Wheaton College

Wheaton College (IL) maintains an accessible admissions profile while holding a steady position among national liberal arts colleges. In the 2027 U.S. News Best Liberal Arts Colleges ranking, the college placed 57th, remaining close to its position of 58th in 2020. Admission is significantly less competitive than at many peer institutions. The college recorded an acceptance rate of 87.4% in 2025, which is higher than 97% of 30 similarly ranked private liberal arts colleges. Meanwhile, the yield rate stood at 29.9%, indicating that less than a third of admitted candidates chose to enroll, although this yield remains higher than 83% of peer institutions. These figures show that while Wheaton does not enroll most of the students it admits, it attracts admitted applicants at a stronger rate than typical peers in its ranking cohort. For prospective students, these admissions trends suggest that qualified applicants have a very high likelihood of acceptance.

Admitted students at Wheaton College typically present solid academic credentials, aligning closely with typical selective liberal arts benchmarks. For the class entering in 2025, the median SAT score was 1380, which is higher than 57% of peer schools in its comparison group of similarly ranked private liberal arts colleges. Applicants submitting ACT results saw middle-fifty-percent composite scores spanning between 28 and 32. Standardized test submission has diminished over recent cycles, with only a minority of matriculating students providing exam scores. Combined with an overall admit rate that is relatively accessible for this peer set, applicants who achieve standardized results near or above the college median stand on solid ground during admissions evaluation. Prospective students should focus on rigorous secondary coursework and a strong academic profile to present a competitive application.

Degrees at Wheaton College are moderately dispersed across humanities, social sciences, and health disciplines, with its largest programs operating outside the nation's highest-ranked tiers. In 2025, the top three undergraduate majors accounted for 27.3% of all bachelor's completions, showing that students are not excessively concentrated in a narrow band of subjects. The single largest undergraduate program was Business/Managerial Economics, which produced 61 graduates, followed by general English Language and Literature. None of the college's evaluated majors hold national top-tier ranks, as economics and clinical psychology were both positioned at 196 in U.S. News rankings. Career earnings vary notably across fields of study. According to 2023 earnings data for bachelor's recipients one year after graduation, Economics graduates posted the highest median salary at $64,841, followed by Business/Managerial Economics at $54,138. Families evaluating academic return should note that while compensation is strongest in quantitative business fields, large numbers of students also pursue pre-health and liberal arts degrees.

Wheaton College maintains a predominantly undergraduate student body where domestic white students comprise the majority, accompanied by focused cohorts of minority and international students. In 2025, the freshman cohort enrolled 47 Asian students, representing 8.8% of incoming first-year undergraduates, alongside 29 international students, who accounted for 5.4% of that group. Continuing undergraduates reflect comparable demographic shares, whereas the graduate division features a noticeably greater concentration of foreign scholars in advanced degree programs. Female students represent a slight majority across both undergraduate and graduate ranks. Most undergraduates fall into traditional collegiate age brackets, establishing an undergraduate community oriented around baccalaureate study, while graduate students introduce broader professional experience and varied backgrounds across academic departments.

Undergraduate education at Wheaton College is focused on traditional college-age students, shaping a standard residential undergraduate experience. In 2025, students aged 18 to 19 made up 45.4% of the undergraduate population, while those aged 20 to 21 accounted for 44.3%. Very few undergraduates are older than 24. In contrast, the graduate school serves an older and more age-diverse demographic. Students aged 25 to 29 formed the largest graduate segment at 23.5%, followed closely by students aged 22 to 24 and mid-career adults in their forties. This separation means campus life for undergraduates centers on young adults progressing directly through college.

International enrollment at Wheaton College has expanded over the past decade, though global representation remains far more pronounced in graduate programs than in undergraduate classrooms. By 2025, international undergraduates comprised 4.1% of the undergraduate student body, a proportion higher than 23% of peer schools among similarly ranked private liberal arts colleges. At the graduate level, the international share reached 14.5% following years of steady growth. International degree recipients at the bachelor level are spread thinly across general disciplines, with modest representation in programs such as Business/Managerial Economics and Political Science and Government. Conversely, international graduate degree earners cluster heavily in specialized master's tracks, most notably Clinical Psychology, where international students accounted for 24.4% of graduates, as well as theology and intercultural studies. For prospective international students, these patterns suggest an undergraduate experience deeply immersed in domestic campus culture, contrasted with an internationally engaged graduate division.

Applicants evaluating Wheaton College can consider several other higher education options within the greater Chicago metropolitan area. Located 29.7 kilometers away, Lake Forest College is a fellow liberal arts institution ranked 62nd among National Liberal Arts Colleges. Students interested in large research universities will find Northwestern University, ranked 9th among National Universities, 24.9 kilometers away in Evanston, and the University of Chicago, also ranked 9th nationally, 26.4 kilometers from Wheaton. Additionally, Aurora University, ranked 262nd among National Universities, is located 15.2 kilometers to the southwest. These nearby institutions offer distinct alternatives ranging from small suburban colleges to leading national research universities.

Campus safety records at Wheaton College show a relatively controlled environment, with incidents predominantly involving property crime and institutional conduct infractions. In 2025, the college recorded a crime rate per 1,000 students of 7.7, reflecting an upward movement over the past decade. Over the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, non-violent offenses formed the bulk of campus reporting, led by 18 theft incidents and 13 disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations. Interpersonal offenses occurred less frequently over the same timeframe, including reports of stalking and sexual harassment. Serious violent crimes remained rare across campus grounds. For incoming families and enrolled students, these statistics point to a campus where basic situational awareness and securing personal property address the most common everyday concerns, alongside standard awareness of campus conduct policies.