---
title: Wheaton College — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Wheaton, IL
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Wheaton College

Wheaton, IL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $63,756 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $38,482 – $91,183 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $20,000 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $10,000 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 85% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $59,263 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 74% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.31× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $35,756 | derived |

**85% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $20,000 (≈ 31% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $21,846 to $62,633 across 18 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | Doctoral Degree | $62,633 | $129,614 |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,269 | $21,000 |
| Business/Managerial Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $47,492 | $24,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,251 | $25,000 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $40,082 | $23,250 |
| Theological and Ministerial Studies. | Master's Degree | $38,767 | not reported |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | Master's Degree | $37,694 | $40,125 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,982 | $23,250 |
| Philosophy. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,581 | $23,685 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,417 | $23,250 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions. | Master's Degree | $30,613 | not reported |
| Religious Education. | Master's Degree | $30,063 | not reported |
| Music. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,924 | $24,556 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,471 | $21,101 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,480 | $20,356 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,825 | $21,500 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,429 | $21,500 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language. | Master's Degree | $21,846 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Wheaton College by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?149781

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/wheaton-college-il.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`