Wheaton College 
The information on this page was last updated 6/15/2026. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Wheaton College is an explicitly Christian, academically rigorous, fully residential liberal arts college and graduate school located in the Chicago area.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Wheaton College
501 College Avenue
Wheaton, IL 60187
Website: wheaton.edu
Phone: 630-752-5000
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 362182171
CEO/President: Dr. Philip Ryken
Chairman: Dale Wong
Board size: 18
Founder: Jonathan Blanchard
Ruling year: 1976
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 06/30
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
Established in 1860 in Wheaton, Illinois, Wheaton is guided by its original mission to provide excellence in Christian higher education.
Mission statement
Wheaton College serves Jesus Christ and advances His Kingdom through excellence in liberal arts and graduate programs that educate the whole person to build the church and benefit society worldwide.
This mission expresses our commitment to do all things - "For Christ and His Kingdom."
Statement of faith
WE BELIEVE in one sovereign God, eternally existing in three persons: the everlasting Father, His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and the Holy Spirit, the giver of life; and we believe that God created the Heavens and the earth out of nothing by His spoken word, and for His own glory.
WE BELIEVE that God has revealed Himself and His truth in the created order, in the Scriptures, and supremely in Jesus Christ; and that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God and inerrant in the original writing, so that they are fully trustworthy and of supreme and final authority in all they say.
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, was true God and true man, existing in one person and without sin; and we believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into heaven, and in His present life there for us as Lord of all, High Priest, and Advocate.
WE BELIEVE that God directly created Adam and Eve, the historical parents of the entire human race; and that they were created in His own image, distinct from all other living creatures, and in a state of original righteousness.
WE BELIEVE that our first parents sinned by rebelling against God's revealed will and thereby incurred both physical and spiritual death, and that as a result all human beings are born with a sinful nature that leads them to sin in thought, word, and deed.
WE BELIEVE in the existence of Satan, sin, and evil powers, and that all these have been defeated by God in the cross of Christ.
WE BELIEVE that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, triumphing over all evil; and that all who believe in Him are justified by His shed blood and forgiven of all their sins.
WE BELIEVE that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God and are enabled to offer spiritual worship acceptable to God.
WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit indwells and gives life to believers, enables them to understand the Scriptures, empowers them for godly living, and equips them for service and witness.
WE BELIEVE that the one, holy, universal Church is the body of Christ and is composed of the communities of Christ's people. The task of Christ's people in this world is to be God's redeemed community, embodying His love by worshipping God with confession, prayer, and praise; by proclaiming the gospel of God's redemptive love through our Lord Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth by word and deed; by caring for all of God's creation and actively seeking the good of everyone, especially the poor and needy.
WE BELIEVE in the blessed hope that Jesus Christ will soon return to this earth, personally, visibly, and unexpectedly, in power and great glory, to gather His elect, to raise the dead, to judge the nations, and to bring His Kingdom to fulfillment.
WE BELIEVE in the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust, the everlasting punishment of the lost, and the everlasting blessedness of the saved.
Articles
| 6/7/2022 | Wheaton College Joins Other Large Ministries in Resigning from ECFA |
Donor confidence score
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Transparency grade
D
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Colleges/Universities
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 1143 of 1423 | 141 of 155 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 910 of 1423 | 109 of 155 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 1068 of 1423 | 116 of 155 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 928 of 1424 | 119 of 155 |
According to the organization's Form 990, it received $4,926,759 in government grants in 2025.
To understand our financial efficiency ratings, click here.
