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How to Apply

Application Steps

  1. If you intend to be rostered in the ELCA (required for becoming a pastor or deacon in the ELCA), contact the candidacy committee in your home synod as soon as you start considering seminary.
  2. Review the Application Requirements listed below.
  3. Review the Standards for Admission on the page for your intended degree program.
  4. Submit a completed application and all supporting information.

Apply Online   

General Application Deadline: April 15th
  • Apply by this date for priority consideration for remaining scholarships
  • Applicants whose materials are received by the general application deadline can expect to receive an admission decision in time to participate in summer programming designed to introduce them to their future classmates and help prepare them to start classes in the Fall.
Contact Us

If you have questions at any time, please contact the Admissions Office at (510) 559-2730 or admissions@plts.edu

 

Requirements

For PLTS Master's and Certificate Programs:

A completed degree program or non-degree program application form is required for all PLTS applications. To have a paper copy mailed to you, please contact our Admissions Office at (510) 559-2730 or admissions@plts.edu.

MDiv and MA in Spirituality and Social Change

  1. A completed degree program application form.
  2. Official transcripts sent to PLTS for all undergraduate and graduate study.
  3. Identify three people who will provide a recommendation for you :  1)  Pastor from your congregation or college setting, whoever knows you best.  2)  Professor with whom you did work in your major discipline.  3) Current or former employer. 
  4. A brief personal statement. Please discuss in 3 to 5 double-spaced pages the events and factors that have formed your Christian faith. Include an account of the significant factors in your childhood and family life, a brief statement of your personal faith and theological convictions, and a short description of your vocational goals and principle reasons for pursuing this degree. In the body of your essay or in a separate paragraph articulate how you resonate with the PLTS orienting perspectives: nurturing a life-giving relationship with God; intellectual engagement with Scripture, faith traditions, and the world; faithful social transformation; and learning through a socio-ecological lens.
  5. Pay the application fee of $25.00 online through your application portal. The payment option will become available once you have completed and submitted the application.

Note: If you are applying as a transfer student, please scroll to the MDiv Transfer Students section below to find information on the transfer student application process. 

Submit these materials, together or as they are available.

By mail:
Admissions Office
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary
2000 Center Street, Suite 200
Berkeley, CA 94704

By email: admissions@plts.edu

We will notify you when your application file is complete and then again when the Admissions Committee has taken action on your file. If you have questions at any step of the process, please don’t hesitate to contact Admissions Office at (510) 559-2730 or admissions@plts.edu

Joint MDiv/GTU Common MA

Meet all of the requirements listed above for the MDiv degree and apply separately to the Graduate Theological Union after beginning your MDiv studies. Applicants must choose one of sixteen areas of studies. There is a separate application process to the GTU for the GTU Common MA portion of this degree. More information can be found on the GTU website.

M.A. Application Information (GTU)

Certificate of Advanced Theological Studies - "Lutheran Year"

For candidates who intend to complete their ELCA year of residency at PLTS, whether taking courses in-person or online. The following application requirements apply to those who have already completed an MDiv, or similar degree, at a non-ELCA seminary. Contact the Admissions Office for more information on how to affiliate with PLTS while you are studying at a non-ELCA seminary.  

  1. A completed degree program application form.
  2. An official transcript from your current school.
  3. Identify one professor at your seminary or divinity school who will provide a recommendation for you. List only a professor on the reference portion of the application form. The admissions office will contact your reference and supply that person with the appropriate form.
  4. A brief personal statement describing your study plans and vocational goals while at PLTS.
  5. Pay the application fee of $25.00 online through your application portal. The payment option will become available once you have completed and submitted the application.

MDiv Transfer Students

For those transferring to PLTS from another seminary. Up to 9 credits may be transferred. 

  1. A completed degree program application form.
  2. Official transcripts sent to PLTS for all undergraduate and graduate study.
  3. Identify one professor at your seminary or divinity school who will provide a recommendation for you. List only a professor on the reference portion of the application form. The admissions office will contact your reference and supply that person with the appropriate form.
  4. A letter of honorable dismissal from the dean or registrar at your current seminary.
  5. Pay the application fee of $25.00 online through your application portal. The payment option will become available once you have completed and submitted the application.
  6. A brief personal statement describing your study plans and vocational goals while at PLTS.

Auditor or Non-Degree Students

For those who are interested in taking PLTS classes without being enrolled in a degree or certificate program. This application process may apply to you if you are exploring what program is right for you, if you are interested in only taking a class or two, if you are preparing for another degree program, or if you want to augment your current discipline with a bit of theology. 

  1. A completed Auditor or Non-Degree Application.
  2. Additional materials may be requested from the applicant prior to an admissions decision being made.
  3. In general, applicants are expected to have a baccalaureate or graduate degree.

International Students

In addition to the above program-specific requirements, scores from an approved English language exam must be submitted by non-native speakers of English who have not completed an academic degree taught in English. This school is authorized under Federal law to enroll nonimmigrant alien students.

More information for International Students

GTU PhD and Common MA Programs

If you are applying to the GTU PhD or Common MA programs as an affiliated PLTS student, you will apply to the Graduate Theological Union.

All academic areas of study are available at each GTU school; however, advisors in every area are not available at PLTS. You may contact GTU or PLTS Admissions Office to determine whether or not PLTS has a faculty member who could act as your advisor in your academic area of interest. If PLTS has the appropriate faculty for your area, they will be assigned as your advisor.

GTU Common M.A. students must be affiliated with a GTU member school, center, or institute, but affiliation is optional for PhD students. Your school of affiliation will make you be eligible for housing, and other community benefits. More information about faculty members, their academic areas, and specific interests visit: http://gtu.edu/academics/areas.

GTU Application Forms

Admission Standards

Admission standards vary for each of our degree programs, but include common elements such as the completion of a bachelor’s degree, academic ability, and appropriate background in pre-theological study. Before applying you should check if there are requirements specific to your degree or certificate program:

Deadlines

Priority Application Deadlines

  • Fall - February 15th

To ensure that you will be considered for scholarships and grant aid, you should complete the Financial Aid application by March 1st and the Housing application by May 31st.

Students who submit complete Admissions, Financial Aid, and Housing applications by the priority deadlines will know by April 1st for Fall and December 1st for Spring if they have been admitted, awarded financial aid and will be assigned housing. These Admissions, Financial Aid and Housing decisions will be effective until July 1st for Fall and January 1st for Spring, and must be accepted before those dates.

Late Application Deadline

Applicants who apply after February 15th for Fall admission, and after October 15th for Spring, must complete Admissions, Financial Aid, and Housing applications before July 1st for Fall or December 15th for Spring to be eligible for Financial Aid or Housing, which will be granted from what remains after applicants meeting the Priority Deadline have been awarded. There is no guarantee of housing after the April 15th deadline and what is available will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. Housing for Spring admission may have limited options and is not guaranteed.

General Candidacy Requirements

For students who are candidates for ordination in the ELCA, PLTS follows the procedures for candidacy prepared by the ELCA.

View the General Candidacy Requirements

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