Academic Excellence Scholarship Update
Starting Fall 2022, Phoenix Seminary will begin offering an updated Academic Excellence Scholarship model for current and future students. The update has been made in an effort to provide simplicity and flexibility for students. Additionally, the updated model incorporates a reduced tuition rate for the summer semester for students, regardless of GPA or credit load.
Academic Excellence Scholarship Update Summary
What is Staying the Same:
- Academic Excellence Scholarships will maintain their current GPA requirement (3.0 for President’s / 2.5 for Dean’s).
- The discount for the Academic Excellence Scholarships will remain the same (50% for President’s / 25% for Dean’s).
What is Changing:
- Academic Excellence Scholarships will now be awarded each fall and spring semester, rather than for an entire academic year. The summer semester will have a fixed rate for all students (excluding DMin and ThM) at $262 per credit hour.
- Eligibility for Academic Scholarships will now include a semester course requirement (3 courses for President's / 2 courses for Dean's) instead of an annual credit requirement.
- The summer semester will have a fixed rate for all students (excluding DMin and ThM) at $262 per credit hour with no credit or GPA requirement.
- Students will now be able to fluctuate between the President’s and Dean’s between semesters based on course load. (For example, a student who took a Leave of Absence or a student who is currently on the Dean’s Scholarship can qualify for the President’s Scholarship in the following semester by enrolling in three or more courses, assuming the student has the qualifying GPA.)
Click below to view the full details of the President’s and Dean’s Scholarships:
Three ways the updated scholarship model better serves Phoenix Seminary students:
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1. Simplification and Clarity
Moving to a semester course requirement for Academic Excellence Scholarships will reduce confusion on where students stand as it relates to eligibility. The previous model often caused confusion for students who had to regularly calculate how many credits they need to take each semester to stay on track for the annual credit requirement.
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2. Flexibility
Students have said the previous pace required to meet annual requirements, especially for the President’s Scholarship, was sometimes overwhelming. The updated Academic Excellence model is customized for how most students pursue theological training. It will match your pace of study. In semesters when students can take on three or more courses, they’ll be awarded the President’s Scholarship (50%). In semesters when students can only take two courses, they’ll be awarded the Dean’s Scholarship (25%). If a student takes a leave of absence (LOA) or can only take one course during a semester, they will still be eligible for an Academic Excellence Scholarship in the following semester as soon as they’re able to take the required amount of courses.
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3. Reduced Summer Rate
Because the Academic Excellence Scholarships will move to a semesterly model, there will be no summer course requirements in order to qualify for the scholarship. Eligibility for the Academic Excellence Scholarships will only be based on cumulative GPA and the courses enrolled for a spring or fall semester. Therefore, in the summer, Phoenix Seminary will offer a rate of $262/credit hour for students in eligible programs (MDiv, MABTS, MAM, MAC, and Grad Diploma). This will allow students the advantage of taking summer courses at a reduced rate at the current level of the President’s scholarship. We hope this will encourage you to make progress on your degree during the summer months.
FAQS
All students in eligible programs (MDiv, MABTS, MAM, MAC, and Grad Diploma) will receive a 50% tuition discount for any courses taken during the summer semester ($262.50/credit hour). This discount will not be dependent on the number of courses a student is enrolled in or on a student’s current GPA.
If you need to take a Leave of Absence for a semester, this will not affect your eligibility to receive an academic scholarship during the semester you return to take classes. As long as you have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 for the President’s or a 2.5 for the Dean’s, and as long as you’re enrolled for the required amount of courses for that semester, you will automatically receive the scholarship.
Academic scholarships will be applied to your net tuition balance each semester after all other internal or external scholarships or grants have been applied. For example, if you've also been awarded a Distinguished Scholarship, that award will be applied to your tuition balance first, and then the Academic Scholarship discount will be applied to your net tuition balance.
Academic Scholarships can also be combined with the Church Partnership Grant.
Additionally, Academic Scholarships will cover only the cost of tuition for credit courses. All non-credit courses, general fees, and books are not covered by this scholarship. This scholarship will not result in any refund or tuition credit for students who are fully funded by other scholarships.
If you need to take a lighter load one semester, you are welcome to do that. For that semester, you will simply be awarded the Dean’s 25% Scholarship. If you’re able to take three classes the following semester, you will receive the President’s 50% Scholarship again.
If you started your degree program before the Summer 2021 semester...
- To be eligible for the President's scholarship during a spring or fall semester, you will need to maintain a 3.0 and take at least two courses during that semester.
- To be eligible for the Dean's scholarship during a spring or fall semester, you will need to maintain a 2.5 and take at least two courses during that semester.
- All students in eligible programs (MDiv, MABTS, MAM, MAC, and Grad Diploma) will receive a 50% tuition discount for any courses taken during the summer semester ($262/credit hour). This discount will not be dependent on the number of courses a student is enrolled in or on a student’s current GPA.
You are able to advance to the President’s Scholarship if you are able to earn a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. Once you have reached that, you will be eligible for the President’s Scholarship the following semester provided that you enroll in at least three courses.
If you are a DMin student and you have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above from your previous institution (incoming students) or at Phoenix Seminary (current students), you are eligible for the Shepherd’s 25% Scholarship. This scholarship applies toward all required credit courses for the DMin program.
If you are a ThM student and you have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above from your previous institution (incoming students) or at Phoenix Seminary (current students), you are eligible for the Provost’s 25% Scholarship. This scholarship applies toward all required credit courses for the ThM program.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
If you are a current student and have questions about Academic Excellence Scholarships, please contact your Student Services Advisor. New or prospective students can email enrollment@ps.edu.
