Start your seminary journey with a visit to campus.

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The Admissions Process

Applying to Southern is an easy three-step process.

Submit Your Pastoral Recommendation

You can start your application at any time.

Once all of your application materials are submitted, you can expect an admissions decision in 3-5 business days.

If you need help with your application, please connect with us.

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Virtual Experiences

Learn about studying at Southern Seminary with our virtual experiences.

These include weekly information webinars with admissions staff, a virtual tour, and sample online courses.

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Virtual Tour

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Tuition and Financial Aid

$894

Cost Per Class

Members of SBC churches receive this discounted tuition rate for on-campus classes.

42%

Discount for SBC Students

The Convention’s Cooperative Program helps fund SBC students’ tuition.

More Financial Aid Info Estimated costs

Earn your M.Div. for less than $6,000 each year.

For over 150 years, Southern has remained committed to offering excellent training for an affordable price.

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Wondering if you can make seminary work?

Visiting campus is the best way to get answers to your financial aid questions.

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Doctoral Studies Admissions

Join the legacy of Southern Seminary's doctoral programs.

Whether you want to complete a research degree like a Ph.D. or a professional degree like a D.Min., you can be confident that Southern Seminary’s doctoral programs will equip you for ministry with firm biblical foundations.

All of our doctoral degrees have unique admissions processes and requirements.

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Student Categories

Accepted Students

Check out our accepted student page for next steps, FAQ’s, and more!

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International Students

Students are coming from the ends of the earth to train for ministry at Southern.

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Transfer Students

Complete your ministry training at Southern Seminary. Learn about transfer credits and more.

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Estudiantes Hispanos

En un mundo que cambia de manera rápida, Dios exhorta a su pueblo a permanecer firme en sus convicciones evangélicas.

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We're committed to offering excellent theological education in a flexible format.

There are seven flexible ways to complete your degree.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Questions related to the admissions process:
Main Campus courses typically begin the second Tuesday in August for Fall, and the last Tuesday in January for the Spring. Click here to view class offerings and start dates.

Online courses begin every 8 weeks. Click here for the online calendar.
We admit students on a rolling basis. We encourage students to begin their application several months prior to your anticipated entry term. Students currently in college should apply no sooner than during their senior (or last) year. Students looking to move to Louisville: We recommend applying at least 6-8 months in advance, so you have more time to work out the logistics of moving to Louisville.
Students who are members of SBC churches at the time of their admission will automatically receive the SBC tuition rate. For students from non-SBC churches with questions, please contact the admissions office.
Transfer credit will be officially reviewed upon your acceptance to Southern Seminary (pending receipt of your official transcripts from your previous institution). If you have not yet applied to SBTS and want to know if your credits will transfer, click here to learn more.
Visit our Explore Degrees web page. Here you can see which concentrations most closely align with your area of interest.
No. You will utilize the same application with the same requirements, just be sure you mark your location as either "Internet" or "Main Campus" depending on your interest.
The online application, pastor/church recommendation, and official transcripts. Diploma and doctoral programs may have differing/additional requirements. Click here to learn more.
All applicants must receive official endorsement from the local church where they are a member. This endorsement is provided through the online recommendation form located in the application. After you enter your recommender’s information, they will be automatically e-mailed a link to an electronic copy of the recommendation form. Click here to learn more.
Contact the registrar or academic records office of your previous institution(s). They may e-mail the transcripts (directly or via 3rd party such as Parchment) to admissions@sbts.edu or mail copies to our mailing address C/O Office of Admissions. Click here to learn more.
Requirements vary by program. For more information on applying to the D.Min. or D.Ed. Min. click here. For information on the Ph.D., Th.M., D.Miss., or Ed.D., click here.
We have put together a guide for International Admissions. The Guide lists all our requirements and gives you contact information if you get held up in the process. Click here to learn more.
The Admissions Office staff would be happy to speak with you and help walk you through the best options for your ministry training. Our office hours are M-F, 8-4:30 pm EST. You may call 502-897-4200 or e-mail admissions@sbts.edu.

