Cost & financial aid brief
Wellesley College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Wellesley College cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 70% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a sticker-to-net gap of $60,794. The pattern across income bands shows the deepest discounting at the bottom of the scale.
Average net prices do not exceed $6,587 for families earning up to $75,000, and reach $54,188 in the highest band. The spread of $51,642 between the two ends describes a pricing structure that concentrates aid on lower-income students.
The published cost of attendance at Wellesley College is $86,290 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #499 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $2,546, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $6,587, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $54,188. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $51,642.
Aid covers about 70% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $25,496, which is $1,875 below the median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $10,000 in federal student loans. That is $14,199 below the peer median of $24,199 for comparable institutions.
67.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $38,825.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $114 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is common at Wellesley College: 67.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, the median federal student debt is $10,000.
That median is $14,199 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $114 a month.
Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $38,825. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 37% of its 555 bachelor's graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $12,364 per borrower.
Of those graduates, 29% held federal loans, including an average of $6,061 per borrower. A smaller share, 5%, held private loans, averaging $56,851.
Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $72,449, placing them at the 79th percentile nationally. That is $4,199 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $50,231 on the downside to $137,007 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $72,449. Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $10,000 in federal loans, $14,199 below the peer median of $24,199.
If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $114 a month. The return picture is one of earnings that clear the peer benchmark and debt that stays $14,199 below the peer median.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $38,825. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $114 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $38,825
- Estimated parent payment
- $493/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 29.1% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 13.1% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 6.2% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 4.1% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $10,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $38,825
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $114/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $493/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $607/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $72,449, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
2.8% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.