Wesleyan University and Wesleyan College are not the same school. Wesleyan University is a highly selective coeducational liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, founded in 1831; Wesleyan College is a small women’s college in Macon, Georgia, chartered in 1836 as the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women. Both were named after John Wesley through their Methodist origins, which is the only thing they have in common.
Here is how the two compare, using fall 2024 figures from the federal College Navigator database.
Wesleyan University vs Wesleyan College at a Glance
| Item | Wesleyan University | Wesleyan College |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Middletown, Connecticut | Macon, Georgia |
| Founded | 1831 | 1836 (opened 1839) |
| Type | Private, coeducational | Private women’s college |
| Enrollment (fall 2024) | 4,011 (3,805 undergraduate) | 531 (496 undergraduate) |
| Admitted (fall 2024) | 16% | 59% |
| Tuition and fees (2024-2025) | $70,342 | $27,650 |
| Average net price (2023-2024) | $23,025 | $12,837 |
| Student-to-faculty ratio | 8 to 1 | 8 to 1 |
| Six-year graduation rate (fall 2018 cohort) | 93% | 45% |
| Athletics | NCAA Division III, NESCAC | Women’s sports |
| Accreditor | New England Commission of Higher Education | SACSCOC |
What Is Wesleyan University?
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded in 1831 as a men’s college under the Methodist Episcopal Church and later became secular and coeducational; it accepted women from 1872 to 1909 and became fully coeducational in 1970. It is primarily undergraduate, with a small graduate program, and offers 47 majors in an open curriculum. With Amherst and Williams it forms “The Little Three”, and its teams play in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) in NCAA Division III. It admitted 16% of applicants for fall 2024, and 93% of students graduate within six years.
What Is Wesleyan College?
Wesleyan College is a private liberal arts women’s college in Macon, Georgia. It was chartered on December 23, 1836, as the Georgia Female College, opened in 1839, became Wesleyan Female College in 1843 and took its present name in 1917. It has the world’s oldest alumnae association, begun in 1859, and was the birthplace of the first sororities in the United States, Alpha Delta Pi (1851) and Phi Mu (1852), although it ended social sororities on campus in 1914. With 531 students and an 8 to 1 student-to-faculty ratio it is a very small campus, and 94% of its undergraduates are women.
Why People Mix Them Up
- The same name. Both honor John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, as do several other Wesleyan-named colleges in the United States.
- Both are private liberal arts schools founded within five years of each other.
- Search results. Typing “Wesleyan” alone usually brings up the Connecticut university, so students looking for the Georgia college can land on the wrong site.
The quick tell: “Wesleyan University” is the coed school in Connecticut; “Wesleyan College” is the women’s college in Georgia.
Who Each School Suits
Wesleyan University suits students with strong academic records who want a highly selective, coeducational liberal arts university in New England with an open curriculum and Division III athletics, and who either qualify for substantial aid or can meet a high sticker price.
Wesleyan College suits women who want a very small, historic single-sex college in the South at a much lower price, with 59% of applicants admitted and an average net price of $12,837 in 2023-2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Wesleyan College the same as Wesleyan University? No. They are unrelated schools in Georgia and Connecticut.
- Which is older? Wesleyan University, founded in 1831. Wesleyan College was chartered in 1836.
- Is Wesleyan University a women’s college? No, it is coeducational. Wesleyan College in Georgia is the women’s college.
- Which is harder to get into? Wesleyan University admitted 16% of applicants for fall 2024; Wesleyan College admitted 59%.