Questions related to online/distance learning:
J-Terms are courses held during the Winter & Summer terms. They include 4-5 days of on-campus lecture, with additional pre and post work completed online.
Our online and hybrid courses are offered in six 8-weeks terms. Please see the 8-week Hybrid and Online Terms page for dates specific to the current academic year, check out the Fast Facts on this page too. Do note that all language classes are 16 weeks in length, the same applies to the online Preaching Practicum course. Course work is typically divided into weekly sections with deadlines. For example, a syllabus might instruct a student to read chapters 1-3, view lectures 5-7, participate in a discussion forum, and take a weekly quiz during a specific week or by a set deadline.
Students registered for online courses access the course syllabus, lectures, assignments, handouts, the list of required textbooks, contact information for professors and support, discussion forums and other vital course information via Canvas. Library resources, technical support, advisers, virtual chapel resources, and more are also available via the course and/or the seminary website. Explore these Online Learning pages for links to some of these features.
Click here to visit the Online Learning web page to view online courses planned for the current academic year.
This format combines the online learning experience with an intensive, two-day session on the Louisville campus. Students can take up to 13 credit hours on campus for as few as eight days per semester.
Yes! The application process will be the same, you will just want to submit the Location Transfer form when you want to start main campus studies.
We offer several M.Div. and M.A. concentrations that can be completed fully online. Click here to view current online degrees and concentrations.
Yes, online tuition has different per-credit-hour rates.Click here for a full breakdown of estimated costs.

Questions related to tuition, fees, and financial aid:
Click here to view estimated costs. Keep in mind tuition is calculated per-credit-hour, and your total cost will depend on how many classes you take, if you receive the SBC rate, and whether you are online or on-campus.
Thanks to the generosity of Southern Baptists in contributing to the Cooperative Program, students who are members of Southern Baptist Churches receive a discounted tuition rate. If the church that holds your membership at the time of your application to SBTS is a SBC church, you will automatically be granted the SBC tuition rate.

If you were not a member of a SBC church at the time of your admission, but you are relocating to Louisville and joining a Southern Baptist Church, make sure you submit the SBC Membership Verification Form to the Office of Admissions by the time your first tuition payment is due.
Click here to view our financial aid webpage. SBTS scholarships and aid are limited to full-time, degree-seeking, main-campus students.
Your first step is to apply for admission. Once you are accepted, you can apply for SBTS financial aid through the College Board Profile. Click here to learn more.
The Lord has been faithfully providing for SBTS students and families for more than 150 years. Click here to view our outside scholarship webpage.
No. Southern Seminary does not participate in any federal or state student aid programs involving loans or grants. Financial Aid at Southern consists of Cooperative Program funding, scholarships awarded through endowed aid, and a private loan opportunity. Therefore, it is not necessary for Southern Seminary students to complete the FAFSA.
While Southern is eligible to participate in federal loan and grant programs funded by Title IV, the institution chooses not to accept such funding in order to maintain independence from federal oversight.
Southern Seminary is able to assist students in the loan deferment process for most federal and state educational loans received from previous institutions. Questions about loan deferments should be directed to the Academic Records Office.
SBTS scholarships are offered only to undergraduate and master’s-level students. Doctoral students are encouraged to research outside scholarship opportunities but are not eligible for institutional financial aid. A list of outside scholarship opportunities specifically for doctoral students may be viewed here.

Get Connected

Contact Admissions

If you need assistance with your application or have questions about studying at Southern, please call our Admissions Office — open 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Phone: (502) 897-4200
Text: (502) 305-3554
Email: admissions@sbts.edu

Meet Your Admissions Counselor

You can also connect with us on social media!

Twitter: @SBTSAdmissions
Instagram: @sbtsadmissions
Facebook: Southern Seminary Community

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Start your seminary journey with a visit to campus.

Start Your Application

Submit Your Pastoral Recommendation

Submit Your Transcripts

You can start your application at any time.

Virtual Experiences

Explore Our Campus