Seminary Enrollment Increases 5.1%

Enrollment in the 203 seminaries belonging to the Assn. of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada increased 5.1% at the beginning of the 1989-90 school year, including gains by blacks, Latinos, Pacific/Asians and women.

However, while total enrollment was up, the percentage of full-time students continued to drop, reflecting a trend characteristic of seminary attendance during the 1980s.

“The sharp increase this year may well reflect the success of school efforts to serve a broader constituency with a variety of graduate-level programs,” Father William Baumgaertner, associate director of the association, said in releasing the report.

According to the report, the opening fall 1989 enrollment in schools belonging to the Vandalia, Ohio-based association totaled 56,082 compared to 55,405 a year earlier.