General Questions
Yes. While Wells is primarily a residential campus, commuter students are an integral part of our community. If you choose to commute, you will have access to ample parking a short walk from campus buildings and an optional commuter meal plan. Our Commuter Council meets regularly for open discussions/Q&A about the commuter experience.
If you have since demonstrated at another school that you can perform college-level work, we encourage you to re-apply.
Yes! A semester abroad can be a defining part of your undergraduate education, and an experience you’ll remember for a lifetime. Unlike other colleges, your Wells scholarships and financial aid will travel with you if you participate in one of our approved programs.
Studying abroad requires extra planning, so if you’re interested in spending a semester at our program in Florence or elsewhere, be sure to speak to your academic advisor once you arrive on campus.
We guarantee it! As part of graduation requirements, all students — including transfer students — participate in at least one experiential learning activity, but many will complete two or more! Hands-on experiences mean our students leave Wells ready for graduate-level study or employment. Your professors and our Center for Academic and Career Advising can help you find the right opportunities and assist you with your job search.
We strongly encourage all prospective students to visit campus, schedule a virtual tour, sit in on a virtual class or a lab, or attend an open house (or all of these!) to see if Wells is a good fit. Our admission counselors are happy to provide you with the information you need. They will connect you with faculty, staff, coaches as well as current students who can answer your questions and provide you with the information you need to make a well-informed decision.
You should apply as a first-year student and submit official transcripts for any coursework you’ve completed while in high school, in addition to your high school transcript.
If you haven’t taken any post-high school coursework, you should apply as a first-year student. You should apply as a transfer student if you have completed any post-high school or post-GED college coursework, even if you did not complete a full semester.
Wells students live in six residence halls or “houses” in a variety of architectural styles and room types. There is no special transfer housing option. You’ll share your housing preferences when confirming your enrollment. Students completing their first year of coursework may choose Dodge or Leach. Others students opt for the quiet, cozy convenience of Weld. Upper-class students can request a room in Glen Park, the Italianate mansion built by Henry Wells. For a centralized, historical, and social experience, Main is a good choice. The cost of room and board includes 19 meals per week in our beautiful dining hall. Wells student housing is not appropriate for couples or families, however.
We accept applications on a rolling basis, and we encourage applicants to apply early and to stay connected to their admissions counselor throughout the process.
View our Admission Deadlines page here.
Graduation completion within four years depends on your enrollment status as a freshman or a transfer student.
If you are a first-year freshman and your goal is to graduate within four years, your academic advisor will do everything possible to help you achieve this. If you add a second major, additional minors, or plan to study abroad, you may need more than four years to complete your degree.
If you are transferring to Wells and plan to pursue the same or a similar major, it will be easier to finish your degree within four years. If you arrive with credits in an academic area other than your intended major at Wells, some credits may count towards your degree, but you might need to take additional courses at Wells to fulfill your major’s requirements.
Transfer Student Questions
Yes! You do not need your two-year college degree to attend Wells. Many students apply to Wells after just one semester at another college.
We take a holistic approach to reading applications, and we know that transfer students often experience some bumps along the way. That’s what makes them and their contributions to the classroom and community so valuable. We encourage applicants to address prior struggles (academic or personal) within the application so that we have a sense of your experiences and motivations.
Our size and focus on relationships and mentorship mean you will meet people immediately, and your professors will know you by name. There is always something interesting going on, whether it’s a club activity, a theatre performance, Wells traditions, athletics, a guest lecture, or just a group getting together to study, watch a movie or play video games. Living on campus is encouraged since most of this happens after classes are over each day.
Scholarships and Financial Aid
You are required to apply for financial aid each year. Sometimes family situation changes: another child attends college, a parent returns to the workforce, or a parent dies. For the most part if your family situation does not change from year to year, your Wells grant will remain unchanged.
Wells values what all students bring to our community, and we show it by offering generous merit-based scholarships based upon what we learn about you in your Wells application. There are special scholarships just for transfers, too. Since your application to Wells doubles as your scholarship application, we encourage you to take the time to share your complete story so that we can award the highest possible level of funding. Visit our scholarships and aid page for more information.
Wells College is committed to making your education accessible and affordable. Our Office of Financial Aid will work with you to help take some of the guesswork out of the aid application, so you can focus on your future.
To unlock the maximum amount of scholarship funding, be sure to complete the FAFSA online and designate Wells College as the recipient: our code is 002901. We will determine your need and merit-based aid upon admission.
Please note: sending your FAFSA to Wells doesn’t mean that you are committed to attending Wells.
We also encourage you to explore and apply for outside financial assistance from federal, state, and institutional resources, in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, and part-time employment to cover student or family contributions.
For more information about applying for aid visit our Tuition & Aid page.
You can apply for financial aid by completing the FAFSA in December with the Federal Processing Center. We strongly recommend that new students complete the FAFSA by February 1 and returning students complete by May 1.
