Princton vs Wellesley College

Princeton University and Wellesley College, two prestigious institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Princeton, a coeducational Ivy League university, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 5.8%. Wellesley, a private women's college, offers a more intimate learning environment with an acceptance rate of 22.5%. Both schools excel in academics, with Princeton ranking among the top universities globally and Wellesley renowned for its strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Princeton University logo

Princeton University

Wellesley College logo

Wellesley College

Overview

Location Princeton, New Jersey Wellesley, Massachusetts
Campus setting City: Small Suburb: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate
Students retention rate 96.0% 97.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 4.4% 16.2%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $75
SAT range 1460 - 1570 1400 - 1540
ACT range 33 - 35 31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score 56.0% 36.0%
Students submitting ACT score 35.0% 23.0%
Total number of applicants 37,601 7,663
Total number of admissions given out 1,647 1,240
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,290 606
Yield rate 78.3% 48.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Not required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $78,490 $64,602
Average net price $20,908 $21,862
Tuition $56,010 $60,424
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $10,690

Meal plan: $7,490
Room/dormitory: $9,704

Meal plan: $8,584
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

65.0%
Average amount $47,136
60.0%
Average amount $55,483
Students receiving federal student loan 2.0%
Average amount $5,278
13.0%
Average amount $3,993
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $8,938
13.0%
Average amount $5,043

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 5,321
Men 50.3% Women 49.7%
2,461
Men 1.2% Women 98.8%
Graduate students 3,157
Men 58.3% Women 41.7%
N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 82.6% N/A
International students 22.8% 13.8%
Campus local/setting City: Small Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 5,151 2,211
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from New Jersey California New York Pennsylvania Texas N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Social Sciences
  • Engineering
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Physical Science
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Social Sciences
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio 5:1 8:1
Institutional accreditation Middle States Commission on Higher Education New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 97.6% 92.1%
Dropout rate 1.9% 7.8%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $122,809
  • Year 2: $103,078
  • Year 3: $181,687
Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $75,130
  • Year 2: $75,518
  • Year 3: $85,666
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,831
  • Year 2: $47,260
  • Year 3: $66,134
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,473
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,463
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $24,879
  • Year 2: $47,260
  • Year 3: N/A
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $37,568
  • Year 3: N/A
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $38,447
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: N/A
Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $45,198
  • Year 2: $33,993
  • Year 3: N/A
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $110,380
  • Year 2: $86,867
  • Year 3: $124,973
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,781
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $80,094
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $38,289
  • Year 3: $62,505
Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $36,749
  • Year 2: $34,420
  • Year 3: $47,043
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,693
  • Year 2: $36,852
  • Year 3: $46,471
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,849
  • Year 2: $31,314
  • Year 3: $45,061
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,002
  • Year 2: $33,281
  • Year 3: $39,658
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $29,685
  • Year 3: N/A
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,587
  • Year 2: $33,993
  • Year 3: N/A
Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,490
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Princeton University Princton vs California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology
Princeton University Princton vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
Princeton University Princton vs University of California-Davis University of California-Davis
Princeton University Princton vs University of Southern California University of Southern California
Princeton University Princton vs Yale University Yale University
Princeton University Princton vs University of Chicago University of Chicago
Princeton University Princton vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
Princeton University Princton vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
Princeton University Princton vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
Princeton University Princton vs University of Maryland-College Park University of Maryland-College Park
Princeton University Princton vs United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy
Princeton University Princton vs Brandeis University Brandeis University
Princeton University Princton vs Harvard University Harvard University
Princeton University Princton vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Princeton University Princton vs Wellesley College Wellesley College
Princeton University Princton vs University of Michigan-Ann Arbor University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Princeton University Princton vs Washington University in St Louis Washington University in St Louis
Princeton University Princton vs Dartmouth College Dartmouth College
Princeton University Princton vs Barnard College Barnard College
Princeton University Princton vs Colgate University Colgate University
Princeton University Princton vs Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Princeton University Princton vs Cornell University Cornell University
Princeton University Princton vs Jewish Theological Seminary of America Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Princeton University Princton vs New York University New York University
Princeton University Princton vs Duke University Duke University
Princeton University Princton vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Princeton University Princton vs Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University
Princeton University Princton vs University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania
Princeton University Princton vs Brown University Brown University
Princeton University Princton vs Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University
Princeton University Princton vs Rice University Rice University
Princeton University Princton vs University of Virginia-Main Campus University of Virginia-Main Campus
Princeton University Princton vs Stanford University Stanford University
Princeton University Princton vs Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Claremont McKenna College Claremont McKenna College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Scripps College Scripps College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Connecticut College Connecticut College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Trinity College Trinity College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Wesleyan University Wesleyan University
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Spelman College Spelman College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Principia College Principia College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Bates College Bates College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Bowdoin College Bowdoin College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Colby College Colby College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Smith College Smith College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Hillsdale College Hillsdale College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Macalester College Macalester College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Bard College Bard College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Clarkson University Clarkson University
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Colgate University Colgate University
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Hamilton College Hamilton College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Hobart William Smith Colleges Hobart William Smith Colleges
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs St Lawrence University St Lawrence University
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Skidmore College Skidmore College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Union College Union College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Vassar College Vassar College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Reed College Reed College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Bucknell University Bucknell University
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Dickinson College Dickinson College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Franklin and Marshall College Franklin and Marshall College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Haverford College Haverford College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Lafayette College Lafayette College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Rhodes College Rhodes College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Trinity University Trinity University
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Franklin W Olin College of Engineering