10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$149,620at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Private nonprofit · COLLEGE PAYOFF
Wheaton College
Wheaton, IL · 20 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 17 · Federal debt reported for 16
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$149,620 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
20.8 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−52%Estimated return after 10 years
$58,828Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $12,868 housing and food allowance plus $3,250 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$41,720
$8,000Annual price−$73,720
$16,000Annual price−$105,720
$24,000Annual price−$137,720
$27,000Current college-wide context−$149,720
$32,000Annual price−$169,720
$40,000Annual price−$201,720
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Most students study without distance-education courses.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Higher Learning Commission
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- Suburban
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
DUAL-ENROLLMENT CONTEXT · 2024
195 high-school students took college courses.
IPEDS counts students enrolled in college credit while still in high school. A large dual-enrollment population can shape headline enrollment figures, especially at community colleges.
This is participation, not a college completion rate. It does not indicate how many students later enrolled after high school, earned a credential or entered the workforce.
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in Illinois run 0% below the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$26,975Average net price / year
$59,263Cost of attendance
$23,250Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$246/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$58,828Median earnings · year 5 after completion
84.8%Completion rate
87.4%Admission rate
1,380Average SAT score
30ACT midpoint
2,121Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about Wheaton College
What does Wheaton College cost?
Wheaton College reports an average annual net price of $26,975 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Wheaton College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $58,828 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Wheaton College graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $23,250. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Wheaton College worth the same?
No. The current release contains 20 field-and-degree records for Wheaton College; 17 report year-4 earnings and 16 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
3,468Students enrolled at any point
2,572Undergraduate students
896Graduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
88% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
192 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
Three-year repayment not reportedStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$53,691Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$62,716Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$70,697Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income87%
Middle income88%
Higher income88%
Undergraduate student composition
White67%
Black3%
Hispanic9%
Asian9%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
INDEPENDENT CENSUS EARNINGS VIEW
How earnings develop by field
Privacy-protected Census employment records follow graduate cohorts one, five and ten years after completion. This source is kept separate from College Scorecard because its population and methodology differ.
Field and credentialYear 1Year 5Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 52
$55,778Year 1
$97,091Year 5
$149,324Year 10
Applied Mathematics.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 27
$67,042Year 1
$81,043Year 5
$143,232Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 51
$32,883Year 1
$69,154Year 5
$109,070Year 10
Clinical Psychology.Doctoral, professional practice · Broad federal field 42
$61,070Year 1
$98,712Year 5
$107,201Year 10
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 26
$30,437Year 1
$71,728Year 5
$90,582Year 10
Philosophy and Religious Studies, General.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 38
$34,351Year 1
$44,398Year 5
$88,826Year 10
Anthropology.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 45
$50,831Year 1
$70,380Year 5
$88,614Year 10
Astronomy and Astrophysics.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 40
$43,722Year 1
$77,755Year 5
$86,929Year 10
Median annual earnings in 2023 dollars. Each time point may use a different pooled graduation cohort. Coverage is limited to institutions participating in the Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes program.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$39,703Year 1
$57,675Year 4
$58,828Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology · Doctoral Degree$89,3622Economics · Bachelor's Degree$84,8293Business/Managerial Economics · Bachelor's Degree$80,2584Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General · Bachelor's Degree$69,5665Theological and Ministerial Studies · Master's Degree$66,1046International Relations and National Security Studies · Bachelor's Degree$65,2307Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology · Master's Degree$61,3718Communication and Media Studies · Bachelor's Degree$60,695Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $69,566 reported+13%vs same-degree national median$20,356federal debt2English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $52,647 reported+8%vs same-degree national median$21,500federal debt3Theological and Ministerial StudiesMaster's Degree · $66,104 reported+8%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's Degree · $60,695 reported+8%vs same-degree national median$23,250federal debt5Business/Managerial EconomicsBachelor's Degree · $80,258 reported+3%vs same-degree national median$24,000federal debt6EconomicsBachelor's Degree · $84,829 reported+3%vs same-degree national median$21,000federal debt
Comparable colleges in IL
Currently operating private nonprofit institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Lebanon, IL
McKendree University
- Annual net price
- $24,717
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $59,757
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -47%
Lake Forest College
- Annual net price
- $28,673
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $61,366
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -44%
Augustana College
- Annual net price
- $22,736
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $58,348
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -51%
Rockford University
- Annual net price
- $22,436
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $58,298
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -51%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing all 20 field-and-degree records in the current release.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | Doctoral Degree | $89,362 | Not available | 20 |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $84,829 | $21,000 | Not reported |
| Business/Managerial Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $80,258 | $24,000 | Not reported |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $69,566 | $20,356 | Not reported |
| Theological and Ministerial Studies | Master's Degree | $66,104 | Not available | Not reported |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $65,230 | $23,875 | Not reported |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | Master's Degree | $61,371 | Not available | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $60,695 | $23,250 | Not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's Degree | $52,647 | $21,500 | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $49,974 | $22,625 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Bachelor's Degree | $48,374 | $25,000 | Not reported |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's Degree | $42,635 | $26,650 | Not reported |
| Religious Education | Bachelor's Degree | $42,605 | $25,000 | 0 |
| Music | Bachelor's Degree | $40,329 | $24,556 | Not reported |
| Philosophy | Bachelor's Degree | $40,076 | $23,685 | Not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $38,363 | $23,281 | Not reported |
| Anthropology | Bachelor's Degree | $37,501 | Not available | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $21,500 | Not reported |
| Bible/Biblical Studies | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $23,147 | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $23,250 | Not reported |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.