Wheaton College
Wheaton College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Wheaton College Featured Rankings
- #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Illinois
- #2 Best Small Colleges in Illinois
- #2 Best Christian Liberal Arts 2026
- #3 Best CCCU Colleges 2026
- #3 Best Christian Colleges in Illinois 2026
- #3 Illinois's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #6 Best Private Colleges in Illinois
- #8 Best Colleges in Illinois
- #8 Best Grad Schools Illinois 2026
- #14 Religious Studies Liberal Arts Colleges
- #20 Best Christian Colleges 2026
About Wheaton College
According to Wikipedia, Wheaton College is a private Evangelical Christian liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois. It was founded by evangelical abolitionists in 1860. Wheaton College was a stop on the Underground Railroad and graduated one of Illinois' first black college graduates.
Wheaton College 's Online Degrees
MA in M.A. In Tesol And Intercultural Studies
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 1 Year
- Format: Fully online
Wheaton College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,866 | 87% | 93% | 82% | 1365 | 30 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Wheaton College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $47,770 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $17,810 |
| 30K - 48K | $18,931 |
| 48K - 75K | $19,951 |
| 75K - 110K | $21,022 |
| 110K+ | $35,155 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Wheaton College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Wheaton College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $68,390 a year, and 90% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Wheaton College 's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 3,254 | 2,373 | 881 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Wheaton College ?
Wheaton College is located at 501 College Ave, Wheaton, IL 60187-5593.
How Safe is Wheaton College ?
Like every college that receives federal student aid, Wheaton College publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.
Relative to its enrollment, Wheaton College has a violent crime rate of less than 0.01% and a property crime rate of 0.31%. Wheaton has a violent crime rate of 0.05% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 0.55%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Wheaton College Known For?
Wheaton College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Religious Studies
- Philosophy
- Literature
- Earth Sciences
- Anthropology
- Communications
- Psychology
- History
- Economics
- Political Science
- Chemistry
- Education
- Engineering
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Biology
- Business
- Sociology
- Social Work
- Medical
- Computer Science
Wheaton College 's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Wheaton College 's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Wheaton College ranks #12 in the U.S. and #50 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesWheaton College ranks #106 in the U.S. and #338 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesWheaton College ranks #196 in the U.S. and #556 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesWheaton College ranks #208 in the U.S. and #881 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesWheaton College ranks #236 in the U.S. and #727 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesWheaton College ranks #238 in the U.S. and #832 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesWheaton College ranks #264 in the U.S. and #637 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesWheaton College ranks #283 in the U.S. and #796 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesWheaton College ranks #329 in the U.S. and #1897 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesWheaton College ranks #351 in the U.S. and #1382 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesWheaton College ranks #357 in the U.S. and #1854 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesWheaton College ranks #370 in the U.S. and #1586 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesWheaton College ranks #377 in the U.S. and #2303 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesWheaton College ranks #397 in the U.S. and #1658 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesWheaton College ranks #398 in the U.S. and #1786 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesWheaton College ranks #406 in the U.S. and #1697 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesWheaton College ranks #442 in the U.S. and #1565 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesWheaton College ranks #463 in the U.S. and #1592 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesWheaton College ranks #534 in the U.S. and #1298 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesWheaton College ranks #540 in the U.S. and #2024 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesWheaton College ranks #808 in the U.S. and #3592 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesWho Are Wheaton College 's Most Influential Alumni?
Wheaton College 's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Literature. Here are some of Wheaton College 's most famous alumni:
- Billy Graham
- An American Christian evangelist .
- William Lane Craig
- An American Christian philosopher and theologian..
- Bart D. Ehrman
- An American biblical scholar .
- John Wesley Powell
- An American geologist .
- Karl E. Weick
- An Organisational psychologist.
- Norman Geisler
- An American evangelical theologian.
- Jason Hickel
- An Economic anthropologist .
- Daniel Wegner
- An American psychologist.
- John Piper
- An American writer.
- John Walvoord
- A Christian theologian .
- James S. Albus
- An Engineer .
- Carl F. H. Henry
- An American theologian .
