Wesleyan was the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women. Georgia gave it that charter in 1836, and its first graduate received her diploma in 1840. The world's first sororities started here, and so did the first alumnae association. It educated all three of China's famous Soong sisters. Today it's a small women's liberal arts college on a 200-acre historic campus in north Macon, half of it a forested arboretum.
About this site
Wesleyan College is a college & university in Macon, Bibb County. It is one of 3 colleges & universities documented in Bibb County, among 199 historic sites cataloged across the county on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 32.8750, -83.7145 near Macon. The nearest cataloged historic site is Olive Swann Porter Building (historic place), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Wesleyan College Historic District, Candler Library Building, and Hightower Hall Dormitory.
This record is drawn from Georgia Roam. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
What makes Wesleyan College different
Its 1836 charter made Wesleyan the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women. wesleyancollege.edu
Two of the first American sororities began here: the Adelphean Society (1851, now Alpha Delta Pi) and the Philomathean Society (1852, now Phi Mu). wesleyancollege.edu
Wesleyan's alumnae organized in 1859, and the college calls it the first alumnae association of any degree-granting college. wesleyancollege.edu
All three Soong sisters studied here: Ai-ling, later wife of financier H. H. Kung; Ching-ling, later Madame Sun Yat-sen; and Mei-ling, later Madame Chiang Kai-shek. wesleyancollege.edu
The 1928 campus plan was drawn by J. Leon Hoffman, a pupil of Frederick Law Olmsted. The whole 200-acre campus is a National Register historic district. wesleyancollege.edu
Its 100-acre arboretum, accredited in 2013, surrounds five-acre Foster Lake and is home to more than 150 species of birds. wesleyancollege.edu
Hazel Jane Raines, a 1936 graduate, was the first woman in Georgia to earn a pilot's license. en.wikipedia.org
Macon citizens and Georgia Methodists won a charter for the Georgia Female College on December 23, 1836. It gave the school the power to grant the same degrees men's colleges conferred. The college opened in downtown Macon on January 7, 1839, with 90 students, and Catherine Brewer (Benson) received its first degree in 1840. The Methodist conference took over in 1843 and renamed it Wesleyan Female College, and "Female" was dropped in 1917. Students founded the Adelphean Society (1851) and the Philomathean Society (1852), the future Alpha Delta Pi and Phi Mu. In 1859 alumnae organized what the college calls the first alumnae association of a degree-granting college.
In the early 1900s Wesleyan drew students from far beyond Georgia. The best known were Ai-ling, Ching-ling and Mei-ling Soong, who later became three of the most powerful women in 20th-century China. In 1928 the liberal arts college moved from its crowded College Street site to a new suburban campus in the Rivoli area north of the city. The grounds were laid out by J. Leon Hoffman, a landscape designer trained under Frederick Law Olmsted. The old downtown building burned in 1963.
The entire 200-acre Rivoli campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 as the Wesleyan College Historic District. About half of it is a forest preserve and arboretum around Foster Lake. Undergraduate programs remain for women, while graduate programs admit men and women. Meaghan Blight became the 26th president in 2022. In July 2026 the athletic program moved from NCAA Division III to the NAIA.
Tied for #5 among Regional Colleges South — U.S. News & World Report, Best Colleges, 2027source
#9 Top Performers on Social Mobility (Regional Colleges South) — U.S. News & World Report, Best Colleges, 2026source
Majors & programs
Wesleyan offers the B.A., B.S. and B.S.N. through three schools, with small, seminar-style classes. Many students double major or design their own major. Four graduate programs, open to men and women, round out the offerings. The list below reflects Wesleyan's majors page in September 2026.
Known for
Biology (B.S.) and Neuroscience
Research-based science majors that feed the college's pre-medical, pre-dental and pre-veterinary tracks.
Known for
Nursing (B.S.N.)
A women's college nursing program with coursework focused on women's health and global health care.
Known for
Creative Arts and Arts Management
Taught alongside the Porter Fine Arts Building's 1,200-seat auditorium and the college's art galleries.
Known for
History, Politics and Global Affairs
Students at a college that educated the Soong sisters can study law, policy and international affairs.
Soong Ching-ling — Madame Sun Yat-sen, later honorary chairwoman of the People's Republic of China (Class of 1913) en.wikipedia.org
Soong Mei-ling — Madame Chiang Kai-shek, First Lady of the Republic of China (attended before transferring to Wellesley) en.wikipedia.org
Soong Ai-ling — Chinese businesswoman and eldest Soong sister, who first came to Wesleyan from China at 14 (graduated 1909) en.wikipedia.org
Catherine Brewer Benson — received the first degree Wesleyan awarded, in 1840 en.wikipedia.org
Toni Jennings — first woman to serve as Lieutenant Governor of Florida (graduate) en.wikipedia.org
Rebecca Caudill — Newbery Honor children's author of 'Tree of Freedom' and 'A Pocketful of Cricket' (graduate) en.wikipedia.org
Kathryn Stripling Byer — North Carolina Poet Laureate, 2005–09 (B.A. in English) en.wikipedia.org
Hazel Jane Raines — first woman in Georgia to earn a pilot's license, who flew in support of the Allied effort in World War II (1936 graduate) en.wikipedia.org
Neva Jane Langley — Miss America 1953, crowned while a Wesleyan student en.wikipedia.org
Phaedra Parks — attorney and TV personality ('The Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'The Traitors') (B.A. with honors) en.wikipedia.org
Athletics: Wesleyan Wolves
NAIA (since July 1, 2026; formerly NCAA Division III) · Southern States Athletic Conference
BasketballBeach volleyballSoccerSoftballVolleyballFlag footballIce hockey
Ratified for NAIA membership on Sept. 28, 2025, and began SSAC competition and athletic scholarships in 2026 wesleyanathletics.com
Home venues: Mathews Athletic Center · Nancy Ellis Knox Equestrian Center
Georgia’s American Journey: Wesleyan College and the fight for women’s education · 41NBCThe Wesleyan "First Five" and Historic Markers in Downtown Macon · WesleyanCollegeGAWesleyan College opens new leadership lab in downtown Macon · 13WMAZWesleyan's 26th president hopes to give the college a greater presence in Central Georgia · 13WMAZWesleyan College looking to bring more women into the STEM fields · 13WMAZ
Wesleyan was the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women. Georgia chartered it on December 23, 1836, and it opened in 1839. It awarded its first degree in 1840.
Is Wesleyan College all women?
Its undergraduate programs are for women. Its graduate programs (M.B.A., M.Ed., M.S. in Nonprofit Management and Master of Music) admit both men and women.
Did the Soong sisters go to Wesleyan College?
Yes. Ai-ling and Ching-ling Soong graduated from Wesleyan, and Mei-ling Soong studied there before transferring to Wellesley. Ching-ling later married Sun Yat-sen, and Mei-ling married Chiang Kai-shek.
How many students attend Wesleyan College?
531 in Fall 2024 (496 undergraduates), according to the U.S. Department of Education. The student-to-faculty ratio is 8 to 1.
What division is Wesleyan College?
The Wesleyan Wolves joined the NAIA and the Southern States Athletic Conference on July 1, 2026, after competing in NCAA Division III.
Is Wesleyan College ranked?
U.S. News & World Report's 2027 Best Colleges ranks Wesleyan tied for #5 among Regional Colleges in the South.
Can the public visit Wesleyan's campus?
Wesleyan's art galleries are free and open on weekday afternoons, and many arts events are open to the public. The arboretum has community programs. Admissions visits are booked through the college.
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