Affording a Seminary Education

Scholarships at Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University

Seminary education is about learning, formation, and discernment, but it’s also a practical investment of time and money. Tuition expenses, the cost of books, and taking time away from paid employment or in giving care to loved ones adds up.

We are committed to making a seminary education accessible and affordable.

Here’s how:

Scholarships

• We offer a minimum of 17 full tuition scholarships each year. To find out which scholarship(s) you are eligible for, check out the list.
• Beyond our 17 full tuition scholarships, we offer need-based scholarship aid, up to and including full tuition, on a rolling basis.
• If you bring a full-tuition scholarship to Trinity from an outside source, we offer a $5K living stipend.
• Qualifying ELCA students are strongly encouraged to apply for the Fund for Leaders scholarship, which is administered by the ELCA.

Financial Literacy and Conversation

• We are committed to the highest level of transparency. From the time you reach out about your interest in seminary until the time you graduate, we are available for candid conversations about the real costs of seminary and financial planning.
• Every degree-seeking student at Trinity has access to free financial counseling through our ELCA partners at Resourceful Servants and Lutheran Social Services.

Structured for Affordability

• Trinity’s curriculum is built with affordability in mind. Because of the structure of our Master of Divinity internship program, out-of-pocket living expenses in the last years of seminary for M.Div. students are significantly below average.

Seminary Costs Before Aid & Semester Fees

• Most classes are three credits.
• Full-time students often take about 12 credits per semester, and part-time often take 6 credits per semester.
• Partial and full-tuition scholarships are applied toward tuition costs.
• In addition to the cost of tuition, the following fees are accessed each fall and spring semester. Fees are paid out of pocket by students and are not covered by seminary scholarships:
  • Technology Fee
  • Activity Fee
  • Health and Wellness Fee

Available Scholarships

Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University is an inclusive, ecumenical seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Our mission is to form leaders for Christ’s Church at work in the world.

We recognize that discernment is an ongoing process and that one’s call to ministry sometimes comes at an unexpected time. Sometimes our ability to begin formally pursuing ministry is held back by circumstances beyond our control. Other times, our readiness to step into the calling we have known about for much of our lives does not come until later.

Each person’s path to seminary is unique.

Ohio Ministry Practitioner Scholarship

Among the leaders Trinity is called to form are pastors, deacons, musicians, family ministers, and chaplains, and also non-profit professionals, activists, and other leaders committed to the formational process, ready to witness to the good news of Jesus Christ in word and action.

The Ohio Ministry Practitioner Scholarship is a full-tuition, need-based scholarship available to persons currently serving in ministry in Ohio. Seven full-tuition scholarships are available for new students. Scholarship recipients may be full-time or part-time students.

Eligible ministry practitioners include persons currently employed by a church, parachurch, or faith-based organization, as well as unpaid ministry practitioners like Sunday School teachers, worship leaders, children’s ministry leaders, and the like. Non-profit leaders who consider their work part of “Christ’s Church at work in the world” and in alignment with their personal vocational calling may also apply.

Recipients of the Ohio Ministry Practitioner Scholarship, like all Trinity students, will have the opportunity to enroll in classes held in-person on the seminary’s campus in east Columbus, participate in on-campus classes as a remote learner, and take online classes.

The priority application deadline for the Ohio Ministry Practitioner Scholarship is January 15th. After January 15th, scholarship applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received and awarded on a rolling basis.

Career Change Scholarship

The Career Change Scholarship is a full-tuition, need-based scholarship to support persons currently in a non-ministry related occupation who have discerned a calling to vocational ministry. Two full-tuition scholarships are available. Persons who receive the scholarship may be part-time or full-time students.

Recipients of the Career Change Scholarship, like all Trinity students, will have the opportunity to enroll in classes held in-person on the seminary’s campus in east Columbus, participate in on-campus classes as a remote learner, and take online classes.

The priority application deadline for the Career Change Scholarship is January 15th. After January 15th, scholarship applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received and awarded on a rolling basis.

To be considered for the scholarship, applicants must complete an application for admission, the FAFSA, and Trinity’s Financial Aid Application. To apply for the Career Change Scholarship please indicate your interest to Dr. Lowe.

Capital Graduate Scholarship

One of the institutions that would become Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University was founded in 1830. That institution founded Capital University in 1850. While the seminary and university formally became separate institutions in 1959 (and formally reunited in 2018), the ties between the college at Capital University and Trinity Lutheran Seminary are ongoing, rich, and deep.

The tradition of Capital undergraduates completing their degree and walking across College Avenue to begin their seminary studies at Trinity has enriched the seminary for generations, and it is a practice that we committed to preserving.

The Capital Graduate Scholarship is a full-tuition, needs-based scholarship for persons who have completed an undergraduate degree at Capital University. Two full-tuition scholarships are available. Persons who receive the scholarship may be full-time or part-time students. This scholarship is intended to support recent Capital graduates. However, persons holding undergraduate degrees from Capital who are not recent graduates may also apply for consideration.

The priority application deadline for the Capital Graduate Scholarship is January 15th. After January 15th, scholarship applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received and awarded on a rolling basis.

To be considered for the scholarship, applicants must complete an application for admission, the FAFSA, and Trinity’s Financial Aid Application. To apply for this scholarship please indicate your interest to Dr. Lowe.

ELCA Region 6 Synod Scholarships

We are committed to the faithful formation of students who will go on to become clergy in the ELCA.

The ELCA Region 6 Synod Scholarships designate one full-tuition, needs-based scholarship for a student from each of the 6 synods in region 6 (Southeast Michigan Synod, North/West Lower Michigan Synod, Indiana - Kentucky Synod, Northwestern Ohio Synod, Northeastern Ohio Synod, and Southern Ohio Synod.) Persons who receive the scholarship may be full-time or part-time students.

The priority application deadline for the ELCA Region 6 Synod Scholarships is January 15th. After January 15th, scholarship applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received and awarded on a rolling basis.

To be considered for the scholarship, applicants must complete an application for admission, the FAFSA, and Trinity’s Financial Aid Application, which will ask applicants to indicate their home synod.

Living Stipend for Students Bringing Outside Full-Tuition Scholarships

Each year, Trinity has the honor of welcoming a small number of students who come to seminary having earned full-tuition scholarships from outside funding bodies, including Fund for Leaders Scholars.

Trinity students bringing full-tuition scholarships from outside funding bodies are eligible to receive a $5K living stipend from Trinity. In order to receive this stipend, students must have been accepted to Trinity, notified the seminary of their outside full-tuition scholarship, and commit to attending the institution by May 1st.

Needs-Based Scholarship Aid

In addition to the seminary’s 22 full-tuition scholarships, we offer need-based scholarship aid, up to and including full tuition, on a rolling basis each spring.

To be considered for Needs-Based Scholarship Aid applicants must complete an application for admission, the FAFSA, and Trinity’s Financial Aid Application. On Trinity’s Financial Aid application, applicants should indicate that they would like to be considered for Needs-Based Scholarship Aid.