Wesleyan's approach to education is at once highly individualistic and academically rigorous. The university does not require that freshmen take certain prescribed courses. Rather, students develop their own unique programs of study, programs that reflect each student's own interests and are created with the help and encouragement of Wesleyan faculty.

Wesleyan has described a set of guiding principles that define its approach to liberal education. These principles are summed up in ten essential capabilities that the faculty believe every undergraduate should possess when he or she graduates from Wesleyan. The University also maintains a set of general education expectations in the arts and humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences.