Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University is a private school in Middletown, Connecticut. It started in 1831 as a school for men, supported by the Methodist Episcopal Church and people in Middletown. Later, it changed to include everyone and became not tied to any church.

Wesleyan mostly teaches students who are not getting advanced degrees. It has 47 different subjects to study. Women could apply to Wesleyan from 1872 to 1909, but the school didn’t let everyone study together until 1970. Before that, some people who wanted women to go to school started Connecticut College in 1912.

Wesleyan is part of a group called "The Little Three" with Amherst and Williams colleges. Its sports teams play in the New England Small College Athletic Conference in NCAA Division III.

History

Main article: History of Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University began in 1831 as a school for boys. It was supported by a group called the Methodists. The first leader was Willbur Fisk. Even though it had “Wesleyan” in its name, it was not a special church school, but it had strong church influences.

By 1910, about 300 students attended, and by 1960, that number grew to around 800. Wesleyan is part of a group called the Little Three, along with Amherst and Williams colleges. It started as the smallest but later grew bigger.

In 1872, Wesleyan tried letting girls join, which was unusual at the time. But in 1909, leaders decided to stop admitting girls. Girls didn’t join again until much later. The school separated from the Methodist church in 1937.

Later, the school created smaller living areas for students. This helped organize studies better. Today, Wesleyan has a close relationship between students and teachers, with about seven students for each teacher.

Campus

Wesleyan University has a big campus that covers 360 acres (1.5 km²) with over 340 buildings. Some important buildings include the five-building College Row, Olin Memorial Library, Andrus Public Affairs Center, Exley Science Center, Shanklin and Hall-Atwater Laboratories, the Van Vleck Observatory, Fayerweather with Beckham Hall, Russell House (a National Historic Landmark), the Allbritton Center, the Butterfield dormitories, the Fauver Field dormitories, and an 11-building Center for the Arts complex.

When the university was founded in 1831, it started with two buildings called North College and South College. These were built by the City of Middletown for another school that moved away in 1829. North College was destroyed in a fire in 1906, but South College still stands today as offices. A special part of South College, called the cupola and belfry, was designed by Henry Bacon and added in 1916. Memorial Chapel was finished in 1871 to remember students and graduates who served in the American Civil War. Some big houses along High Street, near the center of campus, were once private homes and include Russell House, which is a National Historic Landmark. Famous writer Charles Dickens once called High Street "the most beautiful street in America".

Undergraduate academics

Wesleyan University has 46 undergraduate academic departments. About 40% of its graduates choose to pursue double majors.

The university offers special programs, such as 3–2 engineering partnerships with the California Institute of Technology and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. These programs let students earn two degrees in five years—one from Wesleyan and another in engineering from either Caltech or Columbia. There is also a BA/MA Program in sciences, where students can earn a bachelor’s degree in four years and a master’s degree in the fifth year, with the tuition for the fifth year waived.

Students are not required to follow a set curriculum. Freshmen can take special First Year Initiative seminars, and all undergraduates are encouraged to take courses from at least two different departments during their first two years.

Bailey College of the Environment

The Bailey College of the Environment was created in 2009. It includes an environmental studies major, a special certificate program, and a senior project. It also has a Think Tank made up of faculty, scholars, and students working on important environmental issues, as well as a research initiative for students majoring in the environment.

College of Film and the Moving Image

Wesleyan’s Film Studies program is well known, with many graduates working in Hollywood. The university houses a special Cinema Archives with materials from famous filmmakers like Ingrid Bergman, Frank Capra, and Martin Scorsese. In 2013, Wesleyan created a new College of Film and the Moving Image, bringing together its film studies department, archives, and film series.

College of Integrative Sciences

The College of Integrative Sciences gives students an interdisciplinary science education. Students major in a traditional science or math subject and also pair it with another field to create a unique study plan.

College of Letters

The College of Letters offers a special three-year program that combines literature, history, and philosophy from Europe.

College of Social Studies

The College of Social Studies, started in 1959, combines history, economics, government, and philosophy. Sophomores focus on how Western society developed, and seniors write a major thesis or essay.

Science and mathematics

Wesleyan is the only undergraduate liberal arts college designated a Molecular Biophysics Predoctoral Research Training Center by the National Institutes of Health.

Theater

Wesleyan has two theater spaces: the Theatre in the Center for the Arts, which seats 400, and the ‘92 Theater, home to Spike Tape, a student-run group that puts on several plays and musicals each semester.

Twelve College Exchange

Students can join the Twelve College Exchange program to study for a semester or a year at one of twelve partner colleges, including Amherst, Bowdoin, and Dartmouth, among others.

Graduate academics

Wesleyan University has 11 graduate programs. These include science, math, computer science, psychology, and music. Graduates can earn a Master of Arts or a Doctor of Philosophy. The university also has a Graduate Liberal Studies Program. Students can earn a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies or a Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

In 2012, Wesleyan became the first small liberal arts college to offer free online courses for everyone. These courses cover math, computer science, law, psychology, literature, and other subjects.

