Wellesley College Outcomes: $72K Median Earnings (2026)

How much do Wellesley College graduates earn?

The reported median is $72,449 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $68,250 as its benchmark; the difference is $4,199 per year.

The return at Wellesley College sits at the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That position rests on median earnings of $72,449 four years after completion, which is $4,199 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show the range that field of study can open up. The downside earnings scenario is $50,231, the typical scenario is $72,449, and the upside scenario reaches $137,007.

The spread between the downside and the upside is wide, reflecting the difference between the lowest-earning large program, Research and Experimental Psychology at $52,538, and the highest-earning, Computer and Information Sciences at $177,213. An estimated 40.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

That share means four-year earnings figures capture the early-career picture for most graduates but not the full return for those who pursue advanced degrees.

The earnings scenarios show a wide spread: from $50,231 on the downside to $137,007 on the upside. Program choice largely accounts for that range.

At the higher end, Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn $177,213 four years after completion, from 57 degrees awarded a year. Economics follows at $121,787, with 92 degrees awarded.

Computer Software and Media Applications graduates earn $98,816, from a smaller cohort of 22 degrees.

An estimated 40.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, so those continuing their education are outside that snapshot.

How many Wellesley College first-year students return?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26

Returned the following fall: 95.0%

Source: Wellesley College Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention.

How could earnings differ from the median?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $50,231
Median · reported: $72,449
Higher estimate: $137,007

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do Wellesley College graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

That comparison is not reported for Wellesley College. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending Wellesley College caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at Wellesley College report the highest earnings?

The highest-earning program at Wellesley College is Computer and Information Sciences, where graduates earn a median of $177,213 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #7 nationally in its field, from 57 degrees awarded a year.

The largest program is Economics, with 92 degrees awarded and median earnings of $121,787. Azimuth ranks it #23 nationally in its field.

At the more moderate end, Research and Experimental Psychology awards 38 degrees a year. Graduates earn $52,538, and Azimuth ranks the program #30 nationally in its field.

Political Science awards 42 degrees a year with median earnings of $72,830, ranking #51 nationally.

Five programs at Wellesley College carry an Azimuth national rank. The largest of them span the social sciences, computing, and the life sciences, and their earnings four years after completion range from about $52,538 to nearly $177,213.

Economics is the largest, with 92 degrees awarded and median earnings of $121,787. Azimuth ranks it #23 nationally within its field.

Computer and Information Sciences is the highest-earning program on campus, at $177,213, from 57 degrees awarded. Azimuth ranks it #7 nationally.

Political Science and Research and Experimental Psychology round out the largest fields, with 42 and 38 degrees awarded, earnings of $72,830 and $52,538, and national ranks of #51 and #30 respectively.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show how much the field of study can shift the outcome. The downside earnings scenario is $50,231, the typical scenario is $72,449, and the upside scenario reaches $137,007.

Among the largest programs, Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn $177,213 four years after completion, while Research and Experimental Psychology graduates earn $52,538. The spread between those two fields alone captures most of the range.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Wellesley College who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $72,449, from a cohort of 403. That figure is $4,199 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the earnings measure in the 79th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show a wide range.

The typical earnings scenario is $72,449, with a downside of $50,231 and an upside of $137,007. The spread between the downside and upside scenarios captures the difference between the university's lower- and higher-earning program clusters.

An estimated 40.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. This estimate suggests that a substantial share of students pursue further education.

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.