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Private nonprofit · COLLEGE PAYOFF

Wellesley College

⌖ Wellesley, MA · 10 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

10-year estimate · Negative payoff

−$67,654 over 10 years

Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.

With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.

13.2 yrsModeled economic break-even

−24%Modeled 10-year ROI

$66,433Observed earnings · year 5

$8,583Maximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff

The price benchmark would need to fall by $16,914 per year to reach it.

Includes direct price and earnings forgone while studying. Assumes $45,000 in alternative annual earnings and no wage growth. How we calculate it

A QUICK READ

What the numbers say about Wellesley College

What does Wellesley College cost?

Wellesley College reports an average annual net price of $25,496 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.

What do Wellesley College graduates earn?

The observed median earnings figure is $66,433 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.

How much federal debt do Wellesley College graduates have?

Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $10,000. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.

Is every degree at Wellesley College worth the same?

No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 10 field-and-credential outcomes at Wellesley College; reported earnings and debt can differ substantially by program category.

ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK

Estimated payoff over ten years.

The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.

10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation

−$67,654at year 10

Net gainInvestment not yet recovered

NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED

−$281,9840

−$67,65410

FEDERAL COST DATA

Four ways to read college price.

Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.

Published in-state tuition$67,176

Sticker price

Published out-of-state tuition$67,176

Sticker price

Average net price$25,496

Title IV student average

Cost of attendance$86,290

Tuition + living budget

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →

$0Annual price+$34,330

$8,000Annual price+$2,330

$16,000Annual price−$29,670

$24,000Annual price−$61,670

$25,000Current college-wide context−$65,670

$32,000Annual price−$93,670

$40,000Annual price−$125,670

COLLEGE AT A GLANCE

Institution details

Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.

Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher Education
Main award level: Bachelor’s degrees
Campus setting: Suburban
Admissions: Selective admission
Delivery: Campus or mixed delivery
Federal designation: No special designation reported

Sources: College Scorecard June 2026 release and IPEDS 2024 institutional characteristics.

OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$25,496Average net price / year

$86,290Cost of attendance

$10,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers

$106/moPublished 10-year payment estimate

$66,433Median earnings · year 5 after completion

91.5%Completion rate

14.1%Admission rate

2,300Student size

Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.

PRICE BY FAMILY INCOME

Average net price is not one price

Federal averages for aided students in each family-income band. Your aid offer can differ.

$0–30k$2,546

$30–48k$2,836

$48–75k$6,587

$75–110k$11,551

$110k+$54,188

LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$66,433

Year 6$65,961

Year 10$84,803

Full-time retention: 96.5%
Part-time retention: Not available
Completion within 200% of normal time: 91.2%

Earnings timepoints may use different historical cohorts and should not be read as one group’s guaranteed salary growth.

WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS

Outcomes are not the same for every family.

These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.

Pell Grant students92%

Complete within 150% of the expected time

93% received a Pell Grant within eight years

Parent borrowing$43,586

Median Parent PLUS debt

72 parent borrowers in the reported cohort

First-generation students$6,145

Median federal student debt

77% making progress in repayment after three years

Student family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts

Lower income$81,855Earnings are not a guarantee

Middle income$83,998Earnings are not a guarantee

Higher income$86,103Earnings are not a guarantee

Three-year repayment progress

Lower income88%

Middle income85%

Higher income93%

Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.

NATIONAL CONTEXT

How this college compares

Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.

87thEarnings percentile

93thCompletion percentile

WHAT STANDS OUT

A faster read on this college

These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.

$65,036Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories

$11,190Median federal debt across categories that report debt

88%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark

EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$43,659Year 1

$72,449Year 4

$66,433Year 5

Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.

PROGRAM PAYOFF SPREAD

The college average is not the whole story.

Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.

Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding

Strongest relative outcomes

Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark

This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.

1Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $177,213 reported+92%vs same-degree national median$13,350federal debt 2Computer Software and Media ApplicationsBachelor's Degree · $98,816 reported+68%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt 3EconomicsBachelor's Degree · $121,787 reported+47%vs same-degree national median$11,190federal debt 4English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $59,865 reported+23%vs same-degree national median$12,000federal debt 5Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's Degree · $65,036 reported+18%vs same-degree national median$10,152federal debt 6Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's Degree · $72,830 reported+15%vs same-degree national median$12,500federal debt

BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in MA

Currently operating private nonprofit institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.

Weston, MA

Regis College

Annual net price: $27,477
Observed earnings · year 5: $67,681
Modeled 10-year ROI: -22%

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Emmanuel College

Annual net price: $26,706
Observed earnings · year 5: $63,701
Modeled 10-year ROI: -35%

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Assumption University

Annual net price: $29,498
Observed earnings · year 5: $65,990
Modeled 10-year ROI: -30%

Open college profile →Springfield, MA

American International College

Annual net price: $23,274
Observed earnings · year 5: $70,016
Modeled 10-year ROI: -8%

Open college profile →

ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal field	Credential	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	2023–24 awards
Computer and Information Sciences, General	Bachelor's Degree	$177,213	$13,350	Not reported
Economics	Bachelor's Degree	$121,787	$11,190	Not reported
Computer Software and Media Applications	Bachelor's Degree	$98,816	Not available	Not reported
Political Science and Government	Bachelor's Degree	$72,830	$12,500	Not reported
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	Bachelor's Degree	$65,036	$10,152	Not reported
English Language and Literature, General	Bachelor's Degree	$59,865	$12,000	Not reported
Biology, General	Bachelor's Degree	$58,285	$10,159	Not reported
Research and Experimental Psychology	Bachelor's Degree	$52,538	$12,500	Not reported
Area Studies	Bachelor's Degree	Not available	$9,525	Not reported
Neurobiology and Neurosciences	Bachelor's Degree	Not available	$8,300	Not reported

Awards use first-major IPEDS completions aggregated to the same four-digit field and credential.

Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.