Denominational Requirements Accreditation What's in a Name? Mission Statement Location Student Body Faculty

Student Body

Since you will be a student at a theological school, you should make sure you will be comfortable with the school's student body.

First, the size of a school's student body is important. Theological schools range from very small—ten to twenty people—to very large institutions with thousands of students. Just like comparing small liberal arts colleges to large public universities, you can discover significant differences among theological schools based on the size of their student bodies. Average class sizes, access to faculty, and institutional resources can be directly determined by the number of students enrolled at a school.

You will also find that theological schools are not all "residential." This means a majority of students do not live on or immediately around the campus. Whether a school is located in a metropolis or small town, it may have a higher proportion of "off-campus" students. Why is this an important consideration? You may be looking for a theological immersion experience, living and working with a core group of people with similar interests and commitments. However, if you choose a school with a large commuter population, you may find that your core community is smaller and different from what you expected.

When looking at theological schools, you may assume that most students will be close to your own age and stage of life. However, across the U.S. and Canada, student bodies of theological schools are becoming more and more diverse in nearly every way. These schools attract a true demographic cross-section of society, including more women, students of color and international students than ever before. This includes older students who are looking to change careers or enhance their current vocation through theological education.

Across all theological schools in the U.S. and Canada, students under the age of 30 still represent the largest group (28%) of theological students. However, other age groups are nearly equal to this percentage, with 30-39 year-olds representing 26%, 40-49 year-olds at 25%, and those over 50 at 21%. In the classroom, this means all students can benefit from a broad diversity of academic and professional experience as well as intergenerational perspectives that can significantly impact theological reflection and construction.

In your search, you will also note that schools vary greatly in the racial-ethnic makeup of their students bodies. While on the whole theological education is attracting a more diverse student body, many schools are not ethnically diverse. This will impact the content and approaches to theological education, so consider this aspect when choosing a school.