I'm getting ready to apply to different M.Div programs. What are my chances?

[malakchris]

I'm a senior at a small private Christian University. I'm double majoring in Biblical Studies and Biblical languages. Here's some other info:

• 3.75 GPA
• 3 years of Hebrew
• 1 year of Greek
• Vice President of the Alpha Chi honor society
•  I have a 110ish hours of total community service

 

I participated in a mentoring ministry at a local youth transitional living home (from foster care to independent living) with other students from my university. We hung out with the teens there, played games, and took them around town hoping to be positive influences during difficult times of transition.  

 

I also volunteered in local jail ministry where I would lead several short services or Bible studies over a three hour period with the men living there. I did that for a total of 18 hours 

 

I was on the board for setting up a large food distribution center held at the small church I attended. In conjunction with a government organization (Ozark Food Harvest), this small church of 75 people now feeds over 600 local individuals and families ever two weeks. This with the help of interdenominational volunteers and donations—I am immensely honored to have helped start this service. I did that for a total of 70 hours.

 

I'm applying to:

Yale, Vanderbilt, and Asbury (as well as two local fall-back type schools). 

What are the chances of decent funding from these schools?

 

Edited December 28, 2015 by malakchris

[Kuriakos]

I don't think Asbury is competitive at all, so I'm sure you will get in there. 

[nevermind]

I think you're competitive for all your listed programs. Yale's Hebrew Bible MAR is the most competitive of the programs in the Div. school (as far as I was told in 2008)...so if you're going for M.Div, I think you'll be okay.

Edited January 5, 2016 by nevermind

[malakchris]

On 12/30/2015 at 4:23 PM, Kuriakos said:

I don't think Asbury is competitive at all, so I'm sure you will get in there. 

I'm fairly confident of getting accepted, but its the funding I'm worried about...

[Kuriakos]

On 1/9/2016 at 11:37 AM, malakchris said:

I'm fairly confident of getting accepted, but its the funding I'm worried about...

Whoops! I missed that part. From what I've seen in my experience and that of friends, evangelical seminaries don't offer much funding. 

[Marcion]

M.Div, you will be fine. As for funding, as a student at Yale Divinity School who came in last year, talking with close friends over coffee, it seems that most of the M.Divs got 50% to 75%. All of the MARs got roughly 75%.

[malakchris]

5 hours ago, Kuriakos said:

Whoops! I missed that part. From what I've seen in my experience and that of friends, evangelical seminaries don't offer much funding. 

Thanks for the reply! Asbury does actually offer decent scholarships what what I can see, it just comes down to getting them or not. I guess time will tell!

[Kuriakos]

21 hours ago, malakchris said:

Thanks for the reply! Asbury does actually offer decent scholarships what what I can see, it just comes down to getting them or not. I guess time will tell!

Sorry, I wasn't being clear. Evangelical seminaries tend to give a handful of people good funding (many of these at my seminary were explicitly marked for future pastors or earmarked in some other way) and a pittance to everyone else unlike say Yale where basically everyone accepted gets a somewhat decent percentage of tuition covered.

[malakchris]

4 hours ago, Kuriakos said:

Sorry, I wasn't being clear. Evangelical seminaries tend to give a handful of people good funding (many of these at my seminary were explicitly marked for future pastors or earmarked in some other way) and a pittance to everyone else unlike say Yale where basically everyone accepted gets a somewhat decent percentage of tuition covered.

I'm hoping to be one of the select few if I end up going there!

[xypathos]

I can speak some about Vanderbilt, though I was only there for a year before my partner was accepted into a PhD program and it necessitated me relocating.

They do offer some full funding + stipend packages but they're quite limited, maybe 5'ish students. That said, every other M.Div student is generally offered a package of 50-75% funding. The funding however really only covers tuition and associated fees (insurance and the like). You're on your own for room and board, most students simply take out federal loans to cover COL fees but given the renting market in Nashville, most students had to rely on a partner to help cover living expenses or hold down a part time job.

The student body always has a large cohort of students working in food and income disparity social justice outreach in Nashville, and every semester the Div. School has a class at Riverbend (prison) where div students and prisoners take a class together. The Riverbend course is always wildly popular and most students take at least one course there for the experience.

It's a wonderful school but it has some drawbacks unless you want to work in non-profit/outreach or are pursuing ordination as a Methodist minister. Always glad to talk about my experiences there and/or connect you to current students or administrators for answers I can't provide.

Looking at the numbers you provided, I think you'll be accepted but a full funding package is unlikely given the students that traditionally receive them.