Our Beginnings

Lancaster Theological Seminary was founded in 1825 at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, as a seminary of what was then called the Reformed Church in the United States, often called the German Reformed to differentiate it from the Dutch Reformed or the Reformed Church in America. At the time of our founding, there was one professor, five students, and approximately 200 books in the theological library.

Facts & Stats

18

Denominations represented in our diverse student body

20

Categories of professions (and counting) in which our students worked prior to enrollment

63%

Of Lancaster Seminary students receive financial aid

25

Rewarding career paths (and counting) to attain with a theological degree

Student Body Statistics (as of October 2, 2023)

Enrollment: 62

Degree and Non-Degree Program Enrollment:

FemaleMaleNon-binaryTotal
Master of Divinity178227
MA (Religion)11-0-2
MA (Ministry & Leadership)31-0-4
Doctor of Ministry199-0-28
Unclassified/Certificate Programs1-0--0-1
Totals 4119262

Full Time Equivalent (FTE) [Based on 1 headcount = 12 credit hours]: 38.2

10:1 = Student:Core Faculty Ratio  [Core Faculty = 7, Adjunct Faculty = 30]

Denominations Represented:

  • African Methodist Episcopal
  • American Baptist
  • Baptist
  • Baptist General Conference
  • Church of God in Christ
  • Episcopal
  • Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
  • Mennonite
  • Moravian Church of America
  • No Affiliation
  • Non-Denominational
  • Other
  • Presbyterian USA
  • Roman Catholic
  • Unitarian Universalist
  • United Church of Christ
  • United Methodist Church
  • Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches

Race/Ethnicity
African American40%
Caucasian49%
Asian5%
Hispanic3%
Two or more3%

Age Distribution
40 and under21%
41-5025%
51-5928%
60 and over26%

Sexual Orientation (Self-Reported)

All Students Enrolled LGBTQ Students
Data not available

Campus Racial Diversity Percentages

2023-2024
2022-2023
2021-2022
Persons of ColorCaucasianPersons of ColorCaucasianPersons of ColorCaucasian
Students51%49%37%63%39% 61%
Regular Faculty20%80%29%71%29%71%
Adjunct Faculty41%59%35%65%34%66%
Staff & Administration38%62%33%67%31%69%
Trustees25%75%20%80%20%80%

Current Students Come From:

Delaware
Florida
Illinois
Maryland

Missouri
New York
North Carolina
Ohio

Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
West Virginia

 

Financial Aid

63% of students receive Lancaster Seminary scholarships and/or federal Stafford loans

Housing

7% of students live in Seminary-owned housing