Admissions

Simply click here to get started. You will need to create a username and password for your online account. That will enable you to work on your application over a period of time.

If you are having technical issues with our online application system, the best place to start is to contact the Office of Admissions by phone at 626.584.5400 or 1.800.2.FULLER, or via email at admissions@fuller.edu.

You can also contact the help desk for the online system we use by emailing  support@targetx.com

Applicants to most master's level programs in the School of Theology and the School of Intercultural Studies may begin in any quarter. The deadline is normally approximately two months prior to the start of the quarter, but we admit students on a rolling basis, so the sooner you apply, the sooner you will receive an admissions decision.

Note: International students may begin online courses in any quarter, but they are allowed to begin on-campus classes only in the Fall Quarter. The application deadline for international students who want to begin in the Fall Quarter is March 31.

The MA in Global Leadership, MS in Marriage and Family Therapy, and our advanced degree programs all have their own application deadlines.

To see the application deadlines for all of our programs, please click here.

Since admission to our master's level and non-degree programs is on a rolling basis, once your application file is complete and all application materials have been submitted to the admissions office (including references, and transcripts, etc), the Admissions Committee will make a decision within three to four weeks. At that point, you will receive notice via email and/or letter from Fuller's Admissions Office informing you of the decision. 

For our doctoral programs in our three schools, as well as the MS in Marital and Family Therapy and MA in Global Leadership, admission decisions are based on application deadlines and cohort schedules. For complete details on deadlines, please click here.

Official paper transcripts should be mailed to:

Fuller Theological Seminary
Office of Admissions
135 North Oakland Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91182
USA

Paper transcripts must arrive in an envelope sealed by your school.

Electronic transcripts must be sent through an official third-party transcript vendor service directly to admissions@fuller.edu. If your school does not use an official third-party vendor service, you must request an official paper transcript.

Paper transcripts are only considered official by Fuller Seminary if they arrive at Fuller's Admissions Office in an envelope sealed by the issuing academic institution. Once sealed by the issuing institution, the envelope containing the transcript should not be opened by anyone (including the applicant) except a member of Fuller's staff.

Electronic transcripts must come through an official third-party transcript vendor service and must be sent directly to admissions@fuller.edu. If your school does not use an official third-party vendor service, you must request an official paper transcript instead. Scanned transcripts that are received as email attachments will not be accepted as official, regardless of the sender.

If you graduated from an institution, the official transcript must include the degree awarded and conferral date (for institutions outside of the U.S., a diploma certificate showing the degree awarded and conferral date may need to be requested in addition to the official transcript). It is at the discretion of the Office of Admissions to determine U.S. degree equivalency. You may be required to have your transcript officially evaluated by an external agency; please contact the Admissions Office for details.

Transcripts that have been opened by the applicant, electronic transcripts issued by the institution, photocopies, scanned copies, faxes, and printouts from student information websites will not be accepted as official.

Electronic transcripts must be sent through an official third-party transcript vendor service directly to admissions@fuller.edu. If your school does not use an official third-party vendor service, you must request an official paper transcript instead. Scanned transcripts that are received as email attachments CANNOT be considered official, regardless of the sender.

Yes. Applicants to degree programs are required to provide transcripts showing all undergraduate and graduate academic work from each college or university attended, regardless of how many courses you took there.

Applicants to a certificate program generally are required to submit only a bachelor's degree transcript. However, the Admissions Committee may request additional transcripts if a large amount of coursework was transferred in from another school.

Your application is complete once you have fully submitted your application, and we have received all materials such as transcripts, references, etc.

You will be able to tell that you are ready to submit your online application when you have all green check marks next to your application sections on the online application form. You do not need to have your references fully submitted or your transcripts sent in to be able to submit your online application (listed under "Application Requirements"). Once you have finished the required sections of your application, a new section will appear titled Verification. Once you finish the verification section, the Submit Application button will highlight and you can then submit your application in full.

Once you have fully submitted your online application, your application will display "Your application has been submitted." Once you see that confirmation, your application is complete. You may continue to log back into your online account and check the status of your admission requirements such as your references, transcripts, GRE scores, etc.

If you have any questions about your submitted materials, please contact the general admissions office directly: 626.584.5400 or 1.800.2.FULLER or admissions@fuller.edu.

Yes. At any point during the online application process, you can save your application and return to it later.

If you would prefer, we can send you paper version of the application either through the mail or via email as a PDF for you to download, print, and fill out by hand. The application fee is $100 for the paper version whether submitted by mail or by scanned PDF via email. We can assure you that our online application system is secure and safe for your personal information. 

If you would like a paper application, please contact the main admissions office: 626.584.5400 or 1.800.2.FULLER or admissions@fuller.edu.

All of Fuller's master's degree and certificate programs require that applicants hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.

Applicants whose gifts and calling have been verified by the church but who have not earned an accredited bachelor's or master's degree may be considered for admission to a Fuller degree or certificate program as a Special Student.

To read the Special Student admission requirements, please click here.

If at any point in the last year (or 4 quarters) you have taken, and completed with a passing grade, a class at Fuller, you are allowed to continue your degree by simply speaking with your advisor. You have a 4-quarter limit from the last time you took, and passed, a course at Fuller to start again without having to reapply for reinstatement. The option to apply for reinstatement is only available for the following programs: Doctor of Ministry, Master of Divinity, MA in Theology, MA in Theology and Ministry, MA in Intercultural Studies, Certificate in Church Planting, and Unclassified studies.

