Southern Baptist-affiliated Seminaries Remain Among Largest in U.S. Christian Education Enrollment

Liberty Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Virginia, now ranks as the largest with 4,050 full-time enrolled students and a headcount of 5,507. The institution has a significant online enrollment, contributing to its overall numbers. Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity received ATS accreditation in 2020.

Fuller Theological Seminary, which was the largest seminary by enrollment in 2016, has seen a more than 50% decline in full-time enrolled students, dropping from 1,542 in the 2015-16 academic year to 657 in the 2023-24 year. It no longer ranks in the top 10 for full-time equivalent enrollment and is 8th largest in headcount with 1,614 students.

Southern Baptist-affiliated seminaries continue to lead in enrollment. Institutions such as Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and Gateway Seminary all appear in the top 10.

The non-denominational evangelical Dallas Theological Seminary, the only historically dispensationalist school on the list, ranks fourth. Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky, an evangelical institution in the Wesleyan tradition, ranks seventh. Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, based in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest seminary in the evangelical-Reformed tradition. Many Southern Baptist institutions also have a significant Reformed contingent.

All of the largest seminaries in the country are evangelical. This trend reflects a continued focus on theological education within the broader evangelical community. The data highlights the dynamic nature of seminary enrollments and the shifting landscape of theological education in the United States.

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