Your Wesleyan Way Challenge

The Wesleyan Way Challenge gives eligible admitted students the opportunity to receive a one-time $1,000 grant toward their first-year Wesleyan bill.

To complete the Challenge, attend Experience Wesleyan Day, complete your FAFSA or an approved alternative, and share your Wesleyan spirit through an approved social media post.

The Challenge is open to admitted students enrolling in a Wesleyan undergraduate program for the first time.

That includes students entering directly from high school and students transferring to Wesleyan from another college. For transfer students, “first-year grant” means the grant applies during your first academic year at Wesleyan.

You must complete all three Challenge steps:

1. Attend Experience Wesleyan Day.
2. Complete your FAFSA or approved alternative.
3. Share your Wesleyan spirit through an approved social media post or alternative.

The earlier you complete the challenge, the sooner we can issue you an updated Financial Aid Award Letter with your additional $1,000 grant included. 

Attend the next Experience Wesleyan Day on November 14, 2026 to complete Step 1 of your Wesleyan Way Challenge! 

No. You must attend one of the Experience Wesleyan Day events designated as eligible for the Challenge. A campus tour or other campus event will not complete this step unless Wesleyan confirms otherwise in writing.

The FAFSA gives Wesleyan the information needed to help you identify the federal, state and institutional financial aid opportunities that may be available to you. It allows our Financial Aid team to prepare a more complete financial aid award so that you and your family can better understand your actual cost to attend Wesleyan.

Completing the FAFSA does not guarantee a particular type or amount of aid, but it ensures that you are considered for the aid opportunities for which your FAFSA information may qualify you – to help reduce your college costs as much as possible. Even if you are unsure whether you will qualify, completing it can help ensure that you do not overlook available support.

Submitting the FAFSA does not require you to accept loans or any other aid you are offered.

To complete this step, submit the 2027–28 FAFSA at www.studentaid.gov and list Wesleyan College using school code 001600.

Contact the Admissions Office at admissions@wesleyancollege.edu before the Challenge deadline. If you cannot file the FAFSA because of your citizenship or eligibility status, Wesleyan will provide an approved alternative for completing this step.

You have three easy options:

• Visit the Wesleyan Way Social Corner during Experience Wesleyan Day for a photo with Dakota and Wesleyan swag and props.
• Cut out the Wesleyan pennant printed on the back of your viewbook and take a photo or video with it somewhere meaningful to you If you have not received your viewbook yet—we’ll send you one!
• Visit @wesleyancollegega, choose your favorite Wesleyan post and use Instagram’s sharing feature to add it to your Story.

Whichever option you choose, tag or collaborate with @wesleyancollegega and include #WesleyanWayChallenge.

The easiest way is to share your post at the Wesleyan Way Social Corner and have a team member immediately mark the step complete. If you post at another time, take a screenshot showing your post and upload it through the Wesleyan Way Challenge section of your application portal.

A private Instagram account is fine. The easiest option is to complete your post at the Wesleyan Way Social Corner during Experience Wesleyan Day and show it directly to a team member for verification. You may also upload a screenshot through your application portal.

If you do not use Instagram, contact admissions@wesleyancollege.edu before the deadline for an approved alternative.

Once Wesleyan verifies all three Challenge steps, the Financial Aid Office will add the $1,000 Wesleyan Way Grant to your financial aid package and issue an updated award letter. Please allow up to seven (7) business days once you have completed all three steps for our verification process to be completed. 

The grant will then be credited to your student account when your financial aid is applied for your first year at Wesleyan.

Yes. The Wesleyan Way Grant can be added to other Wesleyan scholarships and eligible financial aid.

All financial aid remains subject to applicable federal, state, institutional and athletic aid limits. If your total aid reaches one of those limits, the Financial Aid Office will explain any required adjustment.

No. The Wesleyan Way Grant can only be credited toward eligible charges during your first academic year at Wesleyan.

It cannot be issued as cash, used to create a cash refund, transferred to another student or carried into a later academic year.

Allow time for your attendance, FAFSA or social media submission to be reviewed and matched with your admission record.

If a completed step is still missing after seven (7) business days, email admissions@wesleyancollege.edu with your full name, the email address used on your Wesleyan application and proof that you completed the step.

Contact admissions@wesleyancollege.edu as early as possible. Wesleyan will work with you to provide reasonable access to Experience Wesleyan Day and the Challenge process.

An approved accommodation will not reduce your eligibility for the grant.

For Challenge, event or verification questions:

Office of Admission
admissions@wesleyancollege.edu