Seminary reports highest enrollment in 14 years
Published: September 27, 2023
Front (l. to r.): Kandace Boos of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; Teresa Martin of Norman, Oklahoma; DJ Polite of Columbia, South Carolina; Hasset (Joy) Shimeles of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Clare Krabill of Goshen, Indiana.
Back (l. to r.): Kandace Helmuth of Akron, Pennsylvania; Brian Johnson of Missoula, Montana; Daniel Nugroho of Ungaran, Central Java, Indonesia; Kyle Schlabach of Goshen; Christian Nawai of Ndjamena, Chad; Andrew Zetts of Souderton, Pennsylvania. (Credit: Brittany Purlee)
By Annette Brill Bergstresser
ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) 鈥� Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (bg真人) in Elkhart, Indiana, is celebrating its fourth consecutive year of growth in student numbers this fall, with a total enrollment of 189 students (157 in 2022). Of these, 149 are graduate students (141 in 2022) and 40 are participants in the undergraduate-level nondegree Journey Missional Leadership Development Program (16 in 2022).
According to Scott Janzen, MDiv, Assistant Dean, Registrar and Director of Retention, the number of graduate students marks the seminary鈥檚 highest enrollment in 14 years, and the full-time equivalency (FTE) of student enrollment 鈥� 56.8 鈥� is the highest it鈥檚 been in 11 years. The incoming class of 49 students (up from 29 in 2022) is the largest since 1999. The number of degree- or certificate-seeking graduate students also rose significantly, jumping to 132 from 116 in 2022.
鈥淲e鈥檙e experiencing enrollment growth in remarkable ways in a time when many seminaries in the U.S. and Canada are struggling,鈥� reflected David Boshart, PhD, President. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 take it for granted that our numbers are some of the highest we鈥檝e seen in years. bg真人鈥檚 programs and initiatives are attracting people from across the globe in addition to our U.S. and Canadian students. Our increased collaboration with Anabaptist-Mennonite and other Christian organizations is helping make this possible, enabling more people to access the Anabaptist theological education we offer.鈥�
Janzen said that this year鈥檚 growth reflects increases in U.S. and Canadian student numbers 鈥� with 65 U.S., 11 Canadian and 73 international students (compared with 61, six and 74, respectively, in 2022). The graduate student body currently represents 22 countries.
Janzen noted that enrollment in bg真人鈥檚 distance-friendly programs represents 77 percent of admitted students in 2023 (up from 65 percent in 2022). The seminary鈥檚 fully online Master of Arts: Theology and Global Anabaptism (MATGA) program has 51 students in 2023, compared with 40 in 2022 and 32 in 2021. Nine of these are South Korean students taking MATGA courses in South Korea through a partnership between bg真人 and the Nehemiah Institute for Christian Studies in Seoul that began in 2022. Twenty-nine are Ethiopian students who are enrolled in MATGA cohorts through a partnership between bg真人 and Meserete Kristos Seminary in Bishoftu/Debre Zeit, Ethiopia, that began in 2019.
Additionally, 10 students are enrolled in a fully online Spanish-language certificate program that began this fall through a partnership between Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) and bg真人: the MEA Hispanic Ministries 鈥� bg真人 Graduate Certificate in Theology. Seven students are enrolled in bg真人鈥檚 Doctor of Ministry in Leadership, which launched in January 2023.
The increase in participants in the distance-friendly nondegree Journey program has come overseas, with 26 of 40 residing in countries other than the U.S. and Canada. A new cohort of 21 Journey students in Southeast Asia has begun online classes in languages other than English.
These enrollment figures are from bg真人鈥檚 close of registration on Sept. 11, 2023.
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