Costs

Student Financial Plans

Policies have been formed that make the Doctor of Ministry degree at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary affordable for pastors and other church leaders.

Three distinct financial plans exist. You will fit into one of these plans.

I. North American Division Employees

North American Division employees will be given a 66% discount from current Andrews tuition rates. Students normally take 8 credits per year for four years.

The cost per credit after the discount is commonly split three ways; the student pays a third, the conference a third, the union a third. The tuition is charged on an as-you-go, per-credit basis and is spread over the first four years. Students generally take four or five years to complete the 32-credit program; it must be completed in 6 years.

Some conferences cover the entire tuition. The cost of certain miscellaneous fees and books may or may not be included in your particular conference sponsorship. Travel may be reimbursed at full cost or a portion of the cost. Prospective doctoral students should communicate with their ministerial director for information about the local conference policy and to request tuition sponsorship.

Be sure to speak with your conference ministerial director and/or conference administration about participation in the program.

II. A Cohort Outside North America

The second plan is for persons who are in a cohort organized in a territory outside of the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. These cohorts normally pursue a limited selection of courses. Students in a cohort have subsidized tuition or a small tuition charge administered by the host division. Assistance with books, travel, and other expenses varies.

If you are in such a cohort, the Doctor of Ministry Committee will assign a group coordinator who will handle all the details of your financial plan for you. You will generally not process any financial matters with the University on your own. The group coordinator will communicate with you and the Doctor of Ministry office. The Doctor of Ministry office will handle the communication for your group with the Office of Student Finance.

Financial arrangements for students in cohorts at program sites outside of the United States, Canada, or Bermuda are formed by arrangement with the hosting church division. Students in such groups outside of the territory of the North American Division are considered to be Andrews students and will complete the Andrews application process and make satisfactory arrangements/payments regarding incidental expenses that will be incurred during the education process with the assistance of their coordinator.

III. Others

If you choose to come to the Andrews University campus as a full-time international student in the DMin program, you will enter the in-residence cohort which will form once every two years. Courses will be completed in three consecutive semesters, followed by an international ministry project (perhaps returning to your home field for the project) or a theoretical dissertation. A deferred tuition with a 50% discount is offered. Fifty percent of the tuition is charged at the initial registration. Those who return to ministry in their home fields in two years or less will not be charged the remaining deferred 50%.

Financial aid for a limited number of DMin students who are not under the NAD plan or the international cohort plan (outside the NAD) is available. Check with the DMin office for information.

General Information

Andrews University establishes the fees for all graduate programs. The University will ask students to present a balanced financial plan prior to acceptance. Doctor of Ministry students should read the Student Financial Plans Guideline from the Doctor of Ministry office and the financial policy section of the Andrews University Bulletin carefully. Payment plans are described in the Andrews University Bulletin and online at www.andrews.edu/SF.  

The first expense is the non-refundable application fee. The last fee a student is charged is the graduation fee. There are, however, charges for distance-education delivery, dissertation or project fees for copy editing, binding, and for digitizing. Each student will be given a personal student account at Andrews University, and may make arrangements to charge cafeteria and other relevant expenses to this account.

Fees as posted for the 2009-10 academic year are:

The Doctor of Ministry degree is a 32-credit program generally taken in 8 credits  per year. Payments are to be made to Andrews University in accordance with one of the University's payment options.

North American Division students who wish to take an intensive at a program or teaching site outside of the North American Division of the church may do so by arrangement with the Doctor of Ministry office.

10/15/2009

The next cohort for the Youth and Young Adult Ministry concentration will be coordinated by Dr. Steve Case. He is president of InvolveYouth, a parachurch organization that energizes young people for service.