wfn.org | LCMS - Enrollments continue to climb at LCMS colleges, seminaries

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod
Board for Communication Services

LCMSNews -- No. 69
October 24, 2002

Enrollments continue to climb
at LCMS colleges, seminaries

By Joe Isenhower Jr.

Total enrollment at the Synod's 10 Concordia University System (CUS) 
colleges and universities is at an all-time high. The number of LCMS 
students at those schools also continues to rise, and total seminary 
enrollments climbed for the third straight year.

The total fall enrollment, including the two seminaries, is 17,042 (738 
more than reported last year); the number of Missouri Synod students at the 
CUS schools is 4,920 (157 more); and the number of seminarians is 1,010 (up 
eight).

The St. Louis-based office of the Synod's Board for Higher 
Education/Concordia University System (BHE/CUS) collected and compiled 
enrollment and other data from the schools and released it earlier this 
month in a "Statistical Report."

In the minus column is the number of CUS students who are studying for 
church-work vocations -- 2,854, or 189 less than a year ago, when there 
were five fewer church-work students from the previous year. There are 420 
preseminary students at the colleges and universities, which is 26 fewer 
than last year.

"Please note that a one-year comparison is not the entire story," said Dr. 
William F. Meyer, executive director of the BHE/CUS. "Total enrollment on 
the 12 campuses has increased 15.8 percent over the past five years and the 
number of students preparing for ministry has declined only 1 percent."

Meyer said that the 2001 Synod convention eliminated several categories 
formerly counted as church-work students, which  is "one factor that 
accounts for a drop in the number of church-work students over the five 
year period."

Also, he said, a number of the schools "have small endowments, so they are 
not able to provide the discounts to tuition that future workers of the 
church expect. Increased gifts for endowments to assist students 
financially must be pursued."

Meyer said that the Synod's "For the Sake of the Church" campaign has 
"significantly increased" such endowments. The campaign seeks to double the 
number of LCMS students at the CUS schools and generate $400 million in 
endowments for them by 2010.

Eight LCMS schools showed enrollment increases this year, and four 
indicated that their enrollments declined. This year's fall enrollments 
(including undergraduate and graduate students) at the CUS colleges and 
universities is as follows:

Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Mich., 548 (down 10 from last year); 
Concordia University at Austin, Texas, 1,073 (up 136); Concordia College, 
Bronxville, N.Y., 654 (down 18); Concordia University, Irvine, Calif., 
1,648 (up 257); Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, 4,904 (up 94); 
Concordia University, Portland, Ore., 1,085 (up 31); Concordia University, 
River Forest, Ill., 1,802 (down 168); Concordia College, Selma, Ala., 972 
(up 214); Concordia University, St. Paul, Minn., 1,921 (up 148); and 
Concordia University, Seward, Neb., 1,425 (up 56).

The total enrollment at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, this 
year is 392 (down nine); and at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, 618 (up 
17).  Those enrolled in the seminary's programs are: master of divinity, 
703 (up 12); alternate route (residential), 80 (up 10); and alternate route 
by Distance Education Leading To Ordination (DELTO), 43 (down 26).

In the category of church-work students (other than preseminary), 
enrollment at all the CUS schools is as follows: Lutheran teacher, 1,708 
(down 170); director of Christian education, 430 (up 28); director of 
Christian outreach, 39 (up one); deaconess, 29 (up one); lay ministry, 150 
(down 37); director of parish music, 33 (up 17); and director of family 
life ministry, 45 (down three).

As in years past, there is a range in comparisons of tuition and room-and 
board costs per year at the CUS colleges and universities. The lowest of 
the combined cost is $9,564, at Selma. The next lowest cost jumps to 
$18,934, at Seward.  The highest combined tuition and room-and-board cost 
is $24,200, at Bronxville.

For the seminaries, the combined tuition and room-and-board cost at Fort 
Wayne is $16,446, and the cost at St. Louis is $18,075.

Meyer said that upwards of 80 percent of CUS students receive some type of 
financial aid and that both seminaries continue to guarantee financial aid 
to eliminate debt from tuition costs.

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LCMSNews release, contact Joe Isenhower Jr. via e-mail at 
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