Wheaton College

wheaton-college

Quality, Evangelical Christian Education at Wheaton

Wheaton College appears in our ranking of the Top 50 Online Christian Colleges for Future Missionaries.

Ranked the U.S. News & World Report’s 61st best liberal arts school, Wheaton College builds a rigorous “Christ at the Core” curriculum for 41 bachelor’s, 16 master’s, and two doctoral majors outside Downtown Chicago each 16-week semester with an 11:1 student-faculty ratio.

For example, the 120-credit Applied Health Science B.S. has offered the Human Needs & Global Resources program since 1976 for six-month internships at 330+ organizations in 74 countries from Belize to Botswana. Chaired by Dr. Stephen Moshier, the Geology B.S. follows a 120-credit plan of courses like Physics of the Earth with hands-on experience at the Black Hills Science Station and Great Lakes Field Camp.

Each June, the TESOL & Intercultural Studies M.A. starts 36-credit, three-year Summer cohorts in online Schoology classes with week-long Wheaton intensives for bilingual teacher endorsements.

Other opportunities include the Hebrew B.A., Chemistry B.S., Urban Studies B.A., Engineering B.S., Philosophy B.A., Biblical Studies M.A., Old Testament Archaeology M.A., Outdoor & Adventure Leadership M.A., and Clinical Psychology Psy.D.

About Wheaton College

Wheaton College originated in 1853 when the Wesleyan Methodist Church opened the Illinois Institute for coed, Christian college prep. In 1860, it was formally chartered as Wheaton College under President Jonathan Blanchard with Illinois’ first women’s collegiate programs. In 1866, Wheaton graduated Edward Breathitte Sellers as one of the Midwest’s earliest Black graduates. In 1882, Blanchard’s son Charles furthered its dedication to conservative theologies. After 43 years, James Oliver Buswell became America’s youngest president at only 31.

Fully accredited in 1913, Wheaton College saw enrollment breach 1,100 by World War II. In 1951, Wheaton College purchased a Three Lakes site beyond its main 80-acre Milton Township campus in DuPage County. The Billy Graham Center Museum was opened in 1981. In 1993, President Duane Litfin started Wheaton’s first doctorate, a Biblical & Theological Studies Ph.D. Two decades later, Wheaton was chosen for the Fiske Guide to Colleges. In 2016, Wheaton College started a 17-week Mexico Semester option in Querétaro.

Budgeting $274 million yearly, Wheaton now serves 2,900 Thunder from 40 nations and 55 denominations with 30+ clubs like Der Deutsche Verein. The Princeton Review placed Wheaton 18th for best quality of life, 22nd for best alumni network, and 10th for most community service.

Wheaton College Accreditation Details

On September 30, 2014, Wheaton College received an official action letter from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (HLC-NCA) Board that confirmed the Level V accreditation reaffirmation through 2023-2024 under its eighth president, Dr. Philip Graham Ryken, who received the Christianity Today Book Award. Located 32 miles east via Interstate 290 in Chicago, this huge 19-state Heartland Region accreditor is authorized by the U.S. Department of Education for Federal Title-IV eligibility. The 2019 College Profile also listed the following degree accreditations:

  • American Chemical Society
  • National Association of Schools of Music
  • Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation
  • Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education
  • American Psychological Association
  • Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs

Wheaton College Application Requirements

Admission to Wheaton College is classified “very difficult” by Peterson’s though 1,439 of the 1,693 Fall 2017 applicants were selected for an 85 percent acceptance rate. First-year Thunder at Forbes’ 86th top private institution must exhibit evidence of Christian faith. Strong academics in a college-prep high school curriculum with four English and Math units is needed. Three-fourths of students graduate in the top 25th percentile. Freshmen present a median 3.7 unweighted GPA. The middle SAT range is 1250 to 1400. Mid-range ACT scores are 27 to 32. Successful transfers will have 15+ semester credits with at least 3.0 university or 3.5 community college GPAs. Foreign natives often must prove English fluency with a 95 TOEFL iBT or 7.0 IELTS mark. The Graduate School only processes entrants who’ve culminated a four-year bachelor’s with GPAs above 3.0. Some programs, such as the Biblical Exegesis M.A., have 3.2 GPA minimums. Taking the GRE General Test for a 300 composite or better is requested. Doctoral cohorts only admit 6-8 students with master’s training prerequisites plus 3.5 GPAs.

Wheaton College has set general freshman deadlines of November 1st for Early Action and January 10th for Regular Action. Bachelor’s transfers have until March 1st for Fall or October 1st for Spring term. The Conservatory of Music requires on-campus auditions by February 20th. Graduate School entrants often have rolling admission, but some dates are listed. For instance, the Clinical Mental Health Counseling M.A. has a January 7th priority deadline. The Teaching M.A.T. closes on April 1st whereas the Biblical & Theological Studies stays open until January 1st only. Accordingly, complete the Wheaton or Common Application online for $60 by credit/debit card. Official transcripts go to 501 College Avenue in Wheaton, IL 60187. Request electronic test reports by SAT/GRE code 1905 or ACT code 1160. Other checklist steps include the art portfolio, music supplement, academic recommendations, pastoral reference, interview, essays, and résumé. Contact (800) 222-2419 or admissions@wheaton.edu for more.

Tuition and Financial Aid

For 2019-20, Wheaton College is charging full-time undergraduates $18,850 per term or $37,700 annually. Taking under 12 credits will cost $1,571 apiece. Overload credits above 18 are $1,047 each. Four-week Summer Session courses are $650 per credit. Living at the Chicagoland campus’ dorms like Smith-Traber Hall adds $3,090 to $7,005 each semester. The standard 18-meal plan for Anderson Commons is $2,165 extra. Wheaton budgets $800 for books and $1,900 for miscellaneous. Annual bachelor’s attendance equals about $49,300 on-site and $39,120 with parents. The Graduate School will bill M.A. students $700 per credit. Therefore, a 36-credit Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership M.A. would total $25,200. The Clinical Psychology Psy.D. price is $1,105 per credit or $132,600 overall.

According to the NCES College Navigator, the Student Financial Services Office at Blanchard Hall gets 80 percent of full-time Wheaton Thunder striking median offers of $16,999 for $33.35 million combined. Institutional funding includes the National Merit Scholarship, Edman Scholarship, Don & Ann Church Scholarship, Conservatory of Music Merit Scholarship, ROTC Scholarship, Bessie Christian Memorial Scholarship, Theodore Detenbeck Scholarship, Craig Emmons Buschmann Memorial Scholarship, Catherine Gordon Scholarship, Vernon Lee Hall Scholarship, Lisa Family Scholarship, Ethel Bray Patterson Scholarship, Dicran Kassouny Memorial Scholarship, and Zephaniah 3:17 Scholarship. The Presidential Scholarship gifts $16,000 per year to freshmen with minimum 3.5 GPA and 25 ACT marks. The DuPage Foundation has a March 31st deadline for opportunities like $3,000 Wheaton Community High Schools Scholarship. FAFSA applications coded 002227 judge Federal Pell Grant, SEOG Grant, Direct Loan, and Work-Study Program eligibility. Illinois residents also pursue the Golden Apple Scholarship, Anhelo Project Dream Scholarship, Marianjoy Scholarship, MIA/POW Scholarship, and more.

Search through six accredited schools with 60 programs of study on the Wheaton College website.

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