Quad

Head-to-head

Wesleyan
Smith

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Smith costs about $14.9K less per year on average than Wesleyan ($46,488 vs. $61,339, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Smith's grants cover 46% of its full price on average, vs. 31% at Wesleyan

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Wesleyan grads earn $9.9K more ten years out than Smith's ($73,897 vs. $64,027)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    Wesleyan admits 16% vs. 22% at Smith

    Acceptance rate
  5. 5

    Smith has 4 pts more Pell recipients than Wesleyan (18% vs. 14%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    Wesleyan is a bit larger (3,067 vs. 2,544)

    Undergrads

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Wesleyan admits 16%, Smith 22%; Smith's yield is higher, at 35%.

Acceptance rate
Wesleyan16%
Smith22%
Quad's selectivity
  • WesleyanHighly selective
  • SmithHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Wesleyan
1415–1540
Smith
1420–1540
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • WesleyanSchool record required
  • SmithRigor and GPA very important

Who's on each campus

Wesleyan is a bit larger than Smith (3,067 vs. 2,544 undergrads); Smith has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Wesleyan3.1K
Smith2.5K
Pell Grant share
Wesleyan14%
Smith18%

Majors and faculty

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics leads at Wesleyan, and Computer Science at Smith; both have 8 students per faculty member.

Students per faculty member
Wesleyan8 to 1
Smith8 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • WesleyanEconometrics and Quantitative Economics12%
  • SmithComputer Science8%

What each costs

Smith costs about $14.9K less a year than Wesleyan on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Wesleyan$61.3K
Smith$46.5K
Aid generosity
Wesleyan31%
Smith46%

What each pays off

Wesleyan's former students earn more, a median $73.9K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Wesleyan$73.9K
Smith$64K
Graduation rate
Wesleyan93%
Smith91%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • WesleyanGrowing+53%
  • SmithGrowing+94%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:Wesleyan University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Smith College (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Smith College Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2026 applicants;Smith College Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why