Veteran Applicants
Military Veteran Applicants
As a member of the military, you have a world of experience beyond the classroom and a life story, outlook, and voice all your own. As an institute of higher learning and a leading liberal arts university, Wesleyan is committed to amplifying and supporting diverse perspectives and different viewpoints. Our military veterans are a valued part of the Wesleyan community, helping to enrich and fully engage in the ambitious yet practical principles of civil debate and collaborative problem-solving that move us forward, both individually and collectively.
By stepping into our rigorous liberal arts program, you’ll have opportunities to cross academic boundaries, discover new interests, and take new, calculated risks. You will be coaxed out of your comfort zone and urged to rethink long-held assumptions. You will hone communication and critical-thinking skills that you’ll use wherever the future takes you. On a small, thriving campus that values different points of view, you’ll make an impact on how your peers see the world. And along every step of your journey, you will find an inclusive, tight-knit community, ready to offer resources and support.
“Wesleyan is not necessarily a place for someone who’s just looking to get a degree. This is a place for people to challenge themselves academically—even if you don't know exactly what you want to learn yet. Being passionate about learning is the most important thing.”
—Kay Perkins ’24, US Air Force
“What makes Wesleyan different is that here I can fully be a student. I’m studying Latin American social and political movements in the 20th century. I joined the rugby team. I was a model for an art class. I’ve joined different student groups and met people who are excited, energetic, and motivated to learn. I’m always going to be a veteran, but here I don’t need to be a veteran first.”
—Diego Olivieri ’24, US Marine Corps
Learn more about certification for veterans.
Wesleyan is a proud partner of Service to School (S2S), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering free counseling and professional mentorship to US military veterans interested in applying to college and graduate school.
Applying
Wesleyan invites applications from US Military Veterans via any of three methods according to your preference: Wesleyan's own internal Application for Admission for US Military Veterans, the Common Application, and the Apply Coalition Powered by Scoir. For more information on application requirements, please see Frequently Asked Questions below. For deadlines relating to Early Decision I and II, Regular Decision, financial aid, and dates of decision, visit our Apply page.
Financial Aid
With a range of financial aid benefits available, a Wesleyan education is affordable and within veterans’ reach. Aid packages for veteran students meet 100% of their demonstrated financial need without loans and with a minimum expected student contribution of $1,200 each year. US military veterans, including our cohort of Posse students, are guaranteed to have their tuition paid for through a combination of funds from the VA and Wesleyan (including Post 9/11-GI Bill® benefits, Chapter 31 benefits, Yellow Ribbon scholarship, and the Wesleyan Yellow Ribbon match scholarship). Even if a student exhausts their VA benefits, Wesleyan will meet 100% of their demonstrated financial need. Please do not hesitate to contact our Office of Financial Aid Veterans Liaison with any questions related to financial aid and the application of veterans benefits at Wesleyan.
Veteran Contacts
Members of the Wesleyan Veterans Organization are eager to chat with you regarding their experiences transitioning to campus life and in the classrooms at Wesleyan. We also encourage military veterans to contact the Office of Admission Veterans Resource Team with additional questions that may arise.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What materials are required for my application to Wesleyan?
Application requirements include:
- Common Application or Coalition by Scoir Application
- High school transcript
- College transcript (transfer students only)
- School report (first-year students only)
- College report (transfers only)
- SAT or ACT Scores (optional for all)
- Letters of recommendation: 2 high school teacher recommendations (first-years only), 1 school/guidance counselor recommendation (first-years only), 2 college professor recommendations (transfers only), recommendation from an employer and/or military personnel (optional but encouraged for all)
- Interview (optional for all)
- FAFSA and CSS Profile (for all seeking financial aid)
Learn more about our application process as well as certification for veterans.
- Who should write my letters of recommendation?
We encourage you to submit two academic recommendations if you are currently enrolled in college coursework, from faculty members who taught you within the past year or two. It’s preferred that these courses were comparable to those offered at Wesleyan, but it’s up to you to decide who may best advocate and attest to your academic preparation.
If you haven’t completed recent college coursework or aren’t currently enrolled, we welcome recommendations from faculty members who can speak to your participation and engagement in other academic programs, such as Warrior-Scholar Project.
If you’re unable to identify persons to write current/recent academic recommendations for your application, you are welcome to submit non-academic references from persons who can speak to your performance, intellectual engagement, and promise, such as supervising officers in the military. - What extracurricular activities should I pursue to make myself stand out? What if I have limited time to get involved in traditional activities between school and other responsibilities?
If you’re not already engaged with things that bring you joy and/or help those around you, find something of interest to you and carve out a bit of time to engage. Of course, we recognize that work and home responsibilities might prevent you from participating in such activities, and that’s fine. But remember to share these obligations with us as well. They represent devotion, trust, and responsibility, among other qualities, and illustrate your participation in school, at home, at work, and other environments. Don’t discredit the things that keep you busy on a day-to-day basis.
If you haven’t yet had the chance to pursue specific activities but are genuinely interested in something offered at Wesleyan, or perhaps in establishing a new club or organization, be certain to share that with us in your application. We’re excited to understand how new members of the Wesleyan student body envision enhancing and contributing to our community. - What courses of study are available?
For information on majors and minors as well as specific course offerings, visit WesMaps. (If you are entering Wesleyan as a transfer student, not all majors will be available.) The University also offers double majors/double minors as well as linked majors and certificate programs.
- Are veterans required to live on campus?
Typically, on-campus housing is required and guaranteed for all 4 years if you arrive as a first-year student. For transfers, there is a 2-year residency requirement. Exceptions can be made for both first-year and transfer students after considering individual circumstances.
- What on-campus resources are available to veterans?
The following resources, which are available to all Wesleyan students, may be of particular interest to military veterans:
- I’d like to know more about financial aid programs for veterans.
Yellow Ribbon Scholarships for Dependents: Veterans can transfer their Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits to their dependent children through a process called “Transfer of Entitlement.” If the transferred benefits show the 100% benefit level on the dependent’s Certificate of Eligibility, the student is eligible to receive Yellow Ribbon scholarship, which covers the full cost of their tuition and fees. If the dependent has less than 100% eligibility, they are not eligible for Yellow Ribbon.
VA Book Allowance: Any student using Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) benefits or Vocational Readiness & Employment (Chapter 31) benefits is eligible for funding to specifically help cover the cost of books and supplies. These amounts vary depending on a student’s benefit chapter (31/33) and their eligibility percentage (under Chapter 33).
Monthly Payment Plan Enrollment Waiver: Because veteran students have different needs than the rest of our traditional student population, the Student Accounts office waives the $45/semester enrollment fee for the Monthly Payment Plan (MPP). As most veteran students will have a balance on their Student Accounts as they wait for their BAH payments to come in, the MPP helps manage any balance on their Student Account month-to-month.
Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH): Wesleyan caps the amount of BAH funds in veteran students’ financial aid packages. Instead of assessing the full amount of BAH that veteran students receive from the VA, we only consider 60% of the student’s RCF fee—factored as the BAH in their aid package—as part of their award. Depending on the student’s calculated family contribution, this approach can make room for additional scholarship funding from Wesleyan and other sources.
Pell Grants/Direct Loans: Federal Title IV Aid—including Pell Grants and Direct Loans—are also available to students who qualify. Pell Grants are based on the student’s federal expected family contribution and are treated as incremental grants in our awarding process if the student is using VA benefits. While most veteran students don’t utilize Direct Loans, they are available to US citizens and eligible noncitizens.