Completing Your Student Application
The steps for completing the student application process are listed and described on this page. This page will be your central hub for submitting your application materials. We recommend adding this page to your browser’s Favorites/Bookmarks.
Note: You do not have to complete the entire application process all at once. You can submit one part at a time and return to complete the others later.
The deadline to complete your application is February 28, 2024. (This deadline is flexible. Please contact us to discuss accommodations.)
Each section below is independent of the others, but you must complete each individual section in one siting.
Please email any questions you have about the application process to admissions@sophiasem.org. If for reasons of accessibility you need to request a printed application, you may also email us at that address.
If you have technical issues relating to the application area of the website, please contact our webmaster at ttucker@sophiasem.org.
1. Create your student application account
You will need to have a student account on this website and be logged in to it in order to submit your application materials. To create your account, click the button below to open the registration page.
After you have done so, log in to our website and return here to continue your application.
Already have an account? You can log in here.
2. Enter your general information
Use this form to enter your contact and related information, names of higher education institutions you have attended, and contact information for your references.
After you complete this form, each of your references will receive an email from Sophia with instructions on providing Sophia with their reference.
Please have your information ready and complete this form in its entirety before submitting.
3. Submit your academic transcripts
Provide proof of a completed bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 and a preferred cumulative Humanities GPA of 3.25 for the humanities.
You must submit official transcripts from all higher education institutions attended. For transcripts to be considered official, they must be submitted directly to the Seminary from the registrar’s office of the institutions.
Applicant should have electronic transcripts sent to transcripts@sophiasem.org. Transcripts in hard copy should be mailed to Sophia Theological Seminary, PO Box 266, Dinwiddie, VA 23841.
4. Upload your resume
You will need to provide an updated resume, to include any church positions and service, other employment, community involvement, academic honors, and other awards. Your resume document must be in .pdf, .doc, or .docx format.
Click the button below to go to the resume upload form.
5. Upload your autobiographical essay
In this section, you will need to provide an autobiographical essay of 1250-1500 words addressing four matters:
- your Christian pilgrimage,
- your call to ministry,
- your decision to apply to Sophia Theology Seminary, including your expectations for your seminary experience, and
- your goals for ministry, as you currently envision them.
Your essay document must be in .pdf, .doc, or .docx format. Click the button below to go to the essay upload form.
6. Upload your academic writing sample
Provide an academic writing sample of 2000-2500 words on any topic from the Humanities. The sample must include in-text citations or footnotes and an appended bibliography. It may be an excerpt of a larger work.
Your writing sample document must be in .pdf, .doc, or .docx format. Click the button below to go to the essay upload form.
7. Complete a background check
Initiate a background check. Click here to be taken to an external site to complete the application for the background check. The fee of $24.95 is the responsibility of the applicant and is paid directly to the company contracted to complete the check.
Sophia has contracted with a company to conduct a criminal history check for each applicant. This practice is intended to prioritize the safety and well-being of all those members of the Sophia community, both at the Seminary and among our partners, both individuals and organizations.
An applicant with a conviction is not automatically excluded from consideration. Faculty evaluate the nature of the offense in making a decision. Upon request, applicants are provided an opportunity to respond to information in the background check.
8. Application fee
Application to Sophia Theological Seminary requires payment of a non-refundable $40 application fee.
Click the button below to go to our Sophia Farms site where you can submit your fee. When you do so, please use the same email address at checkout as you entered into your application.
9. Complete your application with your electronic signature
Click the button below to go to the electronic signature form. This will complete your application, so do not electronically sign until you have completed all of the above steps.
What Happens Next?
Once the Seminary receives all above materials, a faculty member will contact the applicant to set up an interview, in-person or by video conference. For the candidate to best prepare, the faculty member will also share the slate of interview questions with the candidate in advance.
If at any point in the process you have questions, contact us at admissions@sophiasem.org.
