FAQ

Tuition at Reformed Evangelical Seminary is $200 per credit. That means tuition for our typical 2-credit, 11-week long class is $400. This is approximately one-third the average cost of a U.S. seminary program.

The average cost of attending the Seminary in our current half time program is about $3,500 per year. We do not offer full time study at this time, but that will average about $7,000 per year when we do. Learn more

The Seminary’s primary mission is to train pastors for church ministry. Our M.Div.-level program is offered in a half-time, 6-year format. We hope to offer it soon in a full-time, 3-year format. We also anticipate adding Master’s-level (2-year) and Certificate-level (1-year) programs in Christian Studies shortly. The Seminary also offers a range of practical church enrichment courses for non-matriculating students and church leaders.

The Seminary’s courses and programs are all delivered online. But we encourage face-to-face interactions in a series of events and gatherings. M.Div. students have regular face-to-face meetings each term with their home church pastors, who normally serve as their mentors. The Seminary organizes regular face-to-face and online sessions, like chapels, socials, and regional conferences. The Seminary also encourages students to participate in some of the regional presbytery/classis- and national/international council/synod-level ecclesiastical assemblies held by global Reformed denominations each year. Learn more

We make it easy for working students to attend classes! Meeting times are set for each 11-week term to fit the schedules of both the instructors and the students. For example, in the past some classes met Wednesday evenings (Pacific Time) for both in-person and online students. Schedules may vary depending on the number of students and the location (time zone) of the instructor and the students.

The Seminary offers several 2-credit courses each term. Half-time matriculating students typically average two courses per term for about 15 credits per year to complete the program within six years. Full-time matriculating students typically take an average of 30 credits per year to complete their program in three years. The regular academic calendar has four terms: three 11-week terms (10 weeks of classes and 1 exam week) and a one 1-month summer intensive.

Yes, qualified auditors and “listeners” are welcome. Auditors may enroll in a class, but they do not submit coursework and do not receive grades or evaluations. Enrolling as an auditor means the student may participate actively in the class, their auditor status will be recorded on a transcript, but without academic credit.

The Seminary also offers low-cost “Listener’s Passes” to select courses. The pass allows a student to “listen in,” but they may not participate in student discussions, ask questions of instructors, complete coursework, or receive feedback. Listeners receive no academic credit and no record of their participation is maintained. Learn more

Student workloads and learning activities at RES vary by subject matter, of course. Language classes, sermon practice, and counseling practica, for example, may each require different kinds of pedagogy and learning experiences to be effective. However, 2-credit classes typically involve three to four hours of live and recorded lectures, assigned readings, writing weekly response papers, live discussions, online chat forums, and preparation of other written and/or oral assignments per week. Each course requires a final summative student assessment, such as a final written paper or translation, a written and/or oral final exam, or some combination of these. Part-time students (typically taking two courses per term) can expect about 12-16 hours of coursework per week. Double that for full-time students.

We have a number of requirements to be admitted to the Seminary. Find out more about them here.

No. RES is not accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency. We will notify students and update this website if that status changes. At the same time, the Seminary is committed to a system of ecclesiastical accountability to ensure our institutional and program quality assurance. You can find out more here about the Seminary’s Accountability, Authorization, and Accreditation.

If you use RES resources, such as our curricular materials, class forums, or live streaming connections, and experience problems, please contact us here to receive assistance.