Applying to the Wheaton College Graduate School
Learn more about the admission requirements and application deadlines for the M.A. in Theology at the Wheaton College Graduate School.
Application Deadline Information
United States (Citizen, Permanent Resident, National) Applicants
The M.A. in Theology program will continue to review completed Fall Semester applications after June 15 on a rolling basis. Please note that decisions after the June 15 date are dependent upon the availability of remaining spaces. We encourage following earlier deadlines to enhance your application experience.
Deadlines
- Early Action Application: Apply by November 15 to receive an admissions decision by December 6.
- Priority Application: Apply by January 15 to receive an admissions decision by February 5.
- Regular Application: Apply by March 15 to receive an admissions decision by April 6.
- Final Application (decisions after this date dependent upon availability): Apply by June 15 to receive an admissions decision by July 6.
International Applicants
The application deadline for all international applicants is January 1.
The M.A. in Theology program reviews completed Spring Semester applications on a rolling basis.
The M.A. in Theology program reviews completed summer term applications on a rolling basis.
Requirements for All Applicants
The M.A. in Theology is mostly a residential program, but up to four classes will be offered online in about a year. Applications are reviewed holistically.
- Bachelor's Degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- GPA 3.0 minimum.
- Official Transcripts from all colleges where a degree was earned or is currently being earned.
- Applicants will be required to provide official transcripts from each institution where they have received or will receive a degree prior to enrollment in Wheaton College Graduate School. 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.
- E-transcripts preferred. Must be addressed to nancy.crane@wheaton.edu.
- Mail hard copies to Graduate Admissions, Attn: Nancy Crane, 501 College Ave., Wheaton, IL 60187.
- Application Form.
- Three essays.
- Affirmations of the Statement of Faith and Community Covenant.
- Three Recommendations, which are online forms. Letters are accepted as supplements to the forms.
- Academic. A professor from whom you have taken a class preferred. Alternatives: a college-level instructor from whom you have not taken a class or an acquaintance with a doctorate or master's.
- 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.
- Recommendations from relatives not accepted.
- To preview the recommendation questions, see the Word versions of the forms at the bottom of this page.
- Resumé. Chronological.
- Application Fee. USD $30, non-refundable.
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 program and the School of Biblical and Theological Studies.
