Roberts Wesleyan College is a private, Christian, liberal arts college located in North Chili, New York. The college is the first educational institution that was established for Free Methodists in North America. It was founded in 1866 as Chili Seminary by Benjamin Titus Roberts, a social activist who fought against slavery and oppression of the poor. He established the school to help “train young people to become servant leaders with high moral character.” A generous donation by A.M. Chesbrough in 1885 resulted in the school changing its name to Chesbrough Seminary. A series of name changes again saw the college change its name to Roberts Junior College in 1945, then to Roberts Wesleyan College four years later in honor of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism and the Wesleyan Church. In 1998, the college established Northeastern Seminary to serve as its graduate school of theology.
Today, Roberts Wesleyan College offers a large number of undergraduate and graduate programs. Its graduate school of theology, Northeastern Seminary, offers a Master of Arts in Theology, Master of Divinity, Doctor of Divinity, Doctor of Ministry and several certificate programs.
Cost of attendance for school year 2010-2011 for fulltime, undergraduate students is US$33,186. This includes tuition at US$23,460; standard fees at US$900; standard room rate of US$5,932; and typical meal plan cost of US$2,894. For graduate students, cost of tuition varies depending on their chosen course or degree program. Additional expenses that students must prepare for include books and supplies and a one-time student fee of US$347.
Financial aid in the form of loans, grants and scholarships is extended to help students pay for their cost of attendance.