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Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Wake Forest, NC | OPEID: 00296300

Private nonprofit4-year or aboveLarge suburbAccredited by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
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Admissions & graduation

Selectivity, enrollment, and graduation outcomes.

Acceptance rate

74.6%

Most recent year: 2024

Enrolled, first-time

118

Most recent year: 2024

78.7% yield

Graduation rate

17.4%

6-year cohort, 2024; 92 students

Completion within 8 years, all students

43%

Students who started in 2016-17 (111), including part-time and transfer students

First-time, full-time students: 56% (32)

Student-to-faculty ratio

9:1

Most recent year: 2024

Test scores

SAT (median): 600 EBRW / 510 Math
ACT composite (median): 23

Most recent year: 2024; students who submitted scores (many schools do not require them)

Test score ranges, fall 2024

SAT middle half: 540–660 reading and writing, 460–590 math (27% of new students submitted)
ACT composite middle half: 21–24 (20% of new students submitted)

25th to 75th percentile of enrolled first-time students who submitted scores; students who did not submit are not counted

Acceptance rate trend

201920202021202220232024

Source: NCES IPEDS (Admissions)

Graduation rate by group (6-year rate, bachelor's-degree-seeking students who started in 2018; students in each group in parentheses)

By race and ethnicity

White60% (77)

By aid received

Neither Pell nor subsidized loan59% (92)
All students59% (92)

From IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) and the Pell Grant / Direct Subsidized Loan graduation-rate component, 2024-25 collection. Rate is completers within 150% of normal program time divided by the adjusted cohort. Groups with fewer than 30 students are not shown. The headline graduation rate above comes from a different IPEDS file with a slightly different cohort definition, so an all-students figure here can differ from it by a point or two. Differences between groups reflect many things besides the school itself, such as who enrolls and how much support students have.

Who enrolls (fall 2024, all 3,220 students)

By gender

Women33% (1,058)
Men67% (2,162)

By race and ethnicity

White79% (2,530)
Hispanic or Latino7% (215)
Black or African American5% (155)
Asian5% (145)
Race and ethnicity unknown4% (133)
American Indian or Alaska Native1% (35)
Nonresident (international students)0% (4)
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander0% (3)

Online learning

Take no courses online38% (1,208)
Take some courses online28% (898)
Take courses only online35% (1,114)

Undergraduates: 957 (46% women) · Graduate students: 2,263 (27% women)

From the IPEDS Fall Enrollment (EF) survey, fall 2024 headcount of all enrolled students. IPEDS reports gender as men and women and race and ethnicity in federal categories; nonresident students are not classified by race. Online learning counts students taking distance-education courses in fall 2024 (IPEDS Fall Enrollment, distance education). These figures describe who enrolls, not how any group fares at the school. The Department of Education has not endorsed MajorPays' presentation.

Over the 2023-24 year, 4,118 different students were enrolled at some point, including 742 high school students taking college courses. Source: NCES IPEDS 12-month Enrollment, 2023-24 (every student enrolled at any time during the year, counted once; high school students are counted in the total; provisional data). A count of people enrolled, not a measure of quality.

Total enrollment trend (fall headcount)

3.2k
3.3k
3.0k
2.8k
2.9k
3.2k
201920202021202220232024

Source: NCES IPEDS Fall Enrollment, total headcount of all students each fall (2019 to 2024; the 2024 figure is provisional). A school that merges, adds or closes a campus, or changes which campuses it reports together, can show a sudden jump that is not a change in students.

Graduation rate trend

63%
39%
54%
47%
17%
201920202021202220232024

Source: NCES IPEDS Graduation Rates, the share of each entering class that completed a bachelor’s degree (four-year schools) or any award (two-year schools) within 150% of normal time (6 or 3 years); the entering class is six or three years before the survey year shown; the 2024 figure is provisional; less-than-two-year schools are not included

Degrees awarded trend

471
497
640
569
524
518
2018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-24

Source: NCES IPEDS Completions, degrees awarded each academic year (associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral, first majors; 2023-24 is a provisional release): the number of awards, not of people, and not a measure of quality. A school that merges, adds or closes a campus, or changes which campuses it reports together, can show a sudden jump that is not a change in students.

