Frequently Asked Questions for International Students
Click a topic below to find the answer to a frequently asked question:
What are my chances of being admitted to Wheaton and receiving financial aid?
Do you offer financial aid for international students?
Do you offer academic scholarships to international students?
Are financial aid and scholarships available to transfer students?
Do you offer athletic scholarships?
What are the English proficiency requirements?
Which standardized tests are required for admission?
What is the purpose of an admission interview?
I do not have a graded writing sample to submit with my application. What should I do?
As an international student, may I apply for Early Decision admission?
Is the Midyear Report form required?
Is the International Student Supplement form required?
What is the International Student Certification of Finances form and why is it required?
I cannot take the SAT and/or TOEFL until after the application deadline. Is this too late?
May I send missing credentials via fax or e-mail?
Is my application complete?
The Admission Office receives thousands of applications and academic credentials each week. There are many stages of processing for each of these items before they are placed in your application file. Unfortunately, given the volume, it is not possible to answer individual questions regarding receipt of specific credentials.
After your application is received and recorded in our information system, you will receive an e-mail message with a login ID and password that will enable you to monitor your application online. We ask that you rely on this system to verify the status of your application rather than calling or e-mailing the Admission Office or members of the admissions staff. Please note that during the month of January it may take up to 10 days from the time that we receive a credential for it to be recorded in our system. We appreciate your patience!
If you have already received your login and password, click here to check the status of your application.
May I send missing credentials via fax or e-mail?
Yes, you may fax credentials (including financial aid documents) to the Admission Office at (508) 286-8271. If you prefer, you may scan copies of original documents and send them via e-mail attachment to admission@wheatoncollege.edu.
Unless you have already graduated from high school and can submit a final high school transcript, you will need to obtain a record of your current year performance to date. If you have a school counselor, please ask that person to obtain information about your current performance from each of your teachers and submit the approximate grades you are earning on the Midyear Report form. If you do not have a counselor, please bring the Midyear Report form to each of your teachers and ask them to indicate your approximate grade in each class.
I do not have a graded writing sample to submit with my application. What should I do?
Click here for more information.
Which standardized tests are required for admission?
At Wheaton, the submission of all standardized testing (with the exception of English proficiency) is optional. If you would like to submit the results of SAT Subject Tests, SAT Reasoning Tests and/or the ACT, the admission committee is happy to consider these scores, but your secondary school grades will be emphasized more heavily. Click here for more information.
I cannot take the SAT and/or TOEFL until after the application deadline. Is this too late?
The admission staff begins reading applications in January, so it is likely that an initial review of your application will take place before your scores arrive. In late February or early March, prior to a final admission decision, each application is brought to an admission committee meeting. Your scores should be available by then and will be considered at that time.
What are the English proficiency requirements?
Applicants for whom English is not the first language must provide evidence of their fluency. Please submit scores from the IELTS or TOEFL. A score of 7.0 on the IELTS is recommended for admission. A score of at least 90 on the Internet-based TOEFL (iBT) is expected, although students who score over 100 are considered best prepared for a smooth transition to academic life at Wheaton.
The code for sending your IELTS score to Wheaton is 5109. For TOEFL, the code is 3963.
Non-native English speakers whose high school curriculum is taught entirely in English may request a waiver of the TOEFL by contacting the Admission Office.
Is the Midyear Report form required?
If you have already submitted the Secondary School Report Form, including grades from the current academic year, it is not necessary to submit the Midyear Report form. If you have not submitted the Secondary School Report form, you must submit the Midyear Report form with your midyear grades. Please be aware that an application will be considered incomplete if we do not receive a transcript containing in-progress or final grades from your last year of secondary school.
Is the Final Report required?
The Final Report is required of the following students:
- Accepted students who choose to enroll at Wheaton (to be submitted before you begin attending classes at Wheaton)
- Applicants who have already graduated from high school (to be submitted with your application). Such students should submit the final report along with their final secondary school transcript and certification of graduation.
Is the International Student Supplement form required?
No.
As an international student, may I apply for Early Decision admission?
Wheaton awards most of its need-based financial aid during the Regular Decision process. As a result, non-U.S. citizens who are seeking substantial need-based financial aid are discouraged from applying Early Decision. Exception: students who attend one of the United World Colleges will be considered for full financial aid as an EDI or EDII candidate.
What is the International Student Certification of Finances form and why is it required?
The Certification of Finances form is required as part of the F-1 visa issuance process for accepted students.
All non-U.S. citizens must supply the Certification of Finances form. The information supplied will be used in conjunction with financial aid and/or scholarship awards as evidence of a combination of funding that will meet the total cost of attending Wheaton when accepted students apply for their F-1 visa.
Do you offer financial aid for international students?
Yes! For more information, click here.
Do you offer academic scholarships to international students?
Yes! For more information, click here.
Do you offer athletic scholarships?
Wheaton's athletics teams compete in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division III which prohibits the awarding of scholarships based on athletic ability to students. Talented athletes may qualify for need-based financial aid and/or academic merit scholarships. For more information, click here.
My family has no money to contribute towards my education. Do I still need to complete the Certification of Finances form?
Yes. Even if you and your parents are unable to contribute to the cost of your education, you must submit the Certification of Finances form and indicate "zero" dollars available.
My family is able to contribute to my education, but I will need some financial aid and/or scholarship assistance. Will my chance of admission be increased if I do not apply for financial aid at the time that I apply for admission?
If you will require financial aid and/or scholarship assistance in order to attend Wheaton, it is always better to acknowledge this need by applying for financial aid at the time that you apply for admission. Your chance of receiving the funding that you need is better when you supply complete and accurate information about your family's financial situation by the deadline. Wheaton has a limited amount of financial aid available and does not fund accepted students who did not apply for financial aid.
What are my chances of being admitted to Wheaton and receiving financial aid?
Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question. There are many factors that are considered in each admission and financial aid decision, such as strength of curriculum, grades, intellectual curiosity, trend in performance during secondary school, English skills, writing skills, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities and personal talents, strength of the applicant pool. As a result, it is not possible to predict an international student's chance of admission and need-based aid based on grades and test scores; we must see the entire application.
Can you tell me how many students from my country applied, were accepted and received financial aid last year?
The number of students who apply from each country varies from year to year. Similarly, admission decisions made in last year's applicant pool may be very different from those we make this year. For this reason, we do not supply specific information about number of applications, average GPA, test scores, etc. on a country-by-country basis.
Are financial aid and scholarships available to transfer students?
Transfer applicants are eligible for financial aid, but not academic scholarships.
I have completed some university level coursework, but I want to apply as a freshman/first-year student. Is this possible?
All students who have completed more than one semester of university level study are transfer students and should complete the application process as a transfer student and submit academic transcripts of their university level work.
I cannot visit Wheaton, but would like to have a telephone interview or an interview near my home. Is this possible?
Wheaton does not offer telephone interviews. However, members of the Admission staff travel each fall in Asia, Europe and Latin America, and each spring to India. Click the International Visits and Interviews page for a list of cities and dates in which interviews are available.
Rest assured that the Wheaton Admission Staff understands that many international students are unable to travel to the United States for college visits. While we hope that those who come to the Boston/Providence area will include a visit to Wheaton, those who are unable to visit will not be at a disadvantage in the admission process.
What is the purpose of an admission interview?
The purpose of the interview is for an admission staff member to learn about your academic and extracurricular interests. We are also interested in learning about why you want to study in the United States. You will have an opportunity to ask questions about Wheaton.
The Admission Committee will see your resume, secondary school records and scores when you apply, so it is not necessary to bring an academic transcript or any other items with you to the interview.
Please feel free to dress casually.