There are set time limits for completing your degree. For MA and MDiv degrees in the School of Theology, this limit is set at ten years. The time limit for the Th.M. degree is five years; for the D.Min. degree, seven years; and for the Ph.D. degree, eight years. There is a ten-year time limit for completion of degrees in the School of Intercultural Studies (master's or doctoral level). The limit for the M.S. degree in Marital and Family Therapy in the School of Psychology is seven years, and for all doctoral programs in that school, the limit is ten years.

If you have taken, and passed, classes at Fuller but it is after the 1 year (4 quarter) limit and before your 10-year limit, you can apply for a reinstatement. To find out how to apply as a reinstatement student, please click here.

If you were accepted into a degree program at Fuller, you have up to three quarters after the original quarter to which you applied to begin your studies (4 total quarters). For example, if you applied and were accepted to begin studies at Fuller during the Fall quarter of 2013, you have until the Summer quarter of 2014 to begin your studies.

If you are still within the 4 total quarter window, simply call the Admissions office and we will activate your account for the quarter in which you would like to start:

626.584.5400 or 1.800.2.FULLER or admissions@fuller.edu

If you are past the 4 quarters after you were accepted, but would like to start again, you will need to fully re-apply into the program you desire. This means you will need to submit a completely new application including new essays, new references, and the application fee. Depending on the timeline, we may still have your transcripts that you submitted. To be certain, please call our main Admissions Office.

You may change your starting term, degree program, or campus in the application portal at any time prior to submitting your application. If you want to make a change after you submit your application, you will need to contact your admissions counselor. You can also reach the Office of Admissions by phone at 626.584.5400 or 1.800.2.FULLER or via email at admissions@fuller.edu.

Most schools will be listed if you start typing out the name of your institution. If your school is not listed, simply type “unknown” and wait for the "Unknown School" option to appear. Click on "Unknown School" to submit it as your choice. Then, when we receive your transcripts in the mail, we will put your school information into your application for review.

In the MA, MDiv, and certificate programs, you may take any combination of on-campus and online courses. For other programs, please contact your admissions counselor.

To send a reminder to a recommender who has not yet received or finished their reference form, simply click on the link above the checklist that says "Recommendations." This will allow you to "Nudge" your different recommenders.

Nudging your recommender will send an email reminder to them with the link included. Once you click "nudge", a small yellow box will appear that confirms that an email has been sent. Sometimes these emails will wind up in the Junk or Spam folders of your recommenders. Please follow-up with your recommenders to ensure they have received the email. To change your recommender's information, or change to a completely new recommender, see questions 20-22 below.

If you have not yet submitted your application, you can click on the "Recommendations" section and then edit your recommender's information by simply typing over the existing fields and clicking "Save changes."

If you have submitted your application, you will not be able to edit your recommender's information. Please contact our Admissions Office and we can edit the information for you: 626.584.5400 or 1.800.2.FULLER or admissions@fuller.edu.

If you have not yet submitted your application, you can go in and delete your previous recommender and then create a new submission. Please do not simply type over the name of the old recommender and put in a new name as the online form that is sent will not have the right information. Delete your first reference and create a new reference submission.

If you have already submitted your application, the system will not allow you to change your recommender. Please call our main Admissions office and we can send a new form to your new recommender:

626.584.5400 or 1.800.2.FULLER or admissions@fuller.edu

If your recommender is having trouble with the online reference form, or simply does not want to do the online version, we can send you a PDF version of the reference either via email or through the mail. Please contact our office so we can determine which form your recommender needs.

Once you receive the PDF reference form, you will need to download and print the form. Please complete the section titled INSTRUCTIONS TO THE APPLICANT, then fax or mail this form to your recommender. Once your recommender completes the form, he/she can either e-mail it as a scanned attachment to admissions@fuller.edu, fax it back to the Office of Admissions at (626) 584-5449, or mail it to the following address:

Office of Admissions
Fuller Theological Seminary
135 N Oakland Ave
Pasadena, CA 91182

Once you have applied for admission into a program at Fuller, you will be issued a student number (G00000000). Once you have that student number, you are then able to apply for financial aid. The Student Financial Services (SFS) office will not process your file until you have been accepted, but applying before your admissions decision will speed up your financial aid process.

In order to apply for financial aid, you will need to visit the financial aid website. You will complete the necessary forms, and the SFS office will help you from there.

In order to be eligible for financial aid at Fuller, you need to be in at least 8 units per quarter (2 courses). 12 units per quarter (3 classes) is considered full-time.

The SFS office will help you with scholarships and grants. We are also fully accredited and certified for full US Federal Direct loans. Unfortunately, Fuller is unable to help prospective students find sponsors to help cover tuition.

Housing is only available at the Pasadena campus.

Once you have applied for admission into a program at Fuller, you will be issued a student identification number (G00000000). Once you have that student number, you are then able to apply for housing. The Housing office will not process your file until you have been accepted, but applying before your admissions decision will speed up your housing process.

In order to apply for housing, you will need to visit the housing website. You will complete the necessary forms, and the housing office will help you from there.

You must meet the following requirements to live on campus:

1. You must be accepted as a student at Fuller and be cleared by the Admissions Office.
2. You must register for at least 24 units of masters-level or 16 units of doctoral-level course work within an academic year. You are allowed to stay for 60 days after your last quarter ends.
3. If you are an international student-that is, if you are not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States-you must also be cleared by the International Services Office (ISO).

Fuller will consider accepting graduate-level theological coursework from schools accredited by the Association of Theological Schools [ATS] or a regional accrediting body. You can get the details, and learn how to request a transfer credit evaluation, here.

For immediate help, please contact the Welcome Center in Pasadena. We are open Monday-Thursday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, and Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Pacific Time:

• Phone: 626.584.5400 or 1.800.2.FULLER
• Email: admissions@fuller.edu
• Click here to chat with an Admissions representative (during normal business hours)