Its 500-acre (200 ha) campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and houses the Davis Museum and a botanic garden.

In early 1896, Sarah Frances Whiting, the first professor of physics and astronomy, was among the first U.S. scientists to conduct experiments in X-rays.

[14] The 500-acre (200 ha) campus overlooks Lake Waban and includes evergreen, deciduous woodlands and open meadows.

[15] He also wrote: "I must admit that the exceedingly intricate and complex topography and the peculiarly scattered arrangement of most of the buildings somewhat baffled me".

The original master plan for Wellesley's campus landscape was developed by Olmsted, Arthur Shurcliff, and Ralph Adams Cram in 1921.

[18][19] Part of the building is the Galen L. Stone Tower, housing a 32-bell carillon, which is routinely played between classes by members of the Guild of Carillonneurs.

[20] The architectural firm of Heins & LaFarge designed Houghton[20] of gray stone in the classic Latin cross floor plan.

Window designers include Tiffany; John La Farge; Reynolds, Francis & Rohnstock; and Jeffrey Gibson.

[20] In 1905 Andrew Carnegie donated $125,000 to build what is now known as Clapp Library, on the condition that the college match the amount for an endowment.

In 1974 the building was renamed for Margaret Antoinette Clapp, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and member of the 1930 class who served as the eighth college president from 1949 to 1966.

[29] According to data compiled by The Chronicle of Higher Education, Wellesley's campaign total is the largest of any liberal arts college.

[30] Many notable alumnae including Madeleine Albright, Hillary Clinton, Diane Sawyer, Susan Wagner, and Cokie Roberts collaborated on the campaign video and launch festivities.

[31] The Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) is one of the largest gender-focused social science research-and-action organizations in the United States.

[34] The Wellesley Centers for Women has five key areas of research: education, economic security, mental health, youth and adolescent development, and gender-based violence.

[38] The program allows women who, for various reasons, were unable to start or complete a bachelor's degree at a younger age to attend Wellesley.

Its most popular majors, based on 2023 graduates,[42] were: The 2020 annual ranking of U.S. News & World Report categorizes admission to Wellesley as "most selective".

[49] During the 2023-2024 admissions cycle (enrolling Fall 2024), the college was test-optional and did not publish standardized testing statistics for the class of 2027 as of July 2024.

[50] The college's admissions policy was updated in 2015 to allow trans women and non-binary people assigned female at birth to be considered for admittance.

[54] Davis Scholars are fully integrated into the Wellesley community; they take the same classes as traditional students and can choose to live on campus.

According to the Wellesley web site, Davis Scholars' "diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives enrich the lives of the whole student body.

Wellesley offers housing for Davis Scholars as well, though not for their children or spouses, which is a point of frequent debate on campus.

[74] Wellesley also fields club teams in archery, alpine & Nordic skiing, equestrian, ice hockey, rugby, sailing, squash, Ultimate Frisbee, and water polo.

[75] From 1943 to 1946, Judy Atterbury won multiple national intercollegiate women's tennis championships in both singles (1943, 1946) and doubles (1943, 1944).

[79] The Wellesley campus sits just before the halfway mark on the Boston Marathon course, and students come out to cheer runners in what has become known as the "Scream Tunnel".

[83] Wellesley's alumnae are represented among business executives and also work in a variety of other fields, ranging from government and public service to the arts.

[85] Rebecca Lancefield, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, graduated from Wellesley,[86] as did Alice Ames Winter (B.A.

[88] Both Madeleine Albright ('59), and Hillary Rodham Clinton ('69), have spoken about the formative impact their Wellesley experiences had on their careers.

[89] Additionally, three U.S. ambassadors (Julieta Valls Noyes, Anne Patterson, and Michele Sison) are Wellesley alumnae.

[90][91] Other notable Wellesley graduates who have received the college's Alumnae Achievement Award include: Anna Medora Baetjer, class of 1920, public health expert, physiologist, toxicologist; Marian Burros '54, journalist, food writer; Sally Carrighar, class of 1922, writer, naturalist; Elyse Cherry '75, an entrepreneur, financial, and social equity activist; Suzanne Ciani '68, electronic music composer, recording artist; Phyllis Curtin '43, opera singer; Jocelyn Gill '38, astronomer; Marjory Stoneman Douglas, class of 1912, environmental activist, author; Persis Drell '77, particle physicist; Nora Ephron '62, writer and director; Helen Hays '53, ornithologist; Dorothea Jameson '42, psychologist; Jean Kilbourne '64, media educator; Judith Martin '59, (pen name Miss Manners) author; Nergis Mavalvala '90, a quantum astrophysicist; Lorraine O'Grady '55, conceptual artist and cultural critic; Santha Rama Rau '45, writer; Marilyn Yalom '54, historian, feminist scholar; and Patricia Zipprodt '46, costume designer.

[92] Additional notable alumni include Jasmine Guillory '97, American New York Times Best-selling author, and Vicky Tsai '00, Tatcha Founder.