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 13% | 15% | 16% | 20% | 7% | 9% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 2% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 1% | 1% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 15% | 20% | 20% | 19% | 22% | 15% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 2% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 2% | 2% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 85% | 80% | 80% | 81% | 78% | 85% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 84% | 77% | 78% | 82% | 84% | 83% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 96% | 79% | 90% | 97% | 73% | 58% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 81% | 61% | 70% | 79% | 61% | 48% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 4% | 21% | 10% | 3% | 27% | 42% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 2% | 5% | 2% | 1% | 8% | 13% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 14% | 19% | 18% | 14% | 14% | 15% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.52 | 0.17 | 0.17 | 0.17 | 0.17 | 0.15 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 2.73 | 1.51 | 1.52 | 1.53 | 1.47 | 1.39 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.45 | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.26 | 0.25 | 0.21 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 8.18 | 36.42 | 42.85 | 40.03 | 25.15 | 46.92 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.12 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.04 | 0.02 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 6.99 | 46.21 | 46.15 | 45.71 | 46.86 | 57.21 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 20% | 15% | 16% | 18% | 19% | 16% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 10% | 6% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 4% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 148% | 507% | 500% | 489% | 481% | 567% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Cash | $56,658,912 | $51,738,926 | $45,823,730 | $68,491,857 | $37,492,348 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $19,156,925 | $20,796,159 | $12,119,710 | $12,800,945 | $15,107,811 |
| Short-term investments | $707,275,018 | $655,915,226 | $626,980,793 | $607,153,261 | $744,425,655 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $783,090,855 | $728,450,311 | $684,924,233 | $688,446,063 | $797,025,814 |
| Long-term investments | $129,201,010 | $110,066,614 | $91,794,496 | $67,119,992 | $63,361,637 |
| Fixed assets | $254,108,331 | $249,625,062 | $254,095,005 | $241,355,492 | $231,888,788 |
| Other long-term assets | $16,887,926 | $16,719,717 | $17,400,834 | $12,539,511 | $13,448,779 |
| Total long-term assets | $400,197,267 | $376,411,393 | $363,290,335 | $321,014,995 | $308,699,204 |
| Total assets | $1,183,288,122 | $1,104,861,704 | $1,048,214,568 | $1,009,461,058 | $1,105,725,018 |
| Liabilities | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $14,782,899 | $11,807,935 | $12,077,404 | $21,773,855 | $12,791,900 |
| Other current liabilities | $6,720,324 | $5,190,303 | $5,033,792 | $5,601,485 | $4,196,541 |
| Total current liabilities | $21,503,223 | $16,998,238 | $17,111,196 | $27,375,340 | $16,988,441 |
| Debt | $72,000,000 | $72,000,000 | $72,000,000 | $72,000,000 | $49,500,000 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $86,324,301 | $91,635,594 | $101,341,856 | $96,242,198 | $112,225,276 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $158,324,301 | $163,635,594 | $173,341,856 | $168,242,198 | $161,725,276 |
| Total liabilities | $179,827,524 | $180,633,832 | $190,453,052 | $195,617,538 | $178,713,717 |
| Net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Without donor restrictions | $369,532,947 | $349,472,057 | $376,115,076 | $344,944,452 | $368,979,609 |
| With donor restrictions | $633,927,651 | $574,755,815 | $481,646,440 | $468,899,068 | $558,031,692 |
| Net assets | $1,003,460,598 | $924,227,872 | $857,761,516 | $813,843,520 | $927,011,301 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Total contributions | $49,459,723 | $42,298,290 | $34,317,420 | $51,186,494 | $42,252,702 |
| Program service revenue | $141,989,817 | $131,216,623 | $127,639,901 | $127,690,288 | $114,849,588 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $56,868,909 | $32,102,438 | $18,740,032 | $51,732,979 | $122,812,635 |
| Other revenue | $927,895 | $878,814 | $938,410 | $879,289 | $861,435 |
| Total other revenue | $199,786,621 | $164,197,875 | $147,318,343 | $180,302,556 | $238,523,658 |
| Total revenue | $249,246,344 | $206,496,165 | $181,635,763 | $231,489,050 | $280,776,360 |
| Expenses | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Program services | $152,275,920 | $145,169,597 | $144,177,192 | $141,555,904 | $134,991,827 |
| Management and general | $38,183,165 | $32,923,814 | $24,123,811 | $24,366,031 | $24,987,977 |
| Fundraising | $7,326,248 | $6,890,426 | $7,002,148 | $3,376,913 | $3,639,101 |
| Total expenses | $197,785,333 | $184,983,837 | $175,303,151 | $169,298,848 | $163,618,905 |
| Change in net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $51,461,011 | $21,512,328 | $6,332,612 | $62,190,202 | $117,157,455 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $51,461,011 | $21,512,328 | $6,332,612 | $62,190,202 | $117,157,455 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Philip G Ryken | President/Trustee | $595,698 |
| J Chadwick Rynbrandt | VP for Finance & Operations, Treasurer | $322,303 |
| Kirk D Farney | VP for Advancement & Alumni Relations | $290,616 |
| Karen Lee | Provost | $275,664 |
| Paul Chelsen | VP for Student Development | $256,053 |
| Kenneth Larson | Investment Manager | $240,355 |
| Edward Davis | Professor of Psychology | $233,034 |
| Silvio Vazquez | Chief Enrollment Management Officer | $231,393 |
| Alan Wolff | Chief Information Officer | $223,949 |
| Mark Yarhouse | Professor | $219,262 |
| Randy Norbeck | Director of Construction Services | $214,910 |
| Jay Bieszke | Director of Facilities | $213,601 |
| Jamie Aten | Professor/Exec Director of HDI | $210,297 |
| Charles Garcia | Controller (through Nov 2024) | $188,937 |
| Vanessa Wynder Quainoo | Chief Intercultural Engagement Officer | $186,058 |
Compensation data as of: 6/30/2025
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 6/15/2026. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
From the Abolitionist movement to the revivals of Billy Graham, Wheaton has experienced more than 150 years of dynamic engagement in academics and culture. Wheaton's history is marked by stories of great faith and learning, and of the students who took their Wheaton education to influence the world For Christ and His Kingdom.
Program accomplishments
90+ Countries represented in the student body
43 Undergraduate majors, including six in the conservatory of music
18 Graduate and PH.D. Programs
11:1 Student - to-Faculty Ratio