To apply for any program at the Seminary, applicants must complete the online application including a $65 (non-refundable) application fee.  Official transcripts should be sent to the Director of Admissions, electronically to admissions@lextheo.edu or by mail to LTS Office of Admissions, 230 Lexington Green Circle, Suite 300, Lexington, KY 40503. Lexington Theological Seminary requires an official transcript from all previous credit-granting institutions  M.Div. applicants must also complete a background check.  MTS students must complete a background check only if planning to do their course work in the context of a ministry setting. The Admissions Committee will review the complete file and may approve or deny admission. The Committee may also request additional information, delay action, or recommend the applicant for another type of admission, such as a different degree program or non-degree admission. Students will be notified by email when a decision has been made.  Six weeks after accepting an offer of admission from LTS, the student is eligible to begin coursework. DO NOT fill out an application until you have spoken with admissions first! * Lexington Theological Seminary currently is not a SEVP (Student and Exchange Visitor Program) certified institution, and cannot accept foreign exchange students with F or M student visas. For more information, please go to https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students. For further information contact LTS Office of Admissions.

Admissions Policies Responsibility for determining a candidate’s compliance with the requirements for admission and for administering the admissions policy is vested in the faculty, and carried out by the Admissions Committee of the faculty.  A determination of whether candidates for degrees have met the applicable requirements is vested in the faculty.  The faculty shall make such a determination with respect to each candidate and recommend to the Board of Trustees whether or not a degree should be granted. Subject to the established requirements for admissions and graduation, the Board of Trustees shall have the authority to grant or withhold the granting of degrees. LTS understands itself to be a partner with the church in helping our students work toward ministerial leadership.  However, Lexington Theological Seminary is not the credentialing body of any denomination; we do not make the decision about whether or not a student should be ordained. Committee Procedures An Admissions Committee selected by the academic Dean and composed of the Dean and faculty members and the Director of Admissions will review applications.  Each member of the Admissions Committee will have one vote with the exception of the Director of Admissions who is a non-voting member.  Applicants are admitted by consensus The Admissions Committee will determine meeting times as need based on individual schedules and dates of applications received.  Reasons for denial are not shared with the applicant or anyone outside of the Admissions Committee.  When an applicant is denied admission, that person must wait at least one calendar year before reapplying for admission.  This policy does not imply any promise for admission in the future. Criminal Background Checks A criminal background check is required for all applicants for the M.Div. degree and those MA degree-seeking students who wish to complete their coursework while working in a ministry setting. Applicants submit their own information for that check through the online service Intellicorp,net, listed in the application portal.  Criminal history in and of itself does not necessarily mean the applicant will be denied admissions.  However, failure to disclose a criminal history on the application itself, which later turns up in the background check, may be grounds for denial. All other elements of the application being acceptable, if the background check does not produce any criminal history notification of acceptance will be sent to the applicant. All other elements of the application being acceptable, if the background check does produce a criminal history the admissions committee may ask for more information from the candidate before a final determination can be made.

Degree Admission Requirements Admission to Lexington Theological Seminary is ongoing throughout the calendar year. All applications must be submitted through the online application process.  No applications will be considered if sent by email or through means other than the online application process. Reference Requirements All references must be submitted through the application portal.  Applicants are responsible for communication with their references regarding this; no contact will be made by LTS to references in order to retrieve a reference. Applicants request references through the application portal.

If references have questions or concerns, they may contact LTS Director of Admissions. Master of Divinity, Master of Theological Studies, and Master in Pastoral Studies A completed application includes:

• Completed online application form
  • Including essay
• Receipt of reference letters in the Admissions office
  • Two recommendation letters submitted electronically for the general application
    • Educator (if out of school less than three years); if out of school three years or more a recent employer who can speak to the applicant’s  leadership skills
    • A minister who can speak to the applicant’s potential for Seminary study and potential for ministry
  • If applying for an LTS scholarship an additional letter of recommendation must be submitted by a minister (not named above) who can speak to the applicant’s potential for excellence in ministry.
• Receipt of official transcripts, in the Admissions office, from all secondary schools attended
  • Applicants for degree programs must have earned a Bachelor’s Degree from an institution accredited by an organization recognized by the Department of Education (or international equivalent).
  • All applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5.
• Non-refundable application fee of $65

Doctor of Ministry Applicants must be currently engaged in an accountable ministerial role, and have at least three years of ministerial experience beyond receipt of their M.Div. degree. Doctor of Ministry candidates are not eligible for financial aid. For Doctor of Ministry applicants, a completed application will include:

• Completion of the online D. Min. application
• Written essays as prescribed in the online D. Min. application
• Receipt of Reference letters in the Admissions office
  • Three recommendation letters submitted electronically
  • A recipient of the applicant’s ministry (e.g., a congregational lay leader)
  • A professor from the applicant’s M. Div. program of study.
  • A judicatory leader.  For judicatory members, a judicatory peer will meet this requirement.

