The significance of living in community cannot be overestimated! Ask graduates about their college years, and most will say that the closest relationships developed and the greatest lessons were learned in the context of residential living.
Along with attending classes, going to chapel and participating in activities outside the classroom, living on-campus is one of the four building blocks of a Wheaton student's educational experience. Together, these four building blocks help the College pursue its mission of developing students into whole and effective servants for Christ and His Kingdom.
We believe it is vital for students to be immersed in community living so that key life-to-life encounters may occur. In community living, students give and receive, are shaped by and contribute to campus life, and are challenged to integrate learning with their choices.
Residential Philosophy and Policy at Wheaton College
The philosophy of Wheaton’s Residence Life program originates from the College’s mission to develop whole and effective Christians. Wheaton College is committed to the residential housing model and views it as a powerful extension of the classroom. Students have the opportunity to transition through various campus communities as they move from the freshman and sophomore communities, to upperclass halls, to the junior and senior apartment communities. We believe that when students experience authentic community of loving one another and bearing one another’s burden, lives are transformed. Our hope is that students learn more about themselves, value the differences of others in the community, grow spiritually, and catch the vision for living the rest of their lives in authentic community.
Because of its belief in the importance of residential living, Wheaton College requires all undergraduate students to live in campus housing. Exceptions are made for married students, students living at home with their parents, and students who attend the College on a part-time basis.