The FTE Guide to Theological Education: Chapter 6
If theological education is part of your path to pastoral leadership, your faith community and its requirements for ministry may influence how, where and when you apply to school.
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Denominational Requirements
Some denominations require their ministers to complete part or all of their ministerial programs in a denominational or diocesan school. Others maintain a list of schools outside the denomination that are acceptable for ministry preparation. If this is the case in your denomination or tradition, your choices may be limited or prescribed.
The ordination process in your denomination or tradition may also specify certain criteria that you must fulfill before you can consider applying to theological school. For example, you may need to complete a period of discernment and reflection on your vocation or meet with the committee who reviews candidates for ordination.
For these reasons, it is important to understand your denomination’s requirements and process before you begin exploring possible schools. Applying for school before you have completed certain ordination requirements could lead to delays in your eligibility for ordination or additional coursework beyond graduation to meet denominational requirements.
If you are not familiar with the ordination process or requirements in your denomination or tradition, schedule a time to talk with your pastor or another trusted advisor familiar with the process.
If you are already in the ordination process in your faith tradition, it is important to follow the process that has been outlined for exploring, choosing and applying to theological schools.
Finally, keep in mind that your school may or may not coordinate its admissions processes with the ordination requirements for your denomination, even if it is a school in your denomination. You are responsible for understanding the requirements of the ordination process and applying them as you prepare to enroll in school.
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Application for Admission and Financial Aid
Though every school has its own requirements and deadlines for admissions and financial aid, there are a few general guidelines that may help you negotiate the process for applying to theological school.
Once you have identified a prospective school, your first step should be to read all of the admission materials very carefully. As you read, make a comprehensive list of the application requirements, the materials you will need to provide and the application deadlines. You may also want to talk to an admissions counselor by phone or in person to make sure that you fully understand the process.
It is also a good idea to start a file for each prospective school and keep a copy of everything the school sends to you and that you send to the school.
Deadlines
Many schools have more than one deadline for admission and financial aid applications.
For admissions, a school may have an early deadline and a final deadline. The early deadline – often in January or February – marks the earliest date that the school will begin reviewing applications for the coming fall. The final deadline – often in June or July – is the absolute latest date that the school will consider an application for the fall.
The final deadline may seem like an advantage, giving you plenty of time to complete your application. This is not the case. It is best to focus your efforts on applying by the early deadline. For more on this, see the section on Financial Aid below.
For financial aid, you may find the deadlines to be a bit confusing. Some schools do not have a separate financial aid deadline because they consider your admissions application to be your financial aid application also. Other schools have a separate financial aid process with its own applications and deadlines. Again, read all of the school’s information carefully and make sure you understand the process and deadlines.
All schools should have a deadline by which you should submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a document that determines your eligibility for need-based financial aid
Financial Aid
As a general rule, the earlier you begin the application process at a school, the better your chances will be for receiving adequate financial aid. This applies to financial aid from all sources: your school, your denomination, your congregation and other external sources.
Most schools make the majority of their financial aid awards between February 1 and April 1 for the coming fall term, even though students are allowed to apply for admission as late as June or July.
For this reason, there is one essential question that you should ask your school about application deadlines: When do I need to apply in order to be considered for the maximum number of financial aid opportunities?
As noted above, you will be required to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is a federal form to determine your eligibility for federal student financial aid. Schools also use it to determine your level of financial need. This is particularly important as your school puts together a need-based financial aid package for you. Again, make sure to ask your school about their deadline for submitting the FAFSA.
Keep in mind that submitting the FAFSA form is not the same as applying for financial aid from your school or any other source. It is simply one requirement in qualifying for financial aid.
Visit the FAFSA website for additional assistance in completing the form.
Winter/Spring Term Enrollment
Some schools offer students the opportunity to apply for admission in the winter or spring term as their first term. Though this may seem like a good match for your circumstances, it has significant disadvantages.
As we noted above, most schools allocate the majority of their financial aid awards for the school year between February 1 and April 1. If you enter in winter or spring term, you may be eligible for fewer financial aid resources.
Also, the curriculum track for a degree is often designed based on a fall term enrollment. As a winter or spring term enrollee, you may find yourself out of step with the core curriculum, not only during your first term but also throughout your entire degree program.
Transcripts & Recommendations
As part of your application, a prospective school will request transcripts from other educational institutions you have attended – typically, your undergraduate alma mater and other master’s programs you may have enrolled in. The school will also require letters of recommendation from professors, pastors or others who can speak to the quality of your academic work, gifts for ministry and your readiness for theological education.
These items are your responsibility. The school will not request them on your behalf and they take time to complete. Also, on-time delivery of transcripts and recommendations is up to you, not the school or individuals from whom you have requested them. For these reasons, it is important to start on them as soon as you know what your prospective school requires.
