Admission Requirements

Application Deadline Information

Fall Semester

International Applicants

Currently unavailable for international applicants. Future updates will be posted when available.

United States (Citizen, Permanent Resident, National) Applicants

The M.A. in Nonprofit Leadership will continue to review completed applications after July 15th on a rolling basis. Please note that decisions after the July 15th date are dependent upon registration availability.

For the fall 2026 entry term, we encourage following the deadlines below to enhance your application experience.

• Early Action Application: Apply by January 15th to receive an admissions decision by February 5th
• Priority Application: Apply by March 15th to receive an admissions decision by April 6th
• Regular Application: Apply by May 15th to receive an admissions decision by June 1st
• Extended Application: Apply by July 15th to receive an admissions decision by July 29th
• Rolling basis after July 15th 

Requirements for All Students

1. Bachelor's Degree from a regionally accredited institution.
2. GPA 2.75 minimum.
3. Official Transcripts from all colleges where a degree was earned or is currently being earned.
• E-transcripts preferred. Address them to nancy.crane@wheaton.edu.
• Mail hard copies to Graduate Admissions Dept., Attn: Nancy Crane, 501 College Ave., Wheaton, IL 60187.
• 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.
4. Application Form
• Includes two essays and affirmations of the Statement of Faith and Community Covenant.
5. Three Recommendations, which are online forms. Letters are accepted as supplements to the forms.
• Academic: An instructor from whom you have taken a class preferred.
• 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.
6. Resumé: Chronological overview of professional, ministry, and/or volunteer experiences.
7. $30 non-refundable application processing fee.

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.

Please review the International Student Graduate Admissions Process for full application requirements.

Humanitarian Disaster Institute

The M.A. in Nonprofit Leadership is located within Wheaton College’s Division of Natural and Social Sciences and is led by the Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI), which is the first faith-based academic disaster research center in the country. HDI collaborates with an extensive network of nonprofit leaders, experts, and practitioners that serve around the U.S. and around the World.

Financial Wellness

Graduate Student Financial Services

The Wheaton College Graduate School Student Financial Services team can help you understand how much your graduate studies will cost and what scholarships, loans, and aid may be available to you. 

For more information, please connect with Admissions Counselor Kim Matsumoto.