What you need to know

Full-time MIT students, including special students, may cross-register at Wellesley during the fall and spring terms. Typically, subjects taken at Wellesley are considered unrestricted electives. You must abide by the rules of both MIT and Wellesley.

Some key points to remember:

  • There is no pre-registration for Wellesley subjects.
  • You may not take more than half of your registration at Wellesley for any single term.
  • Wellesley subjects appear on your MIT transcript with a “W” prefix followed by two letters denoting the subject area.
  • If you are registered for fewer than 36 units, Wellesley subjects will be included in the calculation of light load tuition.

Grading, units, credit

  • Wellesley’s grading scale is comparable to MIT’s and the grades earned at Wellesley are reported on your MIT transcript. Plus or minus modifiers are reported on your internal grade report only.
  • Wellesley subjects earn 12 MIT units with the following exceptions: A subject that meets five hours per week earns 15 MIT units. A subject that meets for half of one semester earns six MIT units.
  • Sophomores — you may designate a Wellesley class as an Exploratory subject.
  • Juniors and seniors — you may designate a Wellesley class as one of your two electives to be graded P/D/F.
  • Graduate students — You will not receive graduate level credit for subjects taken at Wellesley. However, you can seek the approval of your department to change the subject level credit. If your department approves the request, they will ask us to make the change on your MIT record.

What you need to do

  • Petition the Committee on Curricula (CoC) if you wish to substitute a Wellesley subject for a HASS subject or other GIR. Learn about petitioning the CoC.
  • Your department must approve if you wish to substitute a Wellesley subject for a major or minor requirement.
  • If you wish to drop a Wellesley subject, use MIT's Add/Drop application and we will notify the Wellesley Registrar’s Office.