Wesleyan offers community members an opportunity to take undergraduate courses on a non-degree basis as Community Scholars, with permission from the instructor.

Wesleyan’s Olin and Science libraries are open to all users for research purposes and for access to the U.S. federal government depository collection.

The Wesleyan Institute for Lifelong Learning offers 7–10 courses per semester at minimal cost on topics of interest to the community. Special one-day courses are also offered once a semester.

Wesleyan’s Graduate Liberal Studies program offers courses in a variety of areas in the arts, sciences, education, and more. Participants may work toward a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies or Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts, or may study on a non-degree seeking basis.

Wesleyan hosts a variety of lectures throughout the year that are open to the public. A block of tickets is reserved for community members at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. event.

The Van Vleck Observatory is open to the public every Wednesday night during the academic year, rain or shine, for Space Nights. A member of the Astronomy Department gives a half-hour presentation on a topic of space news, followed by observing through the telescopes. Kids’ Nights are also held at the observatory on the first and third Friday of the month during the academic year. The Astronomical Society of Greater Hartford also hosts monthly Saturday night observing sessions at the observatory.