate debt at Wellesley College works out to $8,700.00, which federal data classifies as a Very Low (<$10k) burden tier.
The percentile spread of debt at graduation is shown below:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $2,634.00 |
| 25th | $5,204.00 |
| Median (50th) | $8,700.00 |
| 75th | $15,000.00 |
| 90th | $21,500.00 |
The 10th-to-90th-percentile spread is one signal of how variable debt outcomes are across the student body.
Explore borrowing, repayment, and default in detail on the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Student debt at graduation is not evenly distributed across income levels. The table below divides borrowers into three income tiers:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,468.00 |
| Middle income | $7,000.00 |
| High income | $10,000.00 |
First-generation students frequently graduate with different debt than continuing-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,145.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $10,000.00 |
Pell Grant eligibility is a useful proxy for low-income status among undergraduates. The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap reveals how borrowing differs by need.
The Pell-versus-non-Pell median debt difference at Wellesley College comes to $-3,600.00.
The federal default-rate classification for Wellesley College is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 0.8% |
For scale, federal Stafford loan disbursements at Wellesley College come to $28,728,535.00 distributed across 3,025 recipients.
Veterans and active-duty students can access dedicated federal education aid including the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Department of Defense Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 7 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $25,486.00 |
For the full rundown of veteran and military benefits, see the college veterans page.
The data above is a foundation; round it out by asking yourself about Wellesley College, think through the questions below:
Use the pages below to go deeper on a specific part of the cost story:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.