SFTS offers three degrees on both the Northern & Southern California campus:

- Master of Divinity
- Master of Arts in Theological Studies
- Doctor of Ministry

two graduate level diplomas on the Northern California campus:

- Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction
- Diploma in Spiritual Formation Studies

in conjunction with the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley California:

- Master of Arts
- Doctor of Theology
- Doctor of Philosophy

and a non-degree program offered on the Southern California campus:

- Certificate of Ministry Studies

The Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS) programs are open to qualified students of all Christian traditions. Every student must have earned the degree of Bachelor of Arts or its equivalent, based upon four years of work beyond secondary education in a college or university approved by one of the regional accrediting bodies. Exemption from this requirement must be fully justified and documented. Applicants who have achieved an average grade of B or better (3.0 on a 4-point scale) in appropriate baccalaureate or pre-M.Div. subjects receive priority in admission.

Students from institutions of collegiate standing outside the United States in which a bachelor's degree is not granted may be admitted if they present satisfactory evidence of having completed work comparable to that required for a B.A. degree in American institutions, and of having adequate financial support.

Preparation for undertaking M.Div. work should include experience with critical thinking, writing, and the study of the humanities and social sciences. Applications that show gaps or weaknesses in these areas may be placed on hold by the Admissions committee until the applicant takes courses that demonstrate or improve the ability to do graduate work in theology. An applicant may be also be admitted with the proviso that certain approved introductory courses in the history of world civilizations, philosophy, or English composition are to be taken before embarking on the first year of the seminary program. When such a stipulation is made, the courses must be completed at an accredited college or university with a grade of no less than B (3.0).

For applicants to the M.Div. program whose undergraduate education was not in English, a minimum score of 550 (213 on the computer-based TOEFL test) must be earned before participating in courses in residence in San Anselmo/Berkeley or English-language-only courses in the Southern California programs. English language support is available in Southern California.

SFTS reserves the right to exercise its discretion in distributing or not distributing, accepting or rejecting, and processing or not processing applications for admission on any grounds consistent with the Seminary's educational and religious purposes and with the standards under which the Seminary is accredited.

When to Apply
Prospective students are invited to submit applications as soon as their plans for attending seminary become sufficiently clear. The Admissions Committee evaluates applications dossiers at the next meeting after the dossiers are completed, and the applicants are notified promptly thereafter. Because housing and financial aid are allocated to new applicants in the order of confirmation of admission, early completion of the admissions process is recommended.
For admission in the fall semester applications should be received in the Admissions Office by May 1, with the committee decision forthcoming by May 31. Applications made after that date may be considered at the committee's discretion. Applications for admission for the spring semester are not accepted to the San Anselmo/Berkeley program due to the sequential nature of courses in several areas of the curriculum.

Provisional Admission
Applicants with grade point averages below 3.0 from their most recent degree program may be admitted provisionally to the M.Div. program. Students on provisional admission must take all courses for letter grades except those offered for Pass/Fail only. Upon successful completion (GPA of 2.0 or better) of the first full semester (12 units), provisional students enter regular standing.

As an alternative to entering with provisional status, applicants may choose to raise their GPA by enrolling as unclassified students or enrolling in appropriate pre-M.Div. or M.Div. related courses at another accredited institution. Normally no more than eight courses taken in unclassified status may be applied toward meeting M.Div. requirements. Applicants also may take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) to demonstrate their readiness for graduate study.

Admission Confirmation
Those admitted to the M.Div. or MATS program must confirm their acceptance of admission within two weeks of written notification with a $200 non-refundable tuition deposit. This deposit is credited toward the tuition fee when the applicant matriculates and may be waived if the applicant is already paying tuition to SFTS as an unclassified student.

International Students

For applicants to the M.Div. program whose undergraduate education was not in English, the TOEFL test must be taken and scores sent to SFTS, whose institutional code number is 4685. A minimum score of 550 (213 on the computer-based TOEFL test) must be earned before participating in courses in residence in San Anselmo/Berkeley or English-language-only courses in the Southern California programs. English language support is available in Southern California.

Students from institutions of collegiate standing outside the United States in which a bachelor¡¯s degree is not granted may be admitted if they present satisfactory evidence of having completed work comparable to that required for a BA degree in American institutions.

International students may submit an SFTS Financial Aid Application and are eligible for tuition grants. However, they must have other substantial financial support to meet visa requirements.

International applicants should be aware that SFTS cannot provide grants or on-campus employment sufficient to support a student's family. Before issuing a visa application (I-20), the Seminary must have evidence in the form of bank statements or affidavits of support that the student has resources to finance living expenses incurred by undertaking the program of study.

Prospective International Students:

All prospective international students must submit an original bank statement showing financial support for at least the first year at study. I-20 applications are sent upon the student's acceptance to a degree program.


Southern California International Students
A private TOEFL course is available throughout the year. The course will concentrate upon vocabulary building, simple writing skills, basic grammar, and test-taking skills. The goal of this course is to enable students to pass TOEFL with a score of 550 or above, thus allowing them to enroll in the SFTS Master of Divinity program. This course should be taken before a student takes the Claremont School of Theology course, "English as a Second Language," or the Claremont School of Theology remedial education course.
Tuition for this course is $300, however, the student will receive a tuition refund after completing the course and passing TOEFL.
Other English Language support services and theological English courses are available as well.
For further information, please contact:

The Rev. Dr. Kyle Matsumoto Burch
Director of Enrollment
E-mail: enrollment@sftssc.edu
Phone: 909-621-9885 ext. 11
Fax: 909-626-3265