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We Asked. You Answered.

We are deeply grateful for the extraordinary participation of our alumni community in this important initiative. With more than 5,000 responses in 2024 representing nearly 20% of our contacted alumni base, your engagement far exceeded typical response rates of 3-5% for similar institutional surveys.

This remarkable level of participation provides us with invaluable insights that will help shape how we serve both current students and alumni in the years ahead.

"We are grateful to our alumni for your partnership with us and for advocating for everything that is best in a college for Christ and his kingdom."

President Philip Ryken '88

82 countries represented

Plus 50 states and Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands

5,161 total respondents

93.5% said it was a great or good decision

to attend Wheaton College

89% of alumni read Wheaton magazine

(Thank you!)

Wheaton's Distinctive Mission


The survey results powerfully affirm Wheaton's distinctive mission and impact for Christ and His Kingdom. An overwhelming 93% of respondents confirmed that choosing Wheaton was the right decision, while 86% actively recommend the College to others.


Distinguished Faculty and Christ-centered Residence Life


You particularly highlighted our distinguished faculty and Christ-centered residential experience as key strengths, noting how these elements foster moral and ethical decision-making capabilities that prove invaluable both during college years and throughout professional careers.

Value of a Wheaton Education


These findings underscore the enduring value of a Wheaton education and our unwavering commitment to our foundational principles.


An Invitation to Explore


We invite you to explore this website, which serves as a growing resource for understanding how your feedback is helping us enhance the Wheaton experience. Here you'll find key survey insights, important College updates, and information about how we're responding to your input. Please bookmark this page and check back periodically – we'll be regularly updating it with new findings and initiatives that demonstrate how your participation is helping shape Wheaton's future while honoring our historic mission and theological commitments.

    Who Responded? Demographic Breakdown

    Response by Graduation Decade

    • 1960s and prior: 14.5%
    • 1970s: 15.2%
    • 1980s: 16.1%
    • 1990s: 15.7%
    • 2000s: 14.1%
    • 2010: 16.1%
    • 2020s: 8.3%

    Response by Gender

    • Male: 46%
    • Female: 52%

    Response by Ethnicity

    • Caucasian/white: 85.6%
    • African American/Black: 1.3%
    • Hispanic or Latino/a: 1.2%
    • Asian/Pacific Islander: 4.1%
    • American Indian/Alaskan: 0.1%
    • 2 or more ethnic groups: 2.4%
    • Other: 0.7%
    • Prefer not to answer: 4.6%

    What best describes your current theological alignment with Wheaton College?

    • 38% align with Wheaton College
    • 23% somewhat more conservative
    • 8% much more conservative
    • 18% somewhat more liberal
    • 12% much more liberal

    The Value of Wheaton to Our Alumni

    Blanchard Tower Wheaton College IL

    Overall Opinion of Wheaton

    75.5%

    said your overall current opinion of Wheaton College was “good” or “excellent”

    86%

    of respondents say they proactively promote Wheaton at least occasionally.

    See More Info (PDF)

    Wheaton College IL Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony 2023

    How Wheaton College prepared you for life post-graduation:

    91%

    Deepening your commitment to personal development

    90%

    Understanding of biblical perspectives

    92%

    Further graduate education

    See Wheaton Outcomes
    Kirk Farney office shot

    In Pursuit of Engagement and Excellence

    Consistent alumni response generates meaningful, actionable data

    "Our results fall into Actionable Results, Prioritized Improvement Opportunities, Enhanced Brand Recognition, and Alumni Partnerships categories. For example, we see a clear opportunity to build greater alumni involvement. Specifically, we have many alumni with lower levels of connectedness who still readily recommend the College to prospective students and parents at a much higher level. This is engagement we can deliberately pursue."

    Dr. Kirk D. Farney M.A. ’98, Vice President for Advancement, Vocation, and Alumni Engagement

    Read More from Dr Farney on the Alumni Attitude Study Results

    Key Areas Wheaton College Could Improve in its Offerings to Students

    Your suggestions for areas of improvement align with our own priorities for growth, and we acknowledge there is more work to do. See how Wheaton is proactively addressing these areas.

    Wheaton College CVC

    1. Skills and Training for Career

    Learn how the Center for Vocation and Career (CVC) is working to prepare students for life after Wheaton.

    About the CVC
    Wheaton Students praying at footwashing event

    2. Developing Spiritual Maturity

    Life with God Together is a Chaplain's Office spiritual formation initiative created to inspire students to grow a spiritually vibrant, Christ-like evangelical witness.

    Wheaton College Passage Orientation Wilderness

    3. Developing Moral and Ethical Decision-making Abilities

    81% of alumni believe that Wheaton performed at a good to excellent level when they were students for “developing moral/ethical decision-making abilities.” But this area also continues to be a concern for alumni. Our intentional residence life program as well as innovative programs like Wheaton Passage Orientation give many opportunities for continued growth in this area.

    About Wheaton Passage
    Billy Graham Hall with Tulips
    Wheaton Magazine Covers
    Wheaton College IL Chief Alumni Officer Cindra Stackhouse Taetzsch

    Thank You!

    We understand that your time is valuable and, on behalf of everyone at Wheaton College, thank you for giving us your time and your thoughts. We don’t take it—or you—for granted.

    - Cindra Stackhouse Taetzsch ’82, Chief Alumni Officer and Executive Director, Wheaton College Alumni Association

    Read A Word with Alumni

    Contact Us - We're always glad to hear from you!

    501 College Ave
    Wheaton, IL 60187
    630.752.5047
    alumni@wheaton.edu