100 Seminaries See Rise in Enrollment

A new report from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) claims that student enrollment is at a five-year high across 100 seminaries. Christian Today reports some schools have grown more than 50 percent. 

Midwestern was named the fastest-growing seminary with minimum enrollment of 500 students. University president Dr. Jason Allen said that the school’s theological stance should be credited with the program’s success. 

"We have repurposed the institution to give its very best energies to serving the local Southern Baptist Church. Our doctrinal convictions and our missiological clarity both have accelerated our growth,” Allen said. 

Numbers of online ATS students also shot up to 18,500 in the most recent report, compared to 13,750 in 2009. 

At the same time, overall enrollment of the 273 ATS schools has declined five percent, which the association believes is a result of the financial decline. 

Publication date: April 10, 2015