Who attends and how they fare

Students who return for year two

85%

Full-time retention rate

Part-time undergraduates

36%

Share of undergraduates

Undergraduates age 25 or older

26%

Share of undergraduates

From the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Creative Commons Attribution), most recent release. Retention is the share of first-time, full-time students who return the next fall. First-generation share and median family income describe students who received federal aid. Repayment is the share of student borrowers who had repaid at least $1 of their loan principal within three years of entering repayment, not the share who paid in full. MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; the Department of Education has not endorsed them.

Campus and admissions policies

Admission policy

Selective or limited

Has admission requirements

Undergraduate application fee

$40

Academic calendar

Semester

Campus housing

815 spaces

Meal plan offered

Religious affiliation

Southern Baptist

Undergraduates registered with disabilities

4%

Share of undergraduates

Offered: Employment services for students · Job placement for graduates

From the IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (2024-25 collection, provisional; housing, meal plan and application fee from the Cost component). Open admission means the school admits students without selective criteria for most programs. Services and opportunities are those the school reported offering. The Department of Education has not endorsed MajorPays’ presentation.

How old students are (fall 2024)

Undergraduates

Under 2054% (504)
20 to 2420% (189)
25 to 3410% (96)
35 and older16% (147)

Graduate students

20 to 2415% (343)
25 to 3441% (926)
35 and older44% (991)

From the IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (enrollment by age, fall 2024; the age component is collected in full only in odd years, so some schools show fall 2023), U.S. Dept. of Education, NCES; students of unknown age are left out and levels with fewer than 30 students are not shown. Undergraduates under 20 can include high school students taking college courses. The counts describe who enrolls, and the Department of Education has not endorsed the MajorPays presentation.

Who earns degrees here (degrees awarded 2023-24)

Bachelor's degrees: 77
Women34% (26)
Men66% (51)
White82% (63)
Hispanic or Latino8% (6)
Master's degrees: 379
Women34% (129)
Men66% (250)
White71% (268)
Hispanic or Latino12% (45)
Asian11% (41)
Race and ethnicity unknown3% (12)
Black or African American2% (9)
Doctoral degrees (research, professional and other): 60
Women15% (9)
Men85% (51)
White83% (50)

From the IPEDS Completions survey (awards and degrees conferred, academic year 2023-24, provisional release that includes estimates for institutions that did not respond), U.S. Dept. of Education, NCES; first majors only, so a graduate with two majors is counted once. Levels with fewer than 30 degrees, and race and ethnicity groups with fewer than 5 degrees, are not shown. IPEDS reports gender as men and women and race and ethnicity in federal categories; nonresident students are not classified by race. These counts describe who earns degrees here, not how any group fares, and MajorPays does not rank institutions and does not provide advice. The Department of Education has not endorsed the MajorPays presentation.

What is studied here (degrees awarded 2023-24, by broad field; the largest fields at each level)

Bachelor's degrees (77 awarded)

Theology and Religious Vocations64.9% (50)
English Language and Literature, Letters13.0% (10)
Multi, Interdisciplinary Studies6.5% (5)
Philosophy and Religious Studies6.5% (5)
All other fields9.1% (7)

Master's degrees (379 awarded)

Theology and Religious Vocations73.1% (277)
Philosophy and Religious Studies13.7% (52)
Health Professions and Related Programs6.3% (24)
Multi, Interdisciplinary Studies3.7% (14)
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services2.4% (9)
All other fields0.8% (3)

Doctoral degrees (research, professional and other) (60 awarded)

Theology and Religious Vocations93.3% (56)
All other fields6.7% (4)

From the IPEDS Completions survey (degrees conferred July 2023 to June 2024, first majors only, provisional release that includes estimates for institutions that did not respond), U.S. Dept. of Education, NCES, grouped by the 2-digit field families of the Classification of Instructional Programs 2020. A level is shown only when at least 30 degrees were awarded, and fields with fewer than 5 degrees are included only in "All other fields". Degrees awarded are counts of awards, not of people, and say nothing about the quality of a program. MajorPays does not rank institutions or programs and does not provide advice. The Department of Education has not endorsed the MajorPays presentation.

