Our financial aid application process opens in mid-October. Over 80% of our financial aid is historically awarded by February each year, so we encourage families needing financial aid to submit their applications as soon as possible. December 6th is the deadline for returning families. We encourage new families to follow a similar timeline to be considered for aid awards in January. Financial aid will be limited starting in February and March.

The timing of your family’s aid decision will depend on your family’s completed application date and the application processing time through our partnering organization, Blackbaud Financial Aid Management.

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. 

No—your family’s Blackbaud Financial Aid application should include both your returning student(s) and new student(s). Additionally, your family’s financial aid award amount may be re-evaluated considering your family’s increased enrollment. Be sure your new incoming student is applied and accepted through our admissions process as soon as possible, as we only award financial aid to accepted students.

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

Endowed and Named Scholarship application process is a part of our financial aid application. You will note the additional questions regarding these scholarships at the end of the application. No additional application needs to be completed. Then, a committee of Wheaton Academy leadership will nominate students to be selected for these endowed and named scholarships. 

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 as a part of the application.

No. Illinois passed the Invest In Kids (IIK) Act in 2018, and it ended in 2023.

This scholarship program has been a blessing to our school community over the years. It is a vehicle through which our school has provided over $1 million in scholarships to students each year, and its end has implications to our financial aid program and increases the importance of our Warrior Fund. We are committed to make Wheaton Academy as accessible as possible to our families considering this recent change. 

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. 

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.