Concordia Theological Seminary

What is the accreditation of Concordia Theological Seminary?

Concordia Theological Seminary is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools. This is accreditation of the seminary as a theological school; it should not be confused with a separate credential that licenses an individual for ministry.

Accreditation indicates that an external accreditor evaluates the institution against published standards. It does not guarantee that another school will accept particular credits, that a graduate will receive a church call, or that an individual will qualify for professional licensure. Students considering a later degree or a regulated counseling profession should check the receiving institution's or licensing authority's requirements before enrolling.

What are the admission requirements at Concordia Theological Seminary?

Admission to Concordia Theological Seminary depends on the graduate program and, for ministry tracks, the applicant's intended church-service pathway. It is not a first-year undergraduate admissions process based principally on high school courses or SAT or ACT scores.

Graduate applicants should expect to document prior college study and provide official transcripts. Ministry-track applications may also involve statements about vocation, references, and church-related review. Requirements for an advanced theological degree can differ from those for the Master of Divinity or deaconess preparation, including expectations about previous theological education. Applicants whose earlier education was not in English should check the applicable language-proficiency instructions.

Because an academic offer and approval for an LCMS ministry track are not necessarily the same decision, applicants should use the instructions for their specific program and intended entry term. A bachelor's degree or its equivalent is the relevant starting point for most degree-seeking applicants; someone seeking a first college degree would generally need to begin elsewhere.

What are the application fees and waivers at Concordia Theological Seminary?

Applicants should check the fee shown in the current application for their specific seminary program before submitting it. An application charge is distinct from tuition, an enrollment deposit, and other costs that may arise after admission.

Anyone who needs a fee waiver should ask the admissions office about eligibility and the request procedure before paying or submitting an application that cannot be revised. Applicants using a church-sponsored or special admissions route should confirm whether its instructions differ from those for a standard degree application.

What types of ROTC programs are available at Concordia Theological Seminary?

Concordia Theological Seminary is not an undergraduate military college, and ROTC is not a standard part of its graduate theological programs. Prospective students should not assume that an Army, Air Force, or Navy ROTC unit operates on its campus.

ROTC generally trains eligible college students for commissioned military service and carries its own scholarship, enrollment, and service-obligation rules. A seminarian interested in military chaplaincy has a different set of questions: the military branch's chaplain-candidate requirements, ecclesiastical endorsement, and the relationship between those requirements and seminary training. Those pathways should be confirmed with the relevant service and church endorsing authority.

What are the requirements for transfer students at Concordia Theological Seminary?

At Concordia Theological Seminary, transferring means seeking an evaluation of earlier college or graduate theological coursework for a particular program. It is not equivalent to transferring into a bachelor's degree.

Applicants should provide official transcripts from every relevant institution and, for courses they hope to apply toward a seminary degree, be ready to supply descriptions or syllabi. Admission and credit acceptance are separate decisions: an admitted student may still have to complete the seminary's required theological, practical, and residency work. This distinction matters especially for ministerial formation, where courses alone may not replace supervised training or church-related requirements. A written, program-specific credit evaluation is more useful for planning than an informal estimate.

What types of study abroad programs are available at Concordia Theological Seminary?

International study at Concordia Theological Seminary should be evaluated as part of a specific theological or ministry program, rather than assumed to follow the semester-exchange model common at undergraduate universities.

Prospective students interested in overseas coursework, mission-related study, or an international field experience should establish in advance who operates the opportunity, whether the seminary will award or accept credit, and how travel fits required on-campus and practical training. They should also ask whether institutional or federal aid can be used for the particular approved experience; eligibility for a regular term does not automatically carry over to every trip.