Applying to the Wheaton College Graduate School
Learn more about the admission requirements and application deadlines for the M.A. in Higher Education and Student Development at the Wheaton College Graduate School.
Application Deadline Information
International Applicants
The formal application deadline for all international applicants is January 1st.
United States (Citizen, Permanent Resident, National) Applicants
The M.A. in Higher Education and Student Development program will continue to review completed applications after May 15th on a rolling basis. Please note that decisions after the May 15th date are dependent upon registration availability.
We encourage the following the deadlines for students interested in GRA/GA positions:
Early Action Application: Apply by November 15th to receive a program admissions decision by December 6th and a GRA/GA decision by the end of March
Priority Application: Apply by January 15th to receive a program admissions decision by February 5th and a GRA/GA decision by the end of March
We encourage the following additional deadlines for flexible format students and/or residential students not applying for GRA/GA positions:
Regular Application: Apply by March 15th to receive a program admissions decision by April 6th
Final Application (decisions after this date dependent upon availability): Apply by May 15th to receive a program admissions decision by June 1st
The M.A. in Higher Education and Student Development reviews completed Spring Semester applications on a rolling basis.
Requirements for All Students
- Bachelor's Degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- GPA 2.80 minimum.
- Official Transcripts from all colleges where a degree was earned or is currently being earned.
- E-transcripts preferred. Address them to nancy.crane@wheaton.edu.
- Mail hard copies to Graduate Admissions Dept., Attn: Nancy Crane, 501 College Ave., Wheaton, IL 60187.
- Applicants who have earned more than 25% of their degree from institutions outside of their degree-conferring school will be required to supply official transcripts for those credits in the event they are not explicitly listed on their original transcript with course names and grades. Graduate Admissions will reserve the right to request additional transcripts as may be needed to meet departmental requirements or demonstrate proof of program-specific prerequisites.
- Application Form.
- Includes essays and affirmations of the Statement of Faith and Community Covenant.
- Three Recommendations, which are online forms. Letters are accepted as supplements to the forms.
- Academic: An instructor from whom you have taken a class preferred.
- Pastoral: Can be a Christian leader who is not a pastor.
- Professional: A person with whom you have had a supervisor-employee relationship, which can be in a non-paid context.
- Resumé: Chronological overview of professional, ministry, and/or volunteer experiences.
- $30 non-refundable application processing fee.
Additional Requirements for International Students
International students, and permanent residents of the US whose native language is not English, are required to take either the TOEFL iBT Test, IELTS Academic Test or Duolingo English test with the minimal scores indicated below:
TOEFL iBT Test: 80 with at least 18 in each category
IELTS Academic Test: 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each category
Duolingo English Test: 105
Applicants who wish to waive their English proficiency test, please refer to the English proficiency page for details.
An International Transcript Verification Report is needed for students who completed degrees outside of the United States.
Learn more about the M.A. in Higher Education and Student Development.
