Our financial aid application process opens in November. Over 80% of our financial aid is awarded by end of February each year, so we encourage families needing financial aid to submit their applications as soon as possible. December 31st is the deadline for returning families. We encourage new families to follow a similar timeline to be considered for aid awards in February. Financial aid will be limited starting in March 2022.

Please note that Wheaton Academy only awards financial aid to families that have been accepted to our school–so we encourage you to apply for admission as you also apply for financial aid. 

Wheaton Academy offers two additional types of scholarships—Need-Based and Merit-Based.

Need-based scholarships are only awarded to families who have first completed an application for financial aid. Then, a brief, additional essay may be required from the family. The application for this scholarship typically opens in December.

Merit-based scholarships are one-time scholarships of $1,000 awarded only to enrolled students in the incoming freshmen class. Families do not have to complete an aid application; they only need to complete a brief essay found on our website in March.

Illinois passed the Invest In Kids (IIK) Act in 2018. Now, Illinois taxpayers are able to make contributions to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) and receive a 75% income tax credit. 95% of these contributions are then designated by the contributor to private schools, such as Wheaton Academy. Then, the SGO provides tax credit scholarships for qualifying students and expanded school choice for Illinois families. If your family’s income level is at or below the 300% poverty level, you may qualify for a tax credit scholarship through Invest In Kids.

To see if you qualify for a scholarship through IIK, visit empowerillinois.org/students/do-i-qualify

Wheaton Academy is committed to ensuring that the middle and upper-middle class are represented in our student body. If tuition costs could be a critical factor in your family’s consideration of a Wheaton Academy education, then we encourage you to apply for tuition reduction through the other aid offerings.

Current families who pay reduced tuition because of financial aid can expect to receive similar levels of funding each year if their financial circumstances remain the same. Typically, families pay part of any annual tuition increase and Wheaton Academy takes on part as well.

However, every family must re-apply for financial aid each year and meet all stated deadlines. This includes families applying for a tax credit scholarship through Empower Illinois.

If the current financial picture for a family changes significantly, the amount of financial aid may be adjusted accordingly to reflect the new amount of demonstrated need.

The Academy is committed to socio-economic diversity; however, we are not able to offer tuition reductions to every student who qualifies for both admission and a reduced tuition. Just as there are more applicants each year than available spaces at the Academy, more families request consideration for financial aid than there are funds available. A student may be admissible to Wheaton Academy but placed in a waitpool for a financial aid award.

Each parent/guardian household must submit a separate aid application along with all tax documents and required forms to be considered for tuition reduction. Consideration of all available resources from both parents/guardians and their spouses will be based upon the family’s ability to contribute, not the willingness to contribute. If there is a court-issued decree stating the percentage of tuition or expenses each parent/guardian is responsible to contribute, that document should be provided to Wheaton Academy. Wheaton Academy will advise our third-party aid program of the percentage of tuition each household is responsible to contribute so they can conduct their assessment accordingly. All financial information is strictly confidential, and at no time will Wheaton Academy or our third-party aid program provide one household’s information to the other. If there is no court issued decree, the Wheaton Academy Financial Aid Committee will determine the total tuition reduction for the student, and it is the responsibility of the parents to determine a payment schedule structure. The Business Office will request submission of additional court issued documentation to guide the process. 

If a parent is no longer involved in the life of the child in any way, please speak directly with the Admissions Office at Wheaton Academy to determine how to proceed.