More selective than 23% of Illinois colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $59,263. College Scorecard.
Higher than 94% of Illinois colleges we cover and 93% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 70% of Illinois colleges we cover and 78% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Wheaton College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 1,866 applicants, Wheaton College admitted 1,679 and 553 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1260–1470 on the SAT or 28–32 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Wheaton College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Wheaton College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Wheaton College took 4.0 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Illinois. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $20,001 | $81,004 | 2.9 years |
| $30–48k | $18,587 | $75,277 | 2.7 years |
| $48–75k | $20,553 | $83,240 | 3.0 years |
| $75–110k | $24,176 | $97,913 | 3.5 years |
| $110k+ | $33,435 | $135,412 | 4.8 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.0 years, the average time graduates took (82% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($63,756) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $27,959 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Wheaton College majors, earnings & careers
Wheaton College offers 37 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 11
- Science & Math · 8
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Arts & Design · 2
- Business & Finance · 2
- Education · 2
- Health & Medicine · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
- Engineering · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Wheaton College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | $84,829 | $21,000 |
| Business Economics | $80,258 | $24,000 |
| Health Sciences | $69,566 | $20,356 |
| International Relations | $65,230 | $23,875 |
| Communications | $60,695 | $23,250 |
| English | $52,647 | $21,500 |
| Psychology | $49,974 | $22,625 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $48,374 | $25,000 |
Quick list of all 37 majors
- Anthropology$37,501
- Applied Mathematics—
- Archeology—
- Area Studies—
- Bible Studies—
- Biology—
- Business Economics$80,258
- Chemistry—
- Classics—
- Communications$60,695
- Computer Science—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics$84,829
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$48,374
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Engineering, Other—
- English$52,647
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- Health Sciences$69,566
- History—
- International Relations$65,230
- Mathematics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music$40,329
- Nursing—
- Philosophy$40,076
- Physics—
- Physiology—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$49,974
- Religious Education$42,605
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$42,635
- Studio Art$38,363
- Urban Studies / Affairs—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Education (Elementary / Secondary) → Elementary school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Chicago
Overall prices in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,011. Housing costs 12% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 39 inches of rain a year, 24 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (very high); river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, DuPage County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
DuPage County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Wheaton College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Illinois by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheaton College | 87% | $26,975 | 85% | $63,756 | This school |
| Moody Bible Institute | 83% | $22,221 | 62% | $45,399 | |
| Dominican University | 90% | $11,745 | 55% | $60,327 | |
| North Central College | 77% | $21,044 | 64% | $60,123 | |
| Bradley University | 77% | $22,719 | 76% | $66,852 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Wheaton College would cost you $4,754 more per year than Moody Bible Institute, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Wheaton College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$29,760).
- Wheaton College gives aided families $20,182 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Illinois resident | Wheaton College | Moody Bible Institute | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $45,546 | $15,786 | +$29,760 |
| Books & supplies | $910 | $1,027 | −$117 |
| Housing & meals | $12,390 | $12,820 | −$430 |
| Personal & travel | $2,440 | $4,960 | −$2,520 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,023 | −$266 | −$1,757 |
| Sticker price | $59,263 | $34,327 | +$24,936 |
| Average grants | −$32,288 | −$12,106 | −$20,182 |
| You pay | $26,975 | $22,221 | +$4,754 |
“+” means Wheaton College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Wheaton College
What is the Wheaton College acceptance rate?
Wheaton College accepts 87% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,679 of 1,866 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1260–1470 on the SAT or 28–32 on the ACT.
How much does Wheaton College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $59,263 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $26,975 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $20,001 and families earning $110k+ pay $33,435.
How much do Wheaton College graduates earn?
Former Wheaton College students earn a median $63,756 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Wheaton College graduation rate?
85% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 93% return for their second year.
How long does a Wheaton College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Wheaton College costs about $83,240 after grants ($20,553 a year for 4.0 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $63,756 ten years after starting, $27,959 more than high school graduates in Illinois ($35,797), so the cost is repaid in 3.0 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Wheaton College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/wheaton-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).