Academic profile

Wesleyan University is a very selective school. For students starting in fall 2023, the university received many applications and accepted a few students. Accepted students usually had strong test scores. The school also accepts students without test scores.

Wesleyan is highly ranked. In 2025, it tied for 13th among national liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report. It also placed high in other rankings for value, helping students succeed, and supporting veterans. The university is officially recognized by educational groups in the northeastern United States.

Libraries

Olin Memorial Library has more than 1.8 million books and about 10,000 kinds of magazines and journals. The first library at Wesleyan was called Rich Hall, which was built after the Civil War. Olin Library was designed by the famous architects McKim, Mead & White and was built between 1925 and 1927. It opened in 1928.

The next biggest library is the Science Library, which has more than 250,000 books. The Art Library is on the second floor of Olin Library, and the Davison Art Collection is on the ground floor. There is also a Music Library with scores, recordings, and the World Music Archives, plus several smaller libraries for different subjects. In 2024, a special sound-art piece called Minute/Year was placed in the main staircase of the library.

Davison Art Collection

The Davison Art Collection is a large group of art pieces, mostly works on paper. It includes prints, photographs, drawings, paintings, and three-dimensional objects like artists' books and sculptures. Famous artists in the collection are Dürer, Goya, Rembrandt, Kara Walker, Manet, and Norma Morgan.

The collection is now in Olin Memorial Library. It used to be in Alsop House, a special historic building. Exhibitions are held in the Anne Goldrach Gallery at the Pruzan Art Center, which opened in 2024. Students help organize shows, and there is a study room for learning about the art.

Student life

Cannon Scrap

Main article: Douglas cannon

In the late 1860s, students started a yearly contest called the "Cannon Scrap." Freshmen tried to fire the Douglas Cannon on February 22, while sophomores tried to stop them. By 1957, students began stealing the cannon as part of this tradition.

Religious life

The university has a Jewish rabbi, a Protestant chaplain, and a Muslim chaplain. There are special housing options for students who follow Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

Athletics

See also: Wesleyan Cardinals football

Wesleyan is part of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) in the NCAA Division III. The school has teams in 29 sports and competes against Amherst and Williams, known as the "Little Three." About 600 students each year play for these teams. Wesleyan was one of the original members of the NCAA. Its football and baseball field, Andrus Field, is the oldest field used for both sports in the world.

Some famous coaches and players have come from Wesleyan. The men's lacrosse team won the NCAA Division III championship in 2018, the school's first national title.

Student groups and organizations

In 2011, U.S. News & World Report noted Wesleyan as one of the easiest schools to join student groups, with about 270 groups for its students.

Wesleyan Student Assembly

Main article: Wesleyan Student Assembly

The Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) is a group of 38 students elected each year to represent all students. They help make decisions about student life, classes, money, and campus facilities.

Debate

The Debate Society was started in 1903 and later named after Woodrow Wilson, who taught at Wesleyan and helped students start debate activities.

Environmental

Students also have an Environmental Organizers’ Network (EON) that works on environmental projects. Wesleyan has a small organic farm, Long Lane Farm, where students grow vegetables.

Publications

Wesleyan has several student publications. The The Wesleyan Argus is a bi-weekly newspaper, and Hermes is the school's oldest student magazine. Wesleying is a student website that shares stories about student life.

Singing groups

Wesleyan is known for its singing tradition. The university had a glee club that traveled and performed for many years. Today, students keep this tradition alive with many singing groups, including the Wesleyan Spirits and others that meet and perform on campus.

Greek organizations and secretive societies

Wesleyan has several student groups, including some with houses on campus. In 2014, the university asked groups with houses to allow all students, not just men or women, to join. Some groups disagreed, and there were legal discussions about this.

There are also some secret student groups on campus.

International students

About 10 percent of students at Wesleyan come from countries outside the United States. The university offers financial help to students from all countries.

Literary, media, and cultural references

More than 30 books have been written about Wesleyan University. Some of these books tell stories about the university's history and life as a student or teacher there.

Some famous books and stories are set near or at Wesleyan. For example, two novels by Robert Ludlum are partly set at a university that looks a lot like Wesleyan. A play called The Eclectic Society is based on a group of students at Wesleyan from the 1960s. A funny movie from 1994 called PCU was partly filmed at Wesleyan and shows a made-up version of student life there.

Notable alumni and faculty

Main articles: List of Wesleyan University people, List of Wesleyan University people in politics and government, and List of Wesleyan University administration and faculty

Wesleyan University has many successful graduates and teachers. Some students have won special awards like the Fulbright, Goldwater, Marshall, Rhodes, Truman, and Watson fellowships.

Famous teachers and workers at Wesleyan have won big prizes, too. V. S. Naipaul, Woodrow Wilson, and T. S. Eliot each won Nobel Prizes. Satoshi Omura, a chemistry teacher, also won a Nobel Prize. Other teachers have been famous poets, musicians, and writers.

Some well-known graduates include Lin-Manuel Miranda, who created the shows Hamilton and In The Heights, and Joss Whedon, who made Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Avengers. There are also successful actors, directors, and leaders in many fields who started at Wesleyan.