General Scholarships

“Can I afford seminary?” and “What scholarships are available to me?” are two of the most commonly asked questions when considering attending seminary.

At Westminster, we encourage prospective students to first think about the quality of the training they are going to receive and the content of the education into which they are investing their tuition dollars. However, this is not to say that finances are unimportant. We understand that while financial considerations should not be the sole factor in pursuing a seminary education, they are a significant one. Financial challenges are often a major obstacle to entering ministry and can make it difficult to remain in ministry long term.

In this article, we’ll provide an overview of Westminster’s financial aid offerings, including scholarships for on-campus students and internal and external scholarship opportunities available to online students. 

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100% Scholarship for On-Campus (“Residential”) Students

As a result of the overwhelming generosity and faithfulness of our wonderful ministry partners, Westminster offers all residential MDiv (Master of Divinity) and MAR (Master of Arts in Religion) students scholarships that cover 100% of their tuition, removing one of the biggest financial barriers to seminary education.

What this means is that, although Westminster’s tuition may appear high compared to other institutions, our full-time, on-campus students have their tuition costs funded in full. In other words, they can now train for gospel ministry and graduate without the burden of tuition debt.

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Scholarships for Online Students

We also offer additional scholarships for students in our online programs and advanced degrees. Because each award is tailored to the individual, we don’t simply post a list of all our offerings. The best scholarship options depend on their unique situation.

Scheduling a financial coaching session with an admissions counselor is the best way to learn what scholarship opportunities are available if you are pursuing seminary education online. To schedule a financial coaching session, contact us or visit our financial aid page to get a glimpse of some of the scholarships we offer.

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External Scholarships

At Westminster, we desire to make your seminary education as affordable as possible. If you're still facing financial uncertainty after exploring Westminster's financial aid and scholarship options, we encourage you to seek additional funding through outside scholarships.

Many churches, denominations, foundations, nonprofit organizations, and local communities offer scholarships for students pursuing theological education or preparing for ministry. We encourage you to check with your local church, denomination, employer, and community organizations, as well as research scholarship opportunities online. You may be surprised by what's available.

To help you get started, we've compiled a list of external scholarship opportunities for seminary students, which you can view below. Because scholarship offerings and eligibility requirements can change, this list is updated as new opportunities become available.

Please note that these external organizations are not affiliated with or endorsed by Westminster Theological Seminary. They are provided as a resource for students seeking additional financial assistance.

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Conclusion

Westminster is committed to theological education that is uncompromising in its biblical fidelity, Reformed and confessional distinctives, and affordability. Because of that we have offset the tuition costs for students by utilizing traditional scholarships, ministry partner matching scholarships, and external scholarships. The result is that no diligent student should be excluded from a Westminster education or hampered in their future ministry due to finances.

If you have any questions about these scholarships or would like to discuss your personal financial barriers to seminary, read more about overcoming financial barriers here or speak to an admissions counselor here.

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