Where first-year students come from (fall 2024; 118 first-time undergraduates with a known residence)

From the same state61% (72)
From other U.S. states20% (24)
From other countries19% (22)

Most common other states: VA (9), SC (4), GA (3)

From the IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey, residence of first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates (the most recent collection each school reported; students whose residence was not reported are left out). It describes where new students lived when first admitted. The Department of Education has not endorsed MajorPays’ presentation.

Average pay, full-time instructional staff

$76,740

35 staff, 2024-25 (9-month basis)

Average pay by rank (staff in each group in parentheses)

Professors$90,327 (20)

From the IPEDS Human Resources survey (salaries of full-time, nonmedical, instructional staff, 2024-25), U.S. Dept. of Education, NCES. Salaries are averages for the group at this institution, converted to a 9-month basis (staff on contracts shorter than 9 months are excluded); they say nothing about any individual and depend on the mix of fields and ranks. The Department of Education has not endorsed the MajorPays presentation.

How long it takes to finish a bachelor’s degree (students who entered in fall 2018; 92 students)

Within 4 years9%
Within 5 years17%
Within 6 years17%

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, NCES, IPEDS Graduation Rates (derived rates): the share of full-time, first-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students who entered in fall 2018 and had completed a bachelor’s degree at this school within 4, 5 and 6 years (cumulative; provisional data). Students who transfer out or finish elsewhere are not counted as graduates. Shown only when the entering class had at least 30 students. Timing depends on the mix of programs and students, and the figures say nothing on their own about quality. MajorPays does not rank institutions and does not provide advice. The Department of Education has not endorsed the MajorPays presentation.

Where the money goes (expenses, 2023-24)

Total expenses

$35.8 million

2023-24, all purposes

Instruction spending per student

$5,721

1,760 full-time-equivalent students; includes departmental research and medical instruction not budgeted separately

Instruction28.1%
Research0.0%
Public service0.0%
Academic support15.1%
Student services3.8%
Institutional support35.8%
All other (scholarships and grant aid, auxiliary enterprises, hospitals, independent operations and other)17.3%

From the IPEDS Finance survey (2023-24; forms F1A, F2 or F3 depending on the accounting standard the institution follows) and IPEDS 12-month enrollment (full-time-equivalent students), U.S. Dept. of Education, NCES. Shares are each function as a share of total expenses. Some institutions report finances for several campuses together (their students are added together here), and some values are estimates for institutions that did not report. Institutions with hospitals, large research programs or auxiliary enterprises spend much of their money outside instruction, and accounting rules differ between public and private institutions, so figures are not directly comparable between institutions. Spending is not a measure of quality. MajorPays does not rank institutions and does not provide advice. The Department of Education has not endorsed the MajorPays presentation.

Who works here (staff in full-time equivalents, fall 2024)

Full-time-equivalent staff

257

employees on the payroll, fall 2024, including medical school staff; graduate assistants not counted

Instruction, research and public service19.1% (49)
Librarians, archivists, student and academic affairs and other education services20.2% (52)
Management18.3% (47)
Business and financial operations2.3% (6)
Computer, engineering and science2.3% (6)
Community service, legal, arts and media5.1% (13)
Healthcare practitioners and technical0.0% (0)
All other (service including healthcare support, office, maintenance, sales, production)32.7% (84)

From the IPEDS Human Resources survey (full-time-equivalent staff by occupational category, fall 2024), U.S. Dept. of Education, NCES. Full-time-equivalent staff count each part-time employee as one third of a full-time one; counts include medical school staff where the institution has one but not graduate assistants. Institutions with hospitals, research centers or athletic programs employ many people outside teaching, and some campuses report together (figures for child campuses are estimates allocated from the parent), so counts are not directly comparable between institutions. MajorPays does not rank institutions and does not provide advice. The Department of Education has not endorsed the MajorPays presentation.

