Quad

Head-to-head

Babson
Wellesley

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Babson grads earn $39.1K more ten years out than Wellesley's ($123,938 vs. $84,803)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    Wellesley's grants cover 40% of its full price on average, vs. 23% at Babson

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Wellesley costs about $9.8K less per year on average than Babson ($51,593 vs. $61,415, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    Wellesley's yield is 9 pts higher than Babson's

    Yield rate
  5. 5

    Wellesley has 5 pts more Pell recipients than Babson (21% vs. 16%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    Wellesley's SAT midpoint is 40 points higher than Babson's

    SAT midpoint

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

Wellesley admits 14%, Babson 17%; Wellesley's yield is higher, at 48%.

Acceptance rate
Babson17%
Wellesley14%
Quad's selectivity
  • BabsonHighly selective
  • WellesleyHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Babson
1390–1530
Wellesley
1460–1540
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • BabsonGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • WellesleyRigor and GPA very important

Who's on each campus

Babson is a bit larger than Wellesley (2,728 vs. 2,300 undergrads); Wellesley has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Babson2.7K
Wellesley2.3K
Pell Grant share
Babson16%
Wellesley21%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at Babson, and Econometrics and Quantitative Economics at Wellesley.

Students per faculty member
Babson15 to 1
Wellesley7 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • BabsonBusiness Administration and Management, General100%
  • WellesleyEconometrics and Quantitative Economics11%

What each costs

Wellesley costs about $9.8K less a year than Babson on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Babson$61.4K
Wellesley$51.6K
Aid generosity
Babson23%
Wellesley40%

What each pays off

Babson's former students earn more, a median $123.9K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Babson$123.9K
Wellesley$84.8K
Graduation rate
Babson92%
Wellesley92%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • BabsonGrowing+51%
  • WellesleyGrowing+85%
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: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;Wellesley College (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Wellesley College Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Wellesley College Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Wellesley College Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered 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