Admissions ~ Admissions Information
Admissions Information
Application Packets
Each applicant is asked to gather all required documents (specified below and recapped in the check list incorporated into the application form itself) and send them with the application form in a single packet clearly marked, beneath the address, "attn: Admissions." The applicant will receive a postcard from GTS verifying receipt. If for some reason not all of the required documents will be included in the packet, the applicant should notify the Admissions office in advance.
Deadlines
To begin study in Michaelmas (fall) term, except as noted.
Admissions Application:
| program |
fall only |
program | for fall admission | for spring admission |
| M.Div. |
June 15 |
Angl. Studies |
June 15 |
November 1 |
| S.T.M. |
February 1 |
M.A. |
June 15 |
November 1 |
| Th.D. |
February 1 |
Certificate |
June 15 |
November 1 |
| FTND |
June 15 |
‘Summers at General’ deadline | +May 5 | |
Housing Application:same as Admissions Application
Financial Aid Application for new students: April 15
Every attempt is made to accommodate prospective students. The General Theological Seminary cannot guarantee acceptance, financial aid or housing when the above deadlines are not met.
Basic Requirements for Full-Time Applicants for...
- Master of Divinity (Pre-Ordination)
- Master of Divinity (Non-Ordination)
- Master of Arts
- Master of Sacred Theology
- Diploma in Anglican Studies
- Full-Time Non-Degree Program
and Applicants for...
these programs offered by GTS’s Center for Christian Spirituality:
- Certificate in Christian Spirituality
- Master of Arts with a concentration in Christian Spirituality
- Master of Sacred Theology with a concentration in Christian Spirituality
These requirements are common to all of the programs bullet-pointed above (N.B., not the Th.D., and not Part-Time Non-Degree study). Some of the nine programs have additional requirements as specified, program by program, under "Additional Requirements for..."
- Submission of application by the appropriate deadline (see above).
- Non-refundable application fee of $40 in check or money-order.
- The degree of Bachelor of Arts or its equivalent.
- Completion and submission of the standard application form.
- An autobiographical statement.
- Transcripts of all academic work beyond the secondary school level; transcripts must be in English, or with English translation attached.
- For all international students, evidence of a satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
- Four letters of recommendation--one of them from the applicant’s parish priest or pastor--each with the author’s signature across the envelope’s unbroken seal.
- Personal interviews at the Seminary, before which a completed application packet must be received by the Admissions office. A telephone interview may be substituted when the applicant is outside the USA.
- Evidence of immunization. If registered for six credits or more, students are required by New York State Law to be immunized against measles, mumps, and rubella. The law applies to all students born on or after January 1, 1957. Students born outside the United States before 1957 must present written proof of immunization. Students must provide written proof of immunization within 30 days of the start of classes. Immunization record forms may be obtained from the Registrar.
- Evidence of Citizenship. U.S. citizens: submit a copy of your social security card, a copy of the label from your tax return or a copy of your valid passport showing the passport number. Non-citizens (only): submit a copy of your valid passport showing the passport number.
- An individual whose application has not been accepted may not, for the space of two years, a) reapply, or b) study on a non-degree basis, unless otherwise stated in the letter of non-acceptance.
Additional Requirements for...
- Master of Divinity (Pre-Ordination)
Applicants who intend to pursue ordination will present, as part of the admissions process, an appropriate form of ecclesiastical endorsement. For those in dioceses of the Episcopal Church, this normally means that the applicant is a postulant for holy orders. Where the process toward postulancy is incomplete at the time of application for admission, a letter from the bishop of the diocese, indicating that the applicant is known to him/her, that the canonical process has begun, and, most important, that the bishop concurs with the applicant’s desire to proceed toward admission to the Seminary, is generally be received by the Seminary as an appropriate endorsement. Applicants from dioceses of the Episcopal Church are urged to be in contact with their bishop and their Commission on Ministry before applying to the Seminary. Applicants from other churches who intend to pursue ordination are asked to provide the Seminary with a form of ecclesiastical endorsement that, in the judgment of the Committee on Enrollment and Admissions, is analogous to the requirement for Episcopal students. - Master of Arts
Applicants who desire admission to the Master of Arts Program are asked to provide, in addition to the required autobiography, a statement 2 to 3 pages in length responding to each of the following:
A. What area of concentration do you anticipate pursuing and why?
B. What specific educational, vocational and personal purposes do you have for pursuing the M.A. degree, and how are these goals best served by GTS’s M.A. program? Your response should answer these questions:
1. If interested in pursuing further academic work, what benefits do you believe this program will provide?
2. If your goals are vocational, how will this degree be beneficial?
3. For avocational interests, what are your areas of personal interest, and how does the GTS curriculum meet them?
4. If you seek to enhance a lay or diaconal ministry, what is this work and how will study at GTS benefit it?
C. How do you envision participating in the Seminary's community life? - Master of Sacred Theology
Applicants for admission to the S.T.M. program (including the S.T.M. in Christian Spirituality) must possess the B.A. and the M.Div. degrees or the equivalent. The S.T.M. application deadline is February 15.
Graduate Record Examination scores are required of all S.T.M. applicants.
Applicants for the S.T.M. should include among their recommendations two from former instructors who can speak to the applicant’s ability to pursue graduate-level work.
For inquiries on the nature and substance of the S.T.M. program: Committee on Advanced Degrees at the Office of Academic Affairs: You may reach the office by phone or e-mail. academicaffairs@gts.edu
For inquiries about the admissions process for the S.T.M. program: Office of Admissions send e-mail or via e-mail with this contact form for
- Full-Time Non-Degree Program
Requirements are the same as for full-time study in a degree program. - Diploma in Anglican Studies
Applicants must have their bishop’s approval for study at General prior to beginning their studies.
Additional Requirements for . . .
- Certificate in Christian Spirituality
- Master of Arts with a concentration in Christian Spirituality
- Master of Sacred Theology with a concentration in Christian Spirituality
Applicants to any of these three programs offered by GTS’s Center for Christian Spirituality should note the following
modifications to the "Basic Requirements" on pages 34-35 of the catalog
pertinent to Christian Spirituality applicants
5. In the autobiographical statement, please focus on why you feel called to the study of spirituality, and how you anticipate using this formation in your life of faith and ministry.
9. Letters of recommendation for applicants who are members of the clergy should include one from the applicant’s bishop or equivalent ecclesiastical authority. Applicants for the S.T.M. in Christian Spirituality should include two recommendations from former instructors who can speak to the applicant’s ability to pursue graduate-level work.
10. Personal interviews normally include an interview with a member of the Center for Christian Spirituality’s staff. Students pursuing studies in the Summer or January terms may arrange for telephone interviews when distance precludes an interview at GTS.
Other Admissions Information
Doctor of Theology (Th.D.)
Candidates for admission to the Th.D. program must possess the B.A. and M.Div. or M.A. degrees or the equivalent.
The Th.D. application is available on-line--forthcoming-- (applicants should not use the Standard Application Forms included in this catalogue). The Th.D. application deadline is February 15.
For inquiries on the nature and substance of the Th.D. program: Committee on Advanced Degrees at the Office of Academic Affairs: You may reach the office by phone or e-mail: academicaffairs@gts.edu
For inquiries on the admissions process for the Th.D. program: Contact the Office of Admissions by e-mail: with this contact form for
1/24/08