Full-time faculty by tenure status (35 full-time instructional staff, fall 2024)

Tenured0% (0)
On the tenure track0% (0)
Not on the tenure track or no tenure system100% (35)
Without faculty status0% (0)

From the IPEDS Human Resources survey, full-time instructional staff by faculty and tenure status (fall 2024; provisional), U.S. Dept. of Education, NCES. Only full-time instructional staff are counted, so part-time instructors (adjuncts) do not appear here and the figures do not show who teaches any particular class. “Not on the tenure track” includes schools with no tenure system and staff on contracts. A larger share of tenured or tenure-track faculty is not a sign of a better or worse school. MajorPays does not rank schools. The Department of Education has not endorsed the MajorPays presentation.

Acceptance rate is admitted ÷ applicants; yield rate is enrolled ÷ admitted. Graduation rate is completers within 150% of normal program time ÷ the adjusted cohort size. From IPEDS Admissions (ADM), Graduation Rates (GR), and Fall Enrollment (EF) survey components. Completion within 8 years is from the IPEDS Outcome Measures (OM) component: the share of degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates who started in 2016-17 and earned any award from this school within eight years, counting part-time and transfer-in students that the standard graduation rate leaves out; the Department of Education has not endorsed MajorPays' presentation.

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Outcomes after enrolling

What students earned and how they repaid federal loans, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Undergraduates with a Pell Grant

19%

Undergraduates with a federal loan

0%

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard (institution-level data, June 2026 release), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution. MajorPays has selected and reorganized these measures; the Department has not endorsed them. Earnings are for students who received federal financial aid and were working and not enrolled 6, 8 and 10 years after first entering the school; family income groups are thirds of students' reported family income. Repayment shows undergraduate federal loan borrowers by status after entering repayment (deferment and forbearance are combined). The monthly amount on the debt card is the Department's calculation of a standard 10-year payment at 4.99% interest on the median federal debt of students who completed; actual payments depend on the repayment plan. A dash means the value is not published, often because too few students were in the group.

Earnings and debt by program

Master's degrees

ProgramDegrees awarded in 2020-21Median earnings 1 year afterMedian earnings 4 years afterMedian federal loan debt
Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies19—$62,952—
Theological and Ministerial Studies213$54,863$71,527—

Doctoral degrees

ProgramDegrees awarded in 2020-21Median earnings 1 year afterMedian earnings 4 years afterMedian federal loan debt
Theological and Ministerial Studies40—$95,347—

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard Field of Study data (June 2026 release; Creative Commons Attribution license; MajorPays selected and reorganized the figures). Earnings are the median for graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school, 1 year after finishing (graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20, in 2022 dollars) and 4 years after (graduates of 2014-15 and 2015-16, in 2021 dollars); debt is the median federal Stafford and Grad PLUS loan debt of graduates who borrowed, including loans taken at other schools (Parent PLUS and private loans are not included; graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20). A dash means the Department did not publish the figure, usually because the group was small. The counts of degrees awarded are awards in 2020-21, a different year from the graduates measured for earnings and debt, and are awards, not people. Programs are grouped by the Department’s four-digit program codes, listed alphabetically within each degree level, not ranked. Earnings and debt differ for many reasons besides the program, such as the students’ backgrounds and the local job market, and the earlier cohorts predate recent changes. The Department of Education has not endorsed the MajorPays presentation. MajorPays does not provide advice.

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Cost

Tuition, net price, and how it's changed over time.