The Office of Career Services and Experiential Learning manages the student employment program. Students will have the opportunity to apply for jobs on-campus and off-campus. Due to the limited number of positions available, students are not guaranteed student employment. Returning students will have an opportunity to apply for a campus job during the spring semester and new students can apply online after August 1.
There are no income cutoffs when determining a student’s financial aid eligibility. Many factors are taken into consideration when determining a family’s ability to pay beyond parental income such as household size, number of dependent children in college, family assets, and cost of the institution; so it is impossible to determine your eligibility based strictly on income. To know if you will qualify for financial aid you must apply.
All financial aid, with the exception of work-study funds, will be credited to your billing account in two equal disbursements: fall and spring. Once your charges have been paid (tuition, fees, food, housing), any additional funds on your account will be refunded to you by the Business Office to help you pay for off-campus living costs, books, or personal expenses. Students awarded campus employment will receive a paycheck for the number of hours worked in a specific pay period. Students in general are paid every two weeks. Since students have not received any work-study earnings at the beginning of the semester, we encourage students to have book money upon their arrival to campus.
Not to worry! New legislation requires students and parents to complete their FAFSAs using the prior year tax information. For example, for the 2024-2025 FAFSA, families should use 2022 tax information.
Financial aid can come from numerous sources — federal or state government, private agencies, and Wells College itself. Types of financial aid include gift aid, which doesn’t have to be repaid, and self-help aid, which are loans that you pay back yourself or through work-study. The amount of financial aid is based on your financial need, and aid packages differ for every student.
FAFSA Code: #002901
New York State TAP Code: #1050
There are circumstances that will enable the Wells College financial aid office to adjust a student’s aid eligibility. These circumstances could include: job loss due to unemployment or illness, a one-time benefit that affected your federal adjusted gross income, separation or divorce, or unusual medical/dental expenses, elementary/secondary dependent tuition costs, nursing home costs not covered by insurance, and unusual high childcare costs. If conditions such as these occur during any of your four years at Wells, please contact the financial aid office. Do not send any letters to the federal aid processing center. They are not able to adjust your aid eligibility.
When you apply for financial aid, your family will be asked to provide information about income, assets, family size, and the number of family members in college. This information is applied to a federal formula that calculates the amount you and your family can afford to pay for educational expenses for one year. Remember, though, that not all financial awards are based on income. We encourage all students to apply for financial assistance!
You can apply for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) after October 1. Unless your family situation changes, you should expect to receive approximately the same amount of financial aid each year. However, other factors can change, such as federal loan requirements, grants and other variables. Because these changes may make a difference in how much aid you receive, you are required to apply for financial aid every year.
Read through our Financial Aid Information pages to find detailed information related to financing options, the types of aid and their sources, our financial aid policies and requirements, and a number of helpful links, or get in touch with our financial aid office by emailing financial-aid@wells.edu.
For new applicants to Wells College, you must be accepted for admission before a financial aid offer will be sent to you. All students must have a processed FAFSA on file in order to receive a financial aid offer. Accepted new students will be notified beginning mid-December and returning students will be notified by mid-June.
Whether a student attends a state university or private college, student loans are a component of the aid package and help families meet their educational costs. Depending on your family’s ability to pay, you may be packaged with a student loan.
Outside scholarships must be included in your financial aid package as a resource to help pay for your educational costs. However, it is the policy of Wells College to make sure that students are awarded for achievements and efforts by first applying these funds to any unmet need the student may have incurred. If need has been met 100%, we will lower the student’s recommended loan amount. It is the responsibility of the student to notify the financial aid office of all outside scholarship awards.
Credit Transfer & Advising
For general education credits, a credit evaluation will be available at or around the time of admission. For coursework related to major requirements, a secondary review occurs with a faculty advisor before the first semester at Wells.
When you declare a major, you will be assigned a faculty advisor who will help you chart your academic course and answer questions about other “what-ifs” — like adding another major or minor, possible career paths or internships, and/or opportunities for experiential learning. All students have access to the Center for Academic and Career Advising for academic advising questions and internships, research, and other experiential activities throughout their time at Wells.
Yes, we have staff in the Office of Student Success to provide support and reasonable accommodations for students who need them. To receive accommodations, you must complete a disclosure form and submit any required documentation when you confirm your enrollment. These documents will be available in your admission portal.
The Office of Student Success offers individualized academic support to students based upon their needs in areas such as time management, planning, and learning strategies, to name a few. Peer and professional tutoring are available at the Office of Student Success and the Writing Center, centrally located in the Long Library. Additionally, Wells faculty have an open-door policy and pride themselves on their accessibility and ability to get to know their students’ needs. Many faculty also have teaching assistants — students who have done well in that course previously — to help you succeed.
No, but at least 48 semester hours must be taken on campus at Wells College or in Wells College-approved programs. If you’ve already taken a significant number of credits towards a bachelor’s degree, check with the Office of Financial Aid regarding your eligibility to receive aid.
Very likely, yes! Wells accepts credits for non-developmental coursework with grades of C- or better. You will also work closely with your advisor to determine how the courses you have already taken integrate with your Wells requirements.