• Receipt of official transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended
  • Applicants for the Doctor of Ministry degree must have a Master of Divinity degree or equivalent from an ATS-accredited institution.  Applicants seeking admission with an M. Div.-equivalent must present official transcripts from all institutions at which they did work that comprises the equivalent.  Only credit-bearing graduate work at accredited schools will be considered for equivalency.  The evaluation of equivalency will be conducted by the Dean, in conversation with the Director of the D. Min. Program.
  • Applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0.
• Non-refundable application fee of $65

Special Student A Special Student at Lexington Seminary can take up to twelve credit hours of coursework.  These twelve credits are restricted to coursework at the module level.  The Special Student can only take elective modules if given written permission by the Dean and the faculty member teaching the elective module.  The Special Student may choose to transfer earned credits into an LTS degree program, transfer into an LTS certificate program, transfer to another institution, or leave the institution with twelve hours on her/his transcript. For Special Student applicants, a completed application will include:

• Completion of the application form
  • This may include part of the essay section.
  • Receipt of one recommendation submitted electronically
    • This letter must come from a minister, educator of employer who knows the applicant well and can speak to the applicant’s preparation for seminary work.
    • Receipt of official transcript in the Admissions office
      • Applicants for degree programs must have earned a Bachelor’s Degree from an institution accredited by an organization recognized by the Department of Education (or international equivalent).
      • All applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5.

Certificate Student Certificate students may take coursework for credit or non-credit. Applicants seeking to take courses for credit must have earned a minimum of one full-year’s credits toward a bachelor’s Degree from an institution accredited by an organization recognized by the Department of Education (or international equivalent). Applicants pursuing the non-credit option must have a high school diploma. For certificate applicants seeking to take courses for credit, a completed application will include:

• Completed online application form
  • Completed essay.
  • This may include part of the essay section.
  • Receipt of official transcript in the Admissions office
    • All applicants for credit must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5.
    • Receipt of one recommendation submitted electronically
      • This letter must come from a minister, educator of employer who knows the applicant well and can speak to her/his preparation for seminary work.

For certificate applicants choosing the non-credit option, a completed application will include:

• Completed online application form
  • Information regarding high school matriculation
    • Non-credit seeking applicants are required to send in the name and address of the high school from which they graduated as well as the year of graduation.

Auditor Anyone can audit modules at LTS.  Auditors can take as many modules as they choose, although class size may limit their options.

• To be registered as an auditor, the student must complete the online application.

Tuition

Fees

Scholarship Policy All Disciples of Christ students and United Church of Christ students pursuing a degree program (with the exception of the Doctor of Ministry degree) or a credit certificate program will receive a 50% discount on tuition for the duration of their program or for seven years, whichever comes first. LTS will offer two or three full tuition scholarships per year to students who apply for them according to the requirements listed in the online application.  These scholarships will be awarded by the LTS Scholarship Committee to any student, regardless of denomination, who meets the criteria for “potential for excellence in ministry” as described in the scholarship application section of the LTS general application.  No criteria beyond a record of past record academic success, exceptional promise for a future in congregational ministry and the ability to successfully complete a minimum of 12 credit hours per calendar year apply to these scholarships.  The scholarships are available for four years only and are non-renewable.

• Disciples of Christ students and UCC students who receive these full-tuition scholarships will not simultaneously be eligible for the 50% tuition scholarship listed above.
• LTS will no longer provide stipends to any students, only tuition support.
• No scholarship aid will be provided to special students, non-credit certificate students or auditors.
• Students who retake any coursework because they have failed the coursework will receive no scholarship aid for that coursework.
• The LTS Scholarship Committee will meet to review applications for the full-tuition scholarships.