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Seminary Size – Evangelicals are #1 (#1640)

2016/08/22 By Greg

Protestant Seminary EnrollmentHow large is large when it comes to a seminary student body in America?

The primary accrediting body, Association of Theological Schools (ATS), accredited 246 institutions during the 2015-16 school year with an enrollment of just over 37,000 students (full-time equivalent) in the USA.

Earlier this month Chelsen Vicari mined the ATS data to determine the largest seminaries in the USA.  Based on full-time enrollment numbers for the 2015-16 school year she found

  • The top ten largest seminaries (based on highest enrollment) are all Evangelical Protestant
  • Half of the top ten largest seminaries are affiliated with the Southern Baptist denomination

So What?

The ten largest seminaries account for more than 1/4 of the student body of the 246 seminaries accredited by the ATS.  The top ten institutions range in size from 1,542 to 731, including six with at least 1,000 students: Fuller Theological Seminary, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Asbury Theological Seminary, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Dallas Theological Seminary.

With nearly 11,000 full-time students at the largest ten seminaries, the average full-time student count for the remaining 236 schools is 110.

Bigger isn’t necessarily better.  In the current higher education marketplace, however, scale helps in many areas from marketing to fundraising.

  • What seminary are you most familiar with? How large is that institution today? Based on what you know of the seminary, what are its top challenges?
  • Are you surprised to learn that 100% of the ten largest seminaries are Evangelical Protestant?  What challenges does this present for those in denominations affiliated with Mainline Protestantism?

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Greg Smith

Greg is a follower of the Way of Jesus who strives to make the world a better place for all people. Currently, he serves as Chief Executive Officer of White Rock Center of Hope and as Interim Senior Pastor of Advent Lutheran Church. He has served ten congregations, taught religion to undergraduates for eight years, and helped three organizations provide quality healthcare to underserved populations. (Read More)

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