Wellesley College SAT & ACT Scores

Wellesley introduced test-optional admission for students entering in fall 2021 and has kept it since. The college says it will keep assessing the policy and will share updates for future cycles. It accepts either the SAT or the ACT, including the new ACT launched in April 2025, with or without the optional science section. You state your testing choice on the application. You can switch from "consider tests" to "do not consider tests" until your round's deadline, and switching the other way is possible before decisions are released. Applicants who send self-reported scores must provide official scores if they enroll. English proficiency exams are not required, though Wellesley strongly recommends one for students who have spent fewer than four years in an English-based curriculum.

Wellesley's 2025–26 Common Data Set reports an SAT middle 50% of 1460–1540 for enrolled first-years who submitted the test. The 25th percentile was 1460, the median was 1500, and the 75th percentile was 1540. Section ranges were 730–760 in Reading and Writing and 720–790 in Math.

44% of the entering class sent the SAT. Wellesley notes that many enrolling first-years apply without testing, so these ranges describe only part of the class. Whether or not you submit, the committee looks closely at your writing and quantitative skills, which it calls key predictors of success in its curriculum.

Among enrolled students who reported the ACT, the composite range was 33–35 and the median was 34. English scores ranged from 35–36, and Math scores ranged from 30–34. 18% of the class sent the ACT.

Wellesley accepts the new ACT with or without the science section, so you don't need science to submit. A math-based score from the SAT, ACT, PSAT, PreACT, AP, or IB can also help show readiness for Wellesley's quantitative reasoning requirement. An English or writing-based score can help show readiness for its required first-year writing course.

Wellesley offers Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision. Both Early Decision rounds are binding and require a signed Early Decision Agreement. Wellesley does not offer Early Action.

A practical target for Wellesley is an SAT of 1540 or an ACT of 35, the top quarter of enrolled students who reported scores. Scores near 1500 or 34 sit in the middle of that group. With an admit rate of 14.8%, scores are only one piece of a competitive application.

Wellesley uses a holistic, committee-based review and reads each applicant in the context of their available resources. If you apply without scores, show your writing and quantitative skills in other ways: honors or advanced English, math at the pre-calculus, calculus, or advanced statistics level, writing awards or publications, and math competitions or activities.