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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Wellesley College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/wellesley-college/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/wellesley-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/wellesley-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/wellesley-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/wellesley-college/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Wellesley College cost after financial aid?

Wellesley College publishes a cost of attendance of $86,290 (an average across living arrangements) for the standard undergraduate budget. That total includes tuition and fees of $67,176 and room and board of $21,024.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) measures what aided families actually pay after grants and scholarships. For aid recipients here, the average annual net price is $25,496.

Grants and scholarships cut the sticker price by $60,794 for a typical aided student, covering about 70% of the published cost. The remaining share is what families pay out of pocket.

That average net price is $1,875 below the $27,371 median at comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the college #499 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 65th percentile.

Affordability is the weakest of the four pillars for Wellesley College, sitting at the 65th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The published cost of attendance is $86,290 (an average across living arrangements), but aid covers about 70% of that for the average aid recipient.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $25,496, which is $1,875 below the median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size). The net price varies sharply by income.

Families earning under $30,000 average $2,546, while those earning over $110,000 average $54,188, a spread of $51,642 between the two ends. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $10,000 in federal student loans, $14,199 below the peer median of $24,199.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s are higher for each successive family-income band. Aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 pay $2,546 on average; those earning $30,001–$48,000 pay $2,836; $48,001–$75,000 pay $6,587; $75,001–$110,000 pay $11,551; and over $110,000 pay $54,188.

21.1% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $51,642.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$2,546

**$30–48K**
$2,836

**$48–75K**
$6,587

**$75–110K**
$11,551

**$110K+**
$54,188

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$25,496**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$38,825

**Estimated parent payment**
$493/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=wellesley-college#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=wellesley-college#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.