To: The Wellesley College Community
From: President Paula A. Johnson and T. Peaches Valdes, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid
Re: Red Class of 2028
Date: September 5, 2024
We are excited to welcome the red class of 2028 to campus! These first-years come to us with impressive academic achievements, a strong desire to engage with our exceptional faculty and fellow students, and a commitment to making a positive impact both in their communities and globally. We are incredibly proud of the members of this class, and as with previous classes, we are confident that their diverse backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints will strengthen Wellesley. Some details about our new students:
- They hail from 43 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and 22 countries.
- Eighty are international students.
- Fifty-four percent are domestic students of color.
- Eighteen percent will be the first generation in their families to attend a four-year college.
- Fifty-five percent come from a home where at least one language other than English is spoken.
- Nearly 55% are receiving financial aid and nearly 22% are Pell Grant recipients. The average financial aid award is $65,140.
We are grateful to our admission staff for all their hard work in recruiting this stellar class. At the same time, we acknowledge that in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling prohibiting consideration of race and ethnicity in college and university admissions, we noted a decrease in the number of underrepresented minority students enrolling in this first-year class compared to a five-year average of previous classes. Specifically, the percentage of Black students in the incoming class is 5%, compared to an average of 8% over the previous five admission cycles. The number of Latine students is 10%, compared to a previous five-year average of 15%.
These decreases are disappointing, but experience is a great teacher. Having gone through our first admission cycle following the Supreme Court’s decision, we have tangible information and insights that, within the confines of the law, will guide us in the future.
Even before the decision was announced, our admission team had taken steps to expand its outreach and recruitment. This included increasing attendance in regional and national college fairs and participating in multiple group travel cohorts to reach a broad and diverse applicant pool. The team will continue its involvement in group travel and its visits with community-based organizations, and it will increase participation in local and national college fairs. Admission staff will visit high schools as part of these efforts to meet students where they are and connect with the counselors who support them.
We are also looking for additional ways to connect admitted students to current students, faculty, and alumnae with shared identities, so that students from diverse backgrounds can learn more about Wellesley and why it might be the right choice for them. We will also continue to partner closely with the Wellesley College Alumnae Association to find opportunities for alumnae to support the admission office’s efforts.
With students who bring a depth of ideas, perspectives, and experiences, Wellesley is proud to be one of the most selective and diverse liberal arts colleges in the nation—and we will continue to be because we believe both are essential to our excellence. Our unwavering commitment to need-blind admission makes it possible for us to admit the most academically outstanding applicants without regard to their financial circumstances, and our individualized review process enables us to appreciate their lived experiences and achievements while recognizing their potential to have a positive impact in our community and beyond.
As we celebrate and welcome this new class, and our admission team begins the exciting work of recruiting the class of 2029, we move forward from a position of strength.
