Private nonprofit · College

Wheaton College

Wheaton, Illinois · Large suburb

#4 graduation rate in Illinois
87.4%
Admit rate
$26,975
Avg net price
85%
Graduation rate
$63,756
Median earnings

Wheaton College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Wheaton, Illinois (large suburb setting), enrolling 2,121 undergraduates. It has a Undenominational religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,121 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 87% admitNCAA Division III with football · College Conference of Illinois and WisconsinCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Wheaton College's admitted students.

Admit rate
87.4%
SAT (mid 50%)
1260–1470
Avg GPA (est.)
3.75

Enter a test score to see where you land against Wheaton College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Wheaton College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton is a city in and the county seat of DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The Wheaton brothers arrived from Connecticut, and in 1837, Warren L. Wheaton laid claim to 640 acres (260 ha) of land in the center of town. Jesse Wheaton later made claim to 300 acres (120 ha) of land just west of Warren's. Wheaton is home to the DuPage County Fairgrounds. Organized in 1954, the DuPage County Fair Association hosts the annual DuPage County Fair in late July. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
24 miles to Chicago, IL
To Great Lakes shore
24 miles
Nearest airport
13 miles to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) · major hub

How Wheaton College compares

Selectivity87.4%

More selective than 30% · #43 most selective of 58 in Illinois

SAT average1380

Higher than 88%

Graduation rate85%

Higher than 93% · #4 of 58 in Illinois

First-year retention93%

Higher than 90%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$63,756

Higher than 76% · #20 of 66 in Illinois

Average net price$26,975

Cheaper than 24% · #49 cheapest of 57 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$23,250

Lower than 50%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment2,121

Larger than 59%

Percentiles compare Wheaton College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Illinois.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,845students
  • Undergraduate2,12175%
  • Graduate72425%

Undergraduates by gender

2,121undergrads
  • Women1,11953%
  • Men1,00247%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White67%
  • Black3.3%
  • Hispanic8.7%
  • Asian8.8%
  • Other or multiracial12%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,121
Graduate enrollment
724
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
22%
First-generation students
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$89,742
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$94,257
Endowment
$610,123,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 553 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Illinois26%
  • Other U.S. states67%
  • International7.7%

A national draw — only 21% of first-years come from Illinois; 54% arrive from other states.

6% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
87.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1260–1470
SAT average
1380
SAT reading
650–740
SAT math
610–730
ACT composite
28–32
Average GPA (estimated)
3.75

Cost

In-state tuition
$45,546
Room & board
$13,010
Books & supplies
$936
Total cost of attendance
$59,263
Average net price
$26,975

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
85%
Graduated on time (4 years)
76%
First-year retention
93%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$50,270
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$63,756
Median debt at graduation
$23,250
Students with federal loans
43%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
87%

About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
76%
Low-income (Pell)
82%
First-generation
82%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,116
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%
Housing charge (year)
$7,280
Meal plan (year)
$5,110
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
Varsity athletes
653 (429 men · 224 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (11)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)230
Football127
Soccer69
Swimming and Diving (combined)49
Baseball42
Basketball33
Wrestling29
Tennis21
Softball18
Volleyball18
Golf17

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
14
Property offenses (2022–2024)
20

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (2,874 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

11reported offenses a year
4.7 violent a year6.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
6.0
Fondling
3.3
Rape
1.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$20,001
$30–48k
$18,587
$48–75k
$20,553
$75–110k
$24,176
$110k+
$33,435

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$85,490

$20,553/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

98%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$23,227
average award, among those who get one

Wheaton College discounts heavily: 98% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $23,227. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 503 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$63,756
Typical debt at graduation
$23,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
36%
Out-earn a HS grad
67%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$56,098
Men
$73,896

Men out-earn women by $17,798 (32%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
84°F
Winter low
15°F
Annual rain
40.2″
Annual snow
24.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lisle-Morton Arboretum, IL US station (4.2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Wheaton College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Wheaton College side by side →

Colleges near Wheaton College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.