<p>Wellesley also has the 4th largest endowment among LACs, according to NACUBA (2010):</p>
<ol>
<li>Williams $1.527 billion</li>
<li>Pomona $1.459 billion</li>
<li>Amherst $1.386 bilion</li>
<li>Wellesley $1.307 billion</li>
<li>Grinnell $1.265 billion</li>
<li>Swarthmore $1.249 billion</li>
<li>Smith $1.244 billion</li>
<li>Washington & Lee $1.008 billion </li>
<li>Berea $847 million</li>
<li>Middlebury $783 million</li>
<li>Bowdoin $755 million
. . .</li>
<li>Wesleyan $504 million
. . .</li>
<li>CMC $466 million</li>
</ol>
<p>On an endowment-per-student basis, Wellesley ranks #6 among LACs, after Pomona, Swarthmore, Amherst, Grinnell, and Williams, in that order. Bowdoin ranks 9th; CMC and Wesleyan trail far back in the pack. Wellesley’s endowment-per-student is a little over 30% larger than Bowdoin’s, nearly 50% larger than CMC’s, and three-and-a-half times the size of Wesleyan’s. </p>
<p>Small wonder, then, that Wellesley dominates these schools in the “faculty resources” and “financial resources” categories of the U.S. News ranking, which together make up 30% of the total—or exactly TWICE as much as PA.</p>
<p>Here’s another way to think about it: At a standard 5% payout rate, Wellesley’s endowment produces $29,400 per student per year in extra disposable operating revenue. Wesleyan’s endowment produces $8,000 per student per year. That represents an enormous difference in the programs and amenities each college can provide.</p>