International Students

Princeton Theological Seminary requires that applicants for whom English is not a primary language take one of the following English proficiency tests:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (ETS code 2671)
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
• Duolingo English Test (DET)

Such applicants should register for one of these tests at the earliest opportunity, as scoring and processing take considerable time and the results must be received by the application deadline.

Required English proficiency test scores for Princeton Theological Seminary are as follows:

• TOEFL Internet Based Test – 100 with 25 (out of 30) for each part
• IELTS – 7.0
• Duolingo English Test* – 130

*Only Duolingo English Test scores with subscores (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening) will be accepted

English Proficiency Waiver

English proficiency waiver requests must be made through the application.

If you are currently enrolled at an institute of higher education in the United States, you MUST supply the Admissions Committee with full and complete (pages 1 and 3) copies of all your Forms I-20.

1. Applicants of all master’s degree programs must have completed or in the process of completing an undergraduate degree similar to the Bachelor of Arts [BA] or Bachelor of Science [BS] degree in the United States.
2. Applicants for the ThM degree must have attended a secondary school that prepared them for a university education, hold a first university degree (similar to the Bachelor of Arts [BA] or Bachelor of Science [BS] degree in the United States) and have completed the Master of Divinity degree, or a minimum of two years of post-baccalaureate theological education.
3. ThM and PhD applicants must also hold a Master of Divinity degree or first graduate theological degree providing equivalent theological background such as the MTS from an approved institution and evidence of aptitude for advanced theological study. The MDiv degree is required for admission to specializations in the area of Practical Theology.
4. It is required that all international applicants provide a “Statement of Means” indicating their available funding in US dollars to cover travel and living expenses for the duration of their degree program. If need be, applicants are encouraged to seek additional financial assistance from local, denominational, or ecumenical church bodies.

• Master of Divinity (MDiv) – The duration of study is three years or six semesters six consecutive semesters of full-time resident study.
• Master of Arts in Christian Education (MACEF) and Master of Theological Studies (MTS) – The duration of study for both is two years or four consecutive semesters of full-time resident study.
• Master of Divinity (MDiv) and Master of Arts in Christian Education and Formation (MACEF) – The duration of study is three years/eight consecutive semesters of full-time resident work.
• Master of Arts in Theology and Ecology (MTE) – The duration of study is a thirteen-month full-time resident work. The program begins in a May/June term and concludes in the following May/June term.
• Master of Arts in Theology (Justice and Public Life) – The duration of study is two years of part-time hybrid online program, beginning with the first summer term and concluding in the spring semester of the second year. The program requires participation of one-week in