Tuition & fees

$11,318

Most recent year: 2024

Net price

$16,031

Most recent year: 2023

Cost of attendance, on campus

$22,974

2024-25 published charges: Tuition & fees $11,318 + books $800 + room & board $7,123 + other $3,733

Graduate tuition & fees (full-time): $6,516

Net price by family income (average price after grants and scholarships)

$0 to $30,000$18,587
$30,001 to $48,000$12,263
$48,001 to $75,000$11,970
$75,001 to $110,000$4,099

Net price by family income is the average price after grants and scholarships for first-time, full-time undergraduates who received federal aid, by family income bracket (College Scorecard, most recent year). Brackets with few students can look out of order; read them as rough guides.

Tuition & fees trend

$7k
$8k
$8k
$10k
$11k
$9k
$10k
$10k
$10k
$10k
$11k
$11k
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Affordability & Transparency Center (CATC)

Net price trend

$11k
$10k
$7k
$8k
$16k
$12k
$13k
$16k
$16k
$16k
$11k
$16k
2008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Affordability & Transparency Center (CATC)

Tuition & fees is the institution's published sticker price; net price is the average price after grants and scholarships for first-time, full-time undergraduates receiving aid (lags tuition by one year in CATC's own reporting).

Cost of attendance adds the school’s published charges for tuition and fees (in-state), books and supplies, room and board, and other expenses for a full-time undergraduate in 2024-25 (provisional data). It is a sticker total, not what a student pays after grants and scholarships. From the NCES IPEDS Cost component (2024-25 data are provisional); the Department of Education has not endorsed MajorPays' presentation.

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Financial aid

Grants and loans received by full-time first-year students.

Received any aid

71.0%

Most recent year: 2024

Pell grants

29.0%

of students received one

Average award: $4,489

Federal grants

29.0%

of students received one

Average award: $4,489

Student loans

7.0%

of students took one out

Average amount: $10,167

Share of students receiving any aid

57.0%
96.0%
52.0%
67.0%
67.0%
71.0%
201920202021202220232024

Source: NCES IPEDS (Student Financial Aid)

Cohort is full-time, first-time undergraduates (a typical incoming class), not the whole student body. Pell grants are federal need-based grants for lower-income students; federal grants also includes Pell. Averages are among students who received that type of aid.

Veterans and service members (2023-24)

56 students received Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits ($5,541 on average, $310,295 in all).

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, NCES, IPEDS Student Financial Aid component, Military Service and Veteran’s Benefits (academic year 2023-24; reported by each school; shown when at least 10 students received the benefit). Recipients can include spouses and dependents, and Yellow Ribbon matching aid is not included. These are counts of students and dollars, not a rating of how a school treats veterans or service members, and they do not say who may enroll. The Department of Education has not endorsed the MajorPays presentation. MajorPays does not provide advice.

Links from the school

Admissions office · How to apply · Financial aid office · Net price calculator · Veterans’ benefits

Web addresses the school itself reported to the U.S. Dept. of Education (IPEDS directory, 2024-25). MajorPays does not control these sites and cannot vouch for them; the addresses may be out of date. Always check the school’s own site for current prices and deadlines. MajorPays does not provide advice.

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Finances

Revenue, expenses, and financial indicators.

Core revenue

$33,633,422

Most recent year: 2024

Core expense

$29,646,445

Total operating expense

Instruction spending

$5,721

Per FTE student

Endowment

$25,545

Per FTE student

Equity ratio

80.0%

Equity divided by total assets

Reported as a private nonprofit institution, FASB accounting standard. Core revenue/expense are total operating figures (not per-student). Equity ratio is the share of total assets financed by equity rather than debt (shown only between -100% and 100%; what is typical varies a lot by sector, and this is not a judgment of the institution). From IPEDS Finance survey component.

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Staffing

Faculty salary and staff counts (full-time equivalent).

Total staff

257

Full-time equivalent

Instructional staff

48

Full-time equivalent

Average salary is equated to a 9-month contract for full-time instructional staff. FTE (full-time equivalent) staff counts combine full- and part-time staff into a single comparable headcount. From IPEDS Human Resources survey component.