Fall 2016 Brings Record Enrollment, New and Updated Campuses
With the new academic year starting, Billy Todd, registrar for DTS, announced encouraging news that the enrollment for the fall 2016 census exceeded 2,400 students with a total headcount of 2,403. According to Todd, this represents an increase of 10.5 percent over the school’s 2015 fall semester enrollment.
“It is an encouragement to me to see the enrollment for the fall 2016 semester,” Dr. Mark Bailey, president, said. “We can point to nothing other than God’s undeserved grace as he continues to bless our mission to train ministry leaders, missionaries, counselors, artists, and pastors for his glory.”
For the past several years, DTS’s overall enrollment has grown, but this growth was derived from extension sites and online education, with slight declines in the Dallas campus enrollment. This year, however, all campuses and delivery methods are growing, and enrollment has steadied at the historic Dallas campus.
The flagship Master of Theology (ThM), now offered in Dallas, Houston, and DC, saw increased enrollment for the first time in several years, which may have been due in part to the new Last Year Free scholarship program. In addition, the new 36-hour Master of Biblical and Theological Studies (MBTS) degree, designed for business leaders and church volunteers, is also growing, as are the Chinese and Spanish language programs. The Washingon, DC campus saw the largest percentage growth from 70 students in fall 2015 to 123 students this fall, and the Online campus saw the largest gain in total number of students, moving from 657 students to 762 (including both English and Chinese students).
DTS also made adjustments and additions to its extension sites in order to better serve the needs of students in each location. The Knoxville extension, opened in 2009, moved to Nashville, and the Tampa extension is no longer in operation. DTS continues to offer classes at its extensions in Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; Houston, Texas; San Antonio, Texas; and Washington, DC and began offering courses in two new locations this fall: Northwest Arkansas and New York City.
Further growth for the school is expected, especially in light of its partnership with the Passion City Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Classes are now underway in “beta” format, and Passion Global Institute will officially launch at Passion 2017 in January where it will be announced to over 100,000 potential students.
President Mark Bailey reaffirms DTS’s dedication to serving its students, partners, and alumni, saying, “We thank the Lord for his provision and many blessings and we take this as an opportunity with a deep sense of stewardship and responsibility. We are privileged to serve alongside those who continue to stay committed to working together to develop and equip the next generation of ministry leaders.”
To apply or enroll at Dallas Theological Seminary, visit dts.edu/apply, and for more information about our programs, visit dts.edu/degrees.
