Students wanting to pay for a private school tuition may have trouble making ends meet. Depending on your family’s income and financial resources, you may need to supplement loans and government scholarships or grants with special grants just for students attending Christian universities and Bible colleges. Below is a list of grants that award a varied amount of money to students, including those attending Wesleyan schools, the seminary, and more. You can find matching programs, which depend on donations from a Christian organization or donor as well as the student’s school, plus grants for undergraduates, Ph.D. students and others.
- Wesleyan Loan/Grant: Undergraduate and graduate ministerial students are eligible for the Wesleyan Loan/Grant.
- FTE Undergraduate Felowships: The Fund for Theological Education awards undergraduate students who are exploring vocations and academic programs in ministry $2,000 per academic year plus a stipend to travel to and attend the FTE cConference on Excellence in Ministry.
- FTE Ministry Fellowship: Outstanding seminary students in their first year of a Master of Divnity program at an accredited theological school must be nominated by their dean or president for this fellowship. Students must have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 and seminary GPA of 3.3. Most fellowships award $10,000 for tuition assistance, living expenses and to fund a self-designed ministry project in the student’s second year.
- African American Ph.D/Th.D. Scholars: This is another fellowship from the FTE. Outstanding African American Ph.D/Tho.D. students are eligible for either a doctoral fellowship or a dissertation fellowship.
- Southern Baptist Church Matching Grant: Schools like Ouachita Baptist University will match up to $250 from a grant awarded by a Southern Baptist Church.
- Child-Spouse of Clergy Award: Schools like Ohio Wesleyan University offer variations of this grant. This particular grant is awarded to children or spouses of an ordained Methodist minister. Students must be pursuing their first undergraduate degree.
- Continuing Education Grant: National Ministries grants $250 to ministerial leaders who plan on enrolling in a continuing education program.
- The Charles B. Keesee Educational Fund, Inc.: The Charles B. Keesee Educational Fund, Inc. awards loans and grants to students from Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Students applying for a grant from this organization must be planning on entering a full-time Baptist vocation in ministry or another field. They must be full-time Master’s degree students at one of the following schools: Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Campbell University Divinity School, The Leland Center, or Gardner-Webb Divinity School.
- International Student Grant: International students entering the United States on an F-1 visa and who plan to pursue a degree that prepares them for Christian ministry are eligible for this grant. The grant is awarded to seven first-time students each school year.
- Bakker Family Missions: This link directs prospective students to the Calvin College website. The Bakker Family Missions grant awards students $3,600. Eligible students have parents who are U.S. citizens living abroad for the purpose of Christian ministry. Students must also have received most or all of their secondary education in a third world country.
