Special Instructions

The international student community at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary is diverse, thriving, and valued by the entire Gordon-Conwell community. Our current international students on all our campuses represent 56 countries, including Australia, the UK, South Korea, Brazil, Nigeria, Macedonia, Haiti, the Philippines, Ethiopia, and many more. The current international students at the main campus represent 41 countries.

Click here for International Student application instructions.

A student applying for transfer from another seminary or graduate school is requested to submit a full application (which includes: three letters of recommendations, one church endorsement, official transcripts, an autobiography statement, a personal statement, and an application fee), including a "Statement of Explanation and Purpose" for the proposed transfer. You can include this explanation in your Personal Statement. In addition, the student must include a letter from the current seminary/graduate school indicating that he/she is a "student in good standing." This letter should come from the Registrar or Academic Dean. Transfer credit will only be evaluated for applicants who have submitted a full application. Apply online today!

In summary, a transfer student should complete the following:

• Full Application 
• Statement of Explanation and Purpose 
• Letter of Good Standing

If you are currently a student in good standing at another accredited seminary, you are welcome to take classes at Gordon-Conwell.

There is an abbreviated application process for Visiting Students. On the application, make sure you select “Visiting Student” as your degree. Mark “Semlink” if you are planning to take classes through our distance education program. Follow the directions for visiting students on the Special Instructions PDF on the left-hand side of the application. We require that you submit a letter from your Academic Dean or Registrar indicating that you are currently a student in good standing at your seminary and that coursework from Gordon-Conwell will be applied to your degree requirements there. You do not need to send recommendations, personal statements or transcripts.  

In summary, a visiting student should complete the following:

• Full Application
• Transcripts are not required.
• Please include a letter from your Academic Dean or Registrar indicating that you are currently a student in good standing at your seminary and that coursework from Gordon-Conwell will be applied to your studies there.

Begin your application online today!

Semlink is a web-based distance education program offered by Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Both residential and non-residential students are encouraged to take advantage of this program. Semlink allows you to study at your own pace, when and where it is most convenient for you. Students are given five or six months to complete a Semlink course.

Although Semlink courses may be started at any time, they are only registered under three semesters: fall, spring and full-summer. Students can complete up to one-third of a degree program through Semlink. In order to begin courses, you must first be accepted to the program. Please see the Admissions Procedure for more details.

Semlink course materials consist of a CD-ROM or an Educational Packet. The course materials contain audio lectures and a study guide with lecture outlines, study questions and a bibliography for further reading. These resources are complemented by Semlink Online - the companion website that provides resources for formation and allows significant interaction among students and between students and instructors.

Before a student begins taking classes on campus, Semlink courses are approximately half the price of a regular course at South Hamilton. To learn more about the Semlink program, tuition fees and course offerings, please visit the Semlink page.

Current Gordon-Conwell students who wish to add a second degree program or change their current program should complete one of the following abbreviated applications. Should you wish to add a Master of Arts in Counseling (MACO) degree, please see the necessary requirements here. Completed applications should be submitted to the Admissions Office.

Change of Status/Second Degree Application (.pdf)

Current Gordon-Conwell students who desire to transfer to the Hamilton campus should complete the following abbreviated application. Completed application forms should be submitted to the Hamilton Admissions Office. If you are a current Hamilton student and desire to transfer to another Gordon-Conwell campus, contact the Admissions Office of the campus to which you would like to transfer.

Campus Transfer Application (.pdf)

For Gordon-Conwell graduates or former students who would like to resume coursework, the following paperwork is required. Please email the Admissions Office at admrep@gcts.edu if you are not sure how long it has been since your last class.

Application to Reactivate Status (.pdf)

The Master of Arts in Counseling is a degree program for individuals who wish to prepare themselves for professional counseling positions as mental health counselors or marriage and family therapists or who wish to pursue further studies in psychology. Upon completion of the program, graduates are qualified to sit for the mental health counselor or marriage and family therapist licensure examination(s) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The Master of Arts in Counseling program seeks to provide Christian training in biblical, theological and psychological disciplines. A major feature of this program is its commitment to supervised clinical practicum and internship experience. The integrative seminars provide an opportunity for the integration of biblical and theological studies with counseling theory and practice. The students admitted to this program will be placed in a variety of professional practicum and internship sites. Regular individual supervision of students will take place in the clinical setting. Students will often have the opportunity to participate in seminars, workshops, staff meetings, group supervision and other professional development activities. Those who complete this training program in counseling may expect significant growth in their professional development in preparation for Christian and/or secular employment opportunities. Apply online today!

Admission Requirements

Applicants admitted to this program:

1. Must have a vocational goal requiring the specialized preparation available in the Master of Arts in Counseling program;
2. Will have met the general admission requirements of the seminary;
3. Must have followed an undergraduate or prior graduate degree program that included a required 20 semester hours in psychology and/or related disciplines. Life experience will be evaluated on an individual basis and considered as modification of the academic background requirements stated above;
4. Must have an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.0;
5. After meeting general admissions requirements (outlined in numbers 1-4 above) candidates must complete a series of psychological tests. This is followed by a personal interview to review and interpret the tests as well as an assessment of candidates' academic and personal readiness to participate in the program.

Admission Procedures

1. Applicants for the Master of Arts in Counseling program are accepted for admission for the fall semester. Admission may be granted for the spring semester based on the availability of space. It should be noted that courses are sequenced assuming fall entry.
2. Decisions regarding admission to the program will be made on a "rolling" basis for the fall semester. No applications for the fall semester will be accepted after July 1 of that year.
3. Students who are denied admission to the MACO program must wait one calendar year before reapplying.

Through a cooperative program with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) and Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO), staff with IVCF and CCO may take a limited number of courses for M.Div. or MAR credit at the seminary through IVCF's National Institute for Staff Education and Training or through CCO's Summer Institute.

In order to receive credit for these courses, you must submit a Gordon-Conwell application prior to the start of the course. The full application is required. However, in place of the three recommendation letters, you only need to send a letter from your supervisor confirming your eligibility as a staff member. On the online application, please make sure to follow the instructions on the Special Instructions PDF on the left-hand side. 

In summary, InterVarsity and CCO partcipants should complete the following:

• Full Application
• Transcripts are required.
• A letter from your ministry organization which confirms you as a staff member.
• The Church Endorsement form is required.

Begin your application online today!

All auditors are restricted to non-participating member status in classes. In other words, auditors may not participate in class discussion (except as authorized by the instructor according to the terms included in the course syllabus), nor submit written work, nor sit for exams for the purpose of receiving an evaluation. Limited courses are not available to auditors except by written permission from the professor and the Registration Office. Some courses may not be audited. Please contact the Registration Office at regstr@gcts.edu for more details.

Current students may officially audit courses by paying the current audit fee and student services fee, and by receiving approval from the Registration Office. Individuals not enrolled in a degree program and wishing to enroll as official auditors must complete a formal application with the Admissions Office.

For auditor applications, transcripts are not required, and only one pastoral recommendation is needed. In a separate documents, please indicate which courses you desire to audit, why, and how you will benefit from them. 

Official audits will be recorded on transcripts. Students must attend at least 75% of the class meetings in order to receive a grade of `AU' on their transcripts indicating that they satisfactorily audited the course. Auditors will be responsible for verifying their attendance by submitting a written statement to the professor stating that they did attend at least 75% of the class meetings. 

In summary, an auditor should complete the following:

• Full Application
• Transcripts are not required.
• One pastoral recommendation is required.
• In a separate document, please indicate which courses you desire to audit, why, and how you will benefit from them.

Begin your application online today!