FAQ

On what days and times are your classes held?
We currently offer in-person classes in Conway, Arkansas, on Monday and Tuesday nights from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm (CT) and 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm (CT) each night. The only class that is currently taught on Thursday night is Intro to Seminary Studies at 6:00 pm (CT).

We also offer on-campus intensives which usually consist of 3 days of on-campus seminars from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm (CT) each day with a lunch break in the middle. Most often, our intensives run Thursday through Saturday on the given week that they are scheduled. We usually offer one (1) on-campus intensive course per term (i.e., one in the Fall term, one in the Spring term, and one in the Summer term). Intensive courses require reading and completion of assignments before and after the on-campus seminars (i.e., pre-seminar work and post-seminar work).

Do you offer a distance (or online) program?
We do have a distance education track for students who live more than 90 minutes from our physical campus in Conway, Arkansas. Our distance education model is different from many seminaries. All learning is synchronous, meaning that students are required to log in to live classes via Zoom for real-time interaction with professors and other students. Although the majority of courses can be taken from a distance, a select number of courses in our curriculum are only offered in an on-campus intensive format (i.e., in-person). Distance students must travel to Conway for an on-campus intensive course at least once a year.

What do you require as part of the admissions process?

• Online Application, including one’s testimony of faith in Christ and one’s sense of calling to the ministry (includes subscription to a 12-point statement of evangelical essentials, Danvers Statement, Nashville Statement, and Dallas Statement)
• Pastoral Recommendation Letter
• Transcripts (from previous academic institutions) if applying to the M.Div. or MAPS programs
• $25 Application Fee (due before submission of one’s application for admission). The application will not be processed by GBTS until this fee is paid.
• Pending the approval of all submitted materials, the Director of Admissions and Enrollment and/or the Academic Dean will schedule an interview with the applicant.

What is the cost for the 2024-2025 academic year?
The semester fee at GBTS is $220, and the tuition for courses is $200 per credit. To provide an example, if you took three (3) classes this coming Fall 2024 with each course consisting of 3 credits apiece, that would be:

3 courses x 3 credits (per course) = 9 total credits
9 x $200 per credit = $1,800 tuition
+ $220 semester fee
= $2,020 total for the Fall 2024 semester

Payment Plan
GBTS has an installment plan for our students that allows them to pay their tuition across a four (4) month period beginning on the first day of class. For example, if the first day of class begins on the 11th of September, the first tuition payment would be due that day (September 11), followed by October 12, November 12, and December 12 as subsequent due dates. Semester fees are due on the day a student registers in each term.

Do you have scholarships?
Yes, Grace Bible Theological Seminary applies the Spare No Arrows Scholarship for all admitted students. Through the giving and support of generous donors and churches, all donations for scholarships are placed into one lump sum in the seminary’s budget each academic year to reduce the cost of tuition and fees for all students, making student costs as low as possible. The Spare No Arrows Scholarship is directly reflected in the affordability of a GBTS education.

Do you take transfer credits from other seminaries?
Yes, on a case-by-case basis, credits may be transferred toward the M.Div. and MAPS degrees only (not the Certificate program). We want to make sure a student’s earned credits were taken at a reputable seminary that provides solid biblical and theological content and rigorous grading. We can accept credits from graduate-level courses completed at other seminaries if there is a corresponding course or elective in our GBTS curriculum to which we can apply them.

We can accept a certain number of credits of master's level coursework from approved institutions, up to 27 credits for our 60-credit MAPS program, and up to 45 credits for our 100-credit M.Div. program. After a prospective student has started an official application at GBTS, the GBTS Registrar, upon direct request, can perform an unofficial transfer credit audit of the applicant’s previous coursework. To do an unofficial audit (i.e., to help determine how much previous coursework might transfer), the Registrar may use an unofficial transcript submitted directly from the student. However, to do an official audit in the future, we would need an official transcript sent directly to GBTS from the Registrar's Office of any previous institution.

Do I have to hold a Bachelor's degree (i.e., undergraduate degree) to attend GBTS?
The M.Div. and MAPS degrees require a bachelor’s degree for admittance. We are unable to admit an applicant to a master’s program (M.Div. or MAPS) for individuals who have not completed a bachelor’s degree.

All applicants without a bachelor's degree are encouraged to apply to the Certificate program. Our Certificate program offers the same courses and course professors as our master’s programs.