When requesting a letter of recommendation, it may be helpful to provide your recommender with some background information, if he or she is not already familiar with your plans to attend theological school. Let them know what program you are applying to, why you are applying and what are your plans following graduation. It is best to give your recommender at least one month’s notice and they may appreciate a reminder as the deadline approaches.
Essays & Writing Samples
Your prospective school most likely will request one or more written compositions as part of your application. It may be a spiritual autobiography, an essay in response to a particular question, a sample of previous academic writing or all of the above. The school will take this part of your application seriously and you should, too.
Like the other aspects of your application, the essays and writing samples take time to complete and will benefit from an early start. Once they are complete, however, you may find that you can use them for multiple purposes such as applications to other schools and for financial aid from external sources.
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Campus Visit
If at all possible, plan to visit each school to which you plan to apply.
Ideally, you should visit schools in the fall before you begin submitting applications. This allows you to focus your attention on applying only to those schools that you are certain you want to attend. However, many students find it easier to schedule campus visits in the spring once the demands of the application process are behind them.
In either case, a campus visit is the best way to determine whether a school is a good fit for your and should be a an integral part of your application plans.
Many schools schedule specific days or weeks during the school year for prospective students’ visits. These times may include special events or opportunities that give visitors a deeper experience of what a school has to offer. Some schools also provide resources to offset the cost of a campus visit such as a travel stipend or complimentary lodging and meals.
The school will arrange the schedule and content of your visit but you should feel free to make specific requests. You may want to talk to particular faculty or types of students. You may want to sit in on a certain kind of class. This may be your only visit to the school before you apply or enroll. Make sure it answers all of your questions.
Enhanced Programs
If you want to take advantage of enhanced programs at your prospective school, you may need to make plans in advance. Opportunities such as an honors program, joint enrollment or foreign study may have additional requirements that you will need to consider as you plan for and complete the application process.
Talk with the admissions staff at your school and make sure you understand exactly what is required for participation in the enhanced program you are interested in.
Take Your Time
Finally, do not rush the process of exploring, choosing and applying to theological school. It is important to take your time and do it well.
For many students, choosing to attend seminary is a very emotional decision or the result of a long struggle with discerning their place in the church and in the world. Once the decision is made, they feel that the most faithful step is to get into seminary at the soonest possible opportunity without regard for adequate preparation or application deadlines.
This is a mistake. Rushing into a degree program can have profound negative consequences. You may find yourself at a school that is a poor match for your needs and interests. You may miss opportunities that would have been available if you had taken more time to explore. And, if financial aid deadlines have passed, your rush to seminary may leave you with a substantial debt load following graduation.
If you come to your decision to attend seminary late in the season, we strongly urge you to consider postponing enrollment to the following school year. You will be better prepared for the experience and, ultimately, in a better position to do the work you feel called to do.
Being faithful to your call means taking the time to prepare for the journey, not hitting the road immediately.
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Sample Timeline
Choosing the right school may take longer than you think – perhaps as long as 18 months from the first step until your first day of class fall term.
The dates in this timeline are approximate. Be sure to check with each prospective school about its deadlines for application and financial aid. Also, the timeline does not include tasks or deadlines related to ordination requirements. For information specific to your circumstances, please refer to materials provided by your denomination.
Schedule a time to talk with your pastor, your campus minister, a professor or another trusted advisor about your interest in attending theological school.
- Read the FTE Guide to Theological Education.
- Begin researching prospective schools.
- Talk with your pastor or other advisor again about the schools you have discovered.
- Work through the resource Student Loans and Seminary Cost – How to Keep from Mortgaging Your Future.
- Identify 2-5 schools to which you plan to apply.
- Contact the Admissions Office at each school.
- Create a comprehensive list of the admissions requirements for each school.
- If possible, visit each of your prospective schools.
- Start research on outside sources of financial aid.
- Contact denominational offices about sources of financial aid.
- Talk with your pastor about financial support from your congregation.
- Begin working on the application process for each school.
- Contact the professors, pastors or mentors who will provide your letters of recommendation.
- Submit transcript request(s) to schools previously attended.
- Continue research on external sources of financial aid.
- Submit your application materials to each school.
- Submit applications to external sources of financial aid.
- Response from schools: your application is approved!
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
- Visit each prospective school, if you haven’t already.
- Continue researching and applying for external sources of financial aid.
- Letter from schools: description of financial aid package.
- Choose the school you plan to attend and submit your letter of acceptance.
Discuss your loan options with the Financial Aid Office.
Complete loan applications.
Visit the school you have chosen to look at housing options or search for apartments.
Start packing and planning your move.
Load up the car and the rental truck – you are headed to seminary!
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