Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University International Student Insurance

Wesleyan University, located in Middletown, Connecticut, was established in 1831. It was founded as an all-male Methodist college. The school attempted a coeducational environment between 1871–1912, allowing a limited number of women to attend courses and graduate. However, pressure from male alumni that this practice diminished the value of a Wesleyan degree led to the experiment’s end. In 1911, female alumni helped found the Connecticut College for Women to compensate. The first master’s degree program was offered in 1889, and doctoral programs began in the 1960s. The school became co-educational again in 1970. The school severed its official ties with the Methodist church in 1937. 

Today, Wesleyan University enrolls more than 3,000 students and counting each year. The school colors are cardinal and black, and its athletic nickname is the cardinals.

Wesleyan University Academic Opportunities

Wesleyan offers bachelor’s degrees, certificate programs, master’s degrees, and Ph.Ds across its six academic colleges—the College of East Asian Studies, the College of the Environment, the College of Film and the Moving Image, the College of Integrative Sciences, the College of Letters, and the College of Social Studies—as well as more than ten academic centers.

On Campus

Noteworthy features on campus include the Olin Memorial Library, which holds more than 1.8 million volumes and about 10,000 publication subscriptions; the Russell House, designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2001 as a prime example of Greek Revival Architecture; and the Van Vleck Observatory, built in 1914 and featuring a 24-inch reflecting telescope. The campus is also home to the Davison Art Center, which features more than 18,000 prints (including works by Goya, Rembrandt, Manet, and more), more than 6,000 photographs, drawings, and paintings.

The Wesleyan admissions process was the subject of the book “The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College,” written by Jacques Steinberg and published in 2002.

Notable Faculty and Alumni

Notable Wesleyan University faculty and affiliates include U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and author T.S. Eliot. Notable alumni include playwright and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda; filmmaker Joss Whedon; director Michael Bay; football coach Bill Belichick; actor Bradley Whitford; and television creators Matthew Weiner, Carter Bays, and Craig Thomas.

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