For Alumni For Community

MASTERS STUDENT ONBOARDING

Welcome to VTS!

We look forward to welcoming you into this beloved community. Life at VTS is grounded in a shared commitment to worship, fellowship, and study. As you prepare to join us in the fall, please take note of the information below. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to support you.

August Term Calendar

Academic Calendar

Incoming Student Information

Scholarship and Meal Plan

  • Students enrolled in 12 or more credit hours per semester are automatically included in the VTS scholarship program. The VTS scholarship program includes full tuition, a meal plan based on your housing assignment, and housing (as available). For more details, please book an admissions consultation by clicking here.

Communication

  • In June, you will receive an invitation to join GroupMe with your incoming classmates. A member of our staff moderates the group and is available for any questions.
  • Additionally, beginning the first week in June, VTS will send a weekly newsletter to your VTS email account.

Move-In Details

    • Incoming international students may move in from August 8th-10th.
    • All other incoming students may move in from August 8th-12th. Please be sure to move in before your orientation begins (International Student Orientation is on August 10th. All Incoming Student Orientation begins on August 12th)

Vestments 

All M.Div, Anglican Studies, and Pathways students are expected to serve in Immanuel Chapel during their time at VTS. Serving in chapel requires appropriate vestments.

  • For Morning and Evening Prayer, a black cassock and surplice are required.
  • For Holy Eucharist, a cassock-alb is required (an alb, amice, and cassock may be substituted if desired).

Apartment Fees

  • Apartments: one-time, non-refundable fee of $500
  • Pets (Apartments ONLY) one-time, non-refundable fee of $500 per pet
    • Fees and proof of renter’s insurance are due July 15th

Summer Reading List 

Students are required to complete the assigned readings and coursework before August Term begins.

August Term

  • August Term is a required part of orientation at VTS. As mentioned above, international students begin orientation on August 10th. Then, all incoming students join for orientation starting August 12th.
  • Most incoming students will take courses during August Term. Kindly note that all courses are for credit. You will receive instructions on how to register for August Term in the June 18th newsletter.
    • PRXT 500 (Foundations for Ministry) *Required for M.Div., Pathway to Ministry, and MA in Christian Formation students; highly recommended for students in other MA tracks
    • CHWT 675 (Mapping Anglican Studies) *Required for Anglican Studies students only
    • WRRE 505 (Foundations of Theological Writing) *Recommended for students coming to VTS from an international background, those who are multilingual, those for whom English is a subsequent language, and those who seek to strengthen their cultural and theological academic skills for the North American seminary context
  • In addition to these area-specific courses, all incoming students must take Intercultural Competency.

Learning Accommodations
Students who have learning differences or disabilities should complete the form here

Academic Calendars

Registration & Transfer Credits

Incoming students will receive information about registration around June 15th through the summer newsletters.

Transfer Credits

Students who are requesting a review of transcripts need to request the “Supplemental Transcript Analysis Form” either as part of the enrollment form or independently through a request to the Admissions Office by no later than June 15th. All transfer credit requests will be reviewed by the Academic Dean and the Admissions Office for possible credit toward VTS degree program requirements. Students should check back to review the form as part of their populi profile to see what requested credits will transfer. Questions can be addressed to the Admissions Office: [email protected].

Transfer Credit Policy

The “Learning at VTS” guide has this to say about transfer credits:

  • Courses completed at the master’s or doctoral level at other accredited institutions may be counted toward the Master of Divinity and Master of Arts degrees, provided they are no more than 10 years old at the time of the request and the grade earned is a B or higher.
  • Master’s-level students must complete at least 2/3 of their credits at Virginia Theological Seminary (i.e., 32 credits out of the required 48 must be completed at VTS for the M.A. degree, 52 out of the required 78 must be completed at VTS for the M.Div. degree.)
  • For the M.Div. degree, students must also meet the two-year full-time residency requirement.
  • In all degree programs, not more than half of the credits required may have been earned as part of another degree program from VTS.”

Health Insurance

All full-time seminary students are required to maintain medical insurance that meets or exceeds “Minimum Essential Coverage” under the Affordable Care Act.

Students must submit proof of insurance by July 31st.

VTS offers a student health insurance plan through Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser Permanente will host a webinar in late June, and details will be shared with incoming students once scheduled. the webinar is scheduled). Zoom invitations will be emailed to your VTS email account.

Students are not required to participate in the Kaiser Permanente plan through VTS and may find alternatives through the marketplace or Medicaid.