Admissions

Admissions to the Seminary

Palmer Theological Seminary welcomes men and women of all ages and from all ethnic, cultural and church backgrounds to apply for admission. You can reach the Admissions Office by telephone at (610) 645-9321 or 1-800-220-3287, or by e-mail at semadmis@eastern..edu. All correspondence concerning admissions should be addressed to the Director of Admissions. Upon request, those who inquire will receive an admissions packet comprised of an application form, reference forms and a health form, all of which are necessary to the process of evaluating qualifications for entrance. After securing this information, along with relevant educational data, the Admissions Committee will begin the evaluation process.

ADMISSIONS STANDARDS
Admission to the Seminary is based on the following considerations:
1. Christian character, as evidenced by church membership and participation in the life of the church, the judgment of a pastor selected by the applicant, evaluation by acquaintances, and compatibility with the Seminary's statements on Christian lifestyle, published in the Student Handbook.

2. Call to Christian service, as evidenced by a statement made by the applicant and confirmed by the church community.

3. A Bachelors or equivalent degree from a recognized college, with a grade point average of 2.5 or better (on a four-point scale).

4. Satisfactory scores on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or the Aptitude section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). *

5. Reports of physical/emotional health. (While psychological testing is included in the first semester program for new students, evidence of emotional stability is required for admission).

6. Academic transcripts from all educational institutions attended.
Applications to the Seminary should be submitted early enough to allow time to complete processing prior to the beginning of any semester for which entry is sought. In case of late application, a student may be admitted as a Conditional Student. If admission to a degree program follows, full credit for work done during the period of conditional student status will be granted. No student will be permitted to attend classes prior to regular or conditional admission. The Admissions Committee may require an interview.

Proficiency in English
Since instruction at Palmer Theological Seminary is in English, a student needs to demonstrate proficiency in it. Therefore, students whose country of origin is not the United States and whose primary spoken language and language of instruction have not been English are required to take the "Test of English as a Foreign Language" (TOEFL) and submit the test scores to the Seminary's Admissions Office. Applicants must achieve a minimum score of 213 (computer-based) or 550 on this test. Such tests are administered in many countries around the world, including the U.S.A. *

* Inquiries regarding the GRE or TOEFL exam and arrangements for taking either one should be directed to the Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 955, Princeton, NJ 08540, or 1947 Center Street, Berkeley, CA 94704. The MAT, which is administered by many colleges and universities, can be taken almost any time. Its purpose is to test the student's ability to think analytically and deal critically with issues, concepts and ideas.

Tuition and Fees
Palmer Theological Seminary seeks to keep tuition and fees as low as possible. As a result, tuition covers only about 40% of the cost of each student's education. The remaining 60% comes from churches, friends, foundations and alumni/ae who support the Seminary through endowment and annual fund gifts.

For more information please visit the Admissions & Financial Aid Page.