Name of Institution: Wilmette Institute
Address: 1233 Central St, Evanston, IL 60201
Year Founded: 1995
State Approval: Illinois Board of Higher Education
Participation in Funding Programs
The Wilmette Institute does not participate in Title IV programs. The Social Transformation Certificate Program is tuition-free, making this unnecessary.
Mission & Description
The mission of Wilmette Institute is to offer a quality academic non-degree certificate program and courses through online education in a Baháʼí approach to Social Transformation. Wilmette Institute offers distinctive learning experiences characterized by action and reflection that aim to raise capacity in learners from diverse populations. We seek to understand how a Baháʼí perspective, applied to prevalent discourses, helps build a more compassionate, just, and inclusive society.
Areas of Special Focus
The Wilmette Institute offers higher education courses in the Bahá’í approach to social transformation. We are committed to a diverse academic community in our student body and faculty. Our courses facilitate consultation, action, and reflection leading to personal and collective transformation for the common good.
Certificate Program
The Wilmette Institute offers a multi-course certificate program for graduate and undergraduate students in the Bahá’í approach to social transformation. Its target audience is graduate students interested in exploring the principles of the Bahá’í faith towards real-world application of advancing one’s spiritual and material well-being for the betterment of society.
Program Tuition
The program is Tuition-free.
State Licensure
Wilmette Institute operates in the State of Illinois under a formal exemption from the Illinois Private Business and Vocational Schools (PBVS) Act as an institution that only offers religious and theological instruction (Section 30 of the Act) (Ill. Admin. Code Title 23 Sec. 1095.20(3)(1).
Additionally, Wilmette Institute only enrolls students who reside in other states where it is either explicitly approved to do so, exempt from state regulation, not under the jurisdiction of state licensing boards, or does not require specific authorization, namely:
- California: Exempt from state regulation, according to documentation from the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE).
- Colorado: Exempt under CRS 23-64-104 for tuition-free programs.
- Georgia: Exempt per Georgia Code 20-3-250.3(a)(2) for non-degree, no-fee educational offerings.
- Hawaii: No jurisdiction over out-of-state online education providers without a physical presence in the state.
- Missouri: No certification or exemption required if the institution lacks physical presence and offers fully online programs.
- Montana: No unified regulator for non-degree career programs; oversight applies to degree-granting institutions only.
- Texas: Exempt under Texas Education Code, Section 132.002(a)(3), for non-vocational courses.
- Virginia: Non-degree schools without a physical location in the state can operate without further action from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).
Success Indicators
Completion/Graduation Rate for all programs/courses will be tabulated and published at wilmetteinstitute.org
Student Achievements and Metrics
We are proud of our Certificate students’ achievements; from time to time, we have published testimonials and other feedback received. The August 2024 “Discourse in Action” presentation by the first three graduates at the annual Association for Bahá’í Studies Conference was particularly rewarding.
As of May 22, 2025, 13 students have earned their Social Transformation Certificate. Below, we offer the preliminary metrics for the 2023 and 2024 cohorts.
2023 Cohort Completion Rate*: 58%
2024 Program Completion Rate&: 85%
2023 Cohort Persistence Rate**: 68%
2024 Cohort Persistence Rate**: 72.4%
2023 Cohort Satisfaction Survey Results***: 96.03%
2024 Cohort Satisfaction Survey Results***: 94.0%
*This is preliminary data. A formal Completion Rate is not available until 3 years after the start of a given cohort.
&This is preliminary data. A formal Completion Rate is not available until 3 years after the start of a given cohort.
**The percentage of students who enrolled in a second course within 12 months of enrolling in their first course.
***Based on a 5-point Likert scale, calculated by adding the total points given by students for all questions, divided by the total number of possible points, as a percentage.