There will be an opportunity for students who are admitted to GBTS and excel in the Certificate program (i.e., ultimately finishing it to completion) to go further in their studies and take Diploma-level courses if approved by GBTS administration. All credits earned in the Certificate program may be transferred to the Diploma program. Our courses are quite challenging, though, requiring: (a) high-level research and writing; and (b) about 800 pages of reading per course. We want students without a bachelor's degree to achieve success, and starting them in the Certificate program is the best way to ensure that goal.

How many credits are required for each of your degree programs, and how long will it take to complete each degree?
The amount of time it takes to complete a degree varies from student to student, but the numbers below provide general estimates:

• Master of Divinity (M.Div.) - 100 credits
• Approximately 4-5 years of full-time study
• Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS) - 60 credits
• Approximately 3 years of full-time study
• Certificate of Ministry (Cert.) - 32 credits
• Approximately 2 years of full-time study

What are On-Campus Intensives?
Our on-campus intensives are courses offered live in Conway, AR, in which students attend 3-4 days of on-campus lectures. (There is no distance livestream for on-campus intensives.) These courses typically require reading and assignments prior to and following the on-campus meeting days, as well as ongoing interaction with the course professor and classmates.

Can international students study at GBTS?
Distance Students at GBTS are required to attend live Zoom classes and to participate in a select number of on-campus intensives as part of their degree program. Accordingly, we are only able to accommodate international students at the current time if the prospective student lives in North America or South America, in order to ensure that the individual is able to commit to faithful videoconferencing attendance (amid time zone differences). International students in North America or South America are exempt from our normal requirement of traveling to Conway once a year to take an on-campus intensive course, since such students are granted a travel hardship exemption.

Can female students attend GBTS?
Our seminary is focused on training men for pastoral ministry (2 Tim 2:2), and in keeping with the doctrinal convictions of our governing church (Grace Bible Church, Conway, AR) and the doctrinal and ethical standards of our institution, we believe the pastoral office is reserved for men (1 Tim 2:12; 3:2; Titus 1:6). Therefore, we only accept men to our programs. There are a number of other avenues for training that are not exclusively focused on pastoral ministry, and we would encourage female students to make use of them.

What is GBTS's purpose statement?
The purpose of Grace Bible Theological Seminary (GBTS) is to glorify God in the church by educating and equipping the next generation of pastors, church planters, and missionaries to see churches established and strengthened across the globe.

What are GBTS's doctrinal and ethical standards?
GBTS Faculty are required to subscribe, substantially, to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (2LBCF) of 1689 and to The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (1988), The Nashville Statement on Biblical Sexuality (2017), and The Dallas Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel (2018).

Prospective students must affirm the following statements of evangelical essentials for admission to GBTS:

a.) Student Doctrinal Affirmations

1. I believe in the authority and inspiration of the Holy Scriptures.
2. I believe that the God of the Bible is the only true and living God.
3. I believe that God is one in essence and three in persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
4. I believe that Christ was born of the virgin Mary.
5. I believe that Christ became a man in his incarnation while remaining at the same time fully God.
6. I believe that Christ lived a sinless and perfect life.
7. I believe that Christ died innocently on the cross to pay for the sins of guilty sinners.
8. I believe that Christ rose bodily from the dead.
9. I believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
10. I believe that Christ will physically appear again at the last day.
11. I believe that there will be a bodily, general resurrection of the dead.
12. I believe that those who are in Christ will enter into eternal joy, and those who are lost shall enter into eternal punishment.

Prospective students must also affirm the following ethical statements for admission to GBTS:

b.) Student Ethical Affirmations

• The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (1988) - The full text for this statement may be found at: https://cbmw.org/about/danvers-statement/
• The Nashville Statement on Biblical Sexuality (2017) - The full text for this statement may be found at: https://cbmw.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/The-Nashville-Statement.pdf
• The Dallas Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel (2018) - The full text for this statement may be found at: https://statementonsocialjustice.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SSJG-FINAL.pdf

Is GBTS an accredited seminary?
Yes. Grace Bible Theological Seminary is an accredited member of the Association of Reformed Theological Seminaries (ARTS).

Can I visit the GBTS campus?
Yes, prospective students are welcome to visit our campus in Conway, Arkansas. We are open to the public Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (CT). It is most prudent to schedule a visitation appointment in advance.

Do you accept the GI Bill or VA education benefits?
No, but our tuition rates are incredibly reasonable, and we welcome individuals engaged in current or former military service to look into our programs.