Wesleyan University is a highly selective private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. Wesleyan is the third oldest college in Connecticut, after Yale University (1701) and Trinity College (1823). Founded by Methodist leaders and prominent residents of Middletown, the now secular university was the first institution to be named after John Wesley, the Protestant theologian who was the founder of Methodism. There are about twenty other unrelated colleges and universities subsequently named after Wesley.
Today, Wesleyan is one of the nation's most highly ranked colleges. Wesleyan occupies a position in American higher education between the large research universities and the smaller liberal arts institutions. The University emphasizes undergraduate instruction, but also supports and funds graduate research in many academic disciplines. Wesleyan, along with Amherst and Williams Colleges, constitute the historic "Little Three" colleges. Wesleyan also is a member of the Twelve-College Exchange Program which includes Amherst, Bowdoin, Connecticut, Dartmouth, Mount Holyoke, Smith, Trinity, Vassar, Wellesley, Wheaton, and Williams.
Wesleyan was founded as an all-male Methodist college in 1831. Although sponsored by the Methodist conference, under the leadership of the first President Willbur Fisk the college did not have a denominational requirement for admission and in addition to seminarian studies it had an innovative curriculum including electives and modern languages. Fisk also travelled to Europe during his presidency to purchase books and scientific equipment, including one of the first telescopes at a college or university, which is currently conserved at Wesleyan's Van Vleck Observatory. Wesleyan remained a leader in educational progress throughout its history, and erected the first building dedicated to the sciences on any American college campus, Judd Hall. It also has always maintained a much larger library collection than a comparable institution its size.
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| Percent of Students International: | 8% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 89% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (New England Small College Ath Conf) Basketball (New England Small College Ath Conf) Baseball (New England Small College Ath Conf) Track (New England Small College Ath Conf) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 32,976 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 214 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 5,361 | 13% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 4,236 | 23% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 21,542 | 46% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 2,878 | 42% | |
Any Aid: |
49% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 28% (Most Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 95% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 660, Math: 650 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 750, Math: 740 |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 17% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 28, Verbal: 29, Math: 27 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 32, Verbal: 34, Math: 32 |
| Application Fee: | $ 55.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Recommended |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Required |
| TOEFL: | Recommended |
| Test Scores: | Required |
