admissions

Wesleyan’s holistic approach to admissions continues to support a socioeconomically diverse student body with the Class of 2028. Among the 824 first-year students and 48 transfer students who joined the campus community this fall, there are more first-generation and Pell-grant-eligible students compared to last year. A notable 16% are the first in their families to go to college, which is higher than the percentage of children of alumni. Of those who self-reported their race or ethnicity, the data is comparable to last year: The percentage of domestic students of color remains at 32% of the class. The number of Black/African…

Continuing its efforts to improve the affordability and accessibility of higher education, starting in the fall of 2024, Wesleyan University will no longer include loans as part of its financial aid packages. The University will meet all students' demonstrated financial need without the burden of borrowing. Having already eliminated loans for highly aided students, this should help middle-income families eligible for financial aid find Wesleyan more affordable. “We are improving the University’s financial aid offerings to be able to build and maintain a dynamically diverse community, including socioeconomic diversity,” President Michael S. Roth ’78 said. Over the past several years the…

A new scholarship program will offer a group of exceptional students from Africa the opportunity to join the Wesleyan University community. Beginning fall 2023, the newly announced Wesleyan African Scholars Program will welcome a select group of students from Africa each year, providing each with a four-year 100 percent cost of attendance scholarship. “As part of the University’s ongoing efforts at internationalization, we will be bringing more talented students from Africa into the stimulating and supportive world of Wesleyan,” said President Michael S. Roth ’78. Students in the African Scholars Program will find support at the Fries Center for Global…

The ability to explore, open-mindedness, diversity of thought, the culture, the community, an emphasis on the arts—these were all reasons that prospective students gave for why they were considering enrolling at Wesleyan in the Fall. “We try to create a culture where people can listen to each other; because by listening to each other, we discover things about ourselves and about the world that we wouldn't otherwise,” President Michael S. Roth ’78 said at WesFest 2023 on April 14. For Elizabeth Littell, 18, of Portland, Maine, the community at Wesleyan is the main attraction, she said. “Everyone is just so…

As part of Wesleyan’s ongoing commitment to recruiting and supporting military veterans, the University has partnered with Service to School as the newest member of its VetLink network of institutions of higher learning. “This partnership allows us to collaborate with the Service to School team in identifying undergraduate veteran applicants and ensuring they are set up for success when applying to Wesleyan,” said Amin Abdul-Malik Gonzalez ’96, Vice President and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid. “We are proud to welcome Wesleyan University as the newest member of the Service to School VetLink partnership program,” said Jim Selbe, Chief Operating…

The Office of Admission welcomed prospective students and guests to an October Open House on Oct. 11. The vibrant day offered two, identical half-day programs that featured a talk from Amin Abdul-Malik Gonzalez '96, vice president and dean of admission and financial aid; a student-to-student panel; an information session on the admission process and financial aid; an address to parents by President Michael Roth '78; a resource panel discussion; and student-led campus tours. Photos of the event are below: (Photos by Olivia Drake) (more…)

In late June, Wesleyan was among more than 300 colleges and universities to issue a joint statement, “Care Counts in Crisis: College Admissions Deans Respond to COVID-19,” organized by the Making Caring Common Project and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The movement underscores a commitment to equity and to encouraging students to balance self-care, meaningful learning, and care for others. We spoke to Wesleyan’s Vice President and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Amin Abdul-Malik Gonzalez ’96 about this shared commitment, as well as how admissions at Wesleyan has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has obviously…

Amin Abdul-Malik Gonzalez ’96 has been hired as Wesleyan’s new vice president and dean of admission and financial aid, President Michael Roth announced in an email to campus on July 17. He will begin in August. Gonzalez, who was a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow and earned his bachelor’s degree in history at Wesleyan, previously worked in the University’s Office of Admission as an associate dean in the late 1990s and 2000s. In this role, he selected, trained, and supervised the senior interviewers; coordinated the University’s fall Ambassador Program and supported spring yield efforts; served on the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship…

Nancy Hargrave Meislahn, vice president and dean of admission and financial aid, will retire in September following the arrival of the Class of 2023, the 20th class she admitted to Wesleyan. In this Q&A, she reflects on the main challenges, changes, and highlights of her accomplished Wesleyan career. (Read her retirement announcement in this past News @ Wesleyan article.) Q: You are the longest-serving dean of admission in Wesleyan’s history. How are you feeling ahead of your impending retirement? A: Definitely a bittersweet moment, but I’m ready. I’ve admitted 20 classes to Wesleyan and that should be enough—for me and…

Wesleyan received a record 13,358 applications for its Class of 2023, offering admission to 2,114 students (15.8%) from one of the most competitive, diverse applicant pools in the University’s history. “Because of the nature of the students Wesleyan attracts and looks for, it’s difficult to sum up an entire class succinctly,” said Vice President and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Nancy Hargrave Meislahn. “We hope these statistics convey what we value in the admission process and as an institution: diverse, socially conscious, academically talented students with a wide range of interests. One thing the students we look for have…

Nancy Hargrave Meislahn, vice president and dean of admission and financial aid, recently announced that she will retire. Meislahn will leave the University in September after the arrival of the Class of 2023, the 20th class she will admit to Wesleyan. Meislahn came to Wesleyan from her previous role at Cornell University in January 2000 and is the longest-serving dean of admission in Wesleyan history. Over the past two decades, she has overseen a period of enormous growth and progress in Wesleyan admissions. For the Class of 2004, the first class admitted under Meislahn, Wesleyan received fewer than 7,000 applications…

To listen to Cliff Thornton speak with prospective students and parents is to feel included, even if you’re eavesdropping. Thornton is associate dean of admission at Wesleyan, covering a wide geographic and socioeconomic range: the South Central U.S. from Kentucky to Louisiana, Manhattan, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Caribbean. Having served these communities—and Wesleyan—now for more than 30 years, it makes sense that he would demonstrate an ease and fluency in his relations with so many different people from such different backgrounds. He’s had a lot of practice. But something unique about Thornton, which by many accounts…

Wesleyan Maintains Diversity in Class of 2028

No Loans: Wesleyan University Removes Barriers to Affording Higher Education

Wesleyan Announces New African Scholars Program

WesFest 2023: Wesleyan’s Community, Culture at the Top of Mind for Prospective Students

Wesleyan to Partner With Service To School

Prospective Students, Parents Attend Vibrant Admission Open House

Gonzalez Discusses How COVID-19 Has Changed College Admission

Gonzalez ’96 Named Vice President and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid

Meislahn Reflects on Challenges of Her Career as Dean of Admission

Following Record Applications, Wesleyan Admits Historically Diverse Class of 2023

Meislahn to Retire as Vice President and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid

Thornton Leaving Legacy of Student of Color Recruitment at Wesleyan