Wheaton College
Wheaton, IL · founded 1860 · 3,000 students · religious · NCAA Division III (College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin)
Known for: It is a highly selective, top-ranked Christian liberal arts college known for its rigorous academics, evangelical Protestant heritage, and for producing a significant number of missionaries, scholars, and leaders.
Rankings
Top programmes
- Biblical & Theological Studies
- English
- Psychology
- Economics
- Music
- Biology
Notable alumni
- Billy Graham — World-renowned evangelist
- Wes Craven — Film director, writer ('A Nightmare on Elm Street', 'Scream')
- John Piper — Christian theologian, pastor, and author
- Madeleine L'Engle — Author ('A Wrinkle in Time')
- Robert E. Webber — Theologian and author on worship
- Dennis Hastert — Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Lynn Vincent — Bestselling author and journalist
Traditions
- Traditions Week
- Christmas Festival
- All-School Communion
- President's Ball
- Monkey Business
If Wheaton College were…
- As a food: Ezekiel bread — Wholesome, ancient-grain, intentionally countercultural, and a little dense—nutritious but requires an acquired taste. Wheaton is earnest, substantive, and unapologetically rooted in tradition while claiming modern relev
- As an athlete: Tim Tebow — Unabashedly Christian, mission-driven, and polarizing depending on your worldview. Both are elite in their lane, committed to service, and wear their faith on their sleeve without apology.
- As a person alive today: Russell Moore — Public theologian, ethicist, and thoughtful evangelical voice navigating culture wars with nuance. Wheaton produces leaders who engage the world intellectually while staying anchored in orthodoxy.
- As a historical figure: Dietrich Bonhoeffer — Rigorous theologian who believed faith demanded costly discipleship and engagement with the world's brokenness. Wheaton's ethos is academic seriousness married to missional urgency.
- As a movie or TV show: Dead Poets Society — Tradition-bound institution where passionate professors inspire students to think deeply, question carefully, and live purposefully—though here the transcendence is explicitly Christian, not Romantic.
- As a US president: Jimmy Carter — Devout, service-oriented, intellectually humble, and committed to global missions and human dignity. Wheaton grads often pursue justice work and ministry over pure prestige.
- As a city: Grand Rapids, Michigan — Midwestern, Reformed-inflected, home to major Christian publishers and institutions (Calvin, Zondervan). A hub of thoughtful evangelicalism that's conservative but not anti-intellectual.
- As an element: Carbon — Foundational, versatile, forms strong bonds, and essential to life itself. Wheaton sees itself as the bedrock of evangelical intellectual life—unflashy but indispensable to the structure.
- As a car: 2018 Subaru Outback — Reliable, wholesome, and community-minded with just enough adventure capability for mission trips and outdoor retreats. This evangelical intellectual hub in suburban Chicago values substance over flash, much like the Out
Campus life
Campus life is intellectually vibrant and deeply rooted in evangelical Christian community, with required chapel attendance. Students are academically driven and often involved in ministry, music, and service. Social life is active but generally low-key, centered on campus events and close-knit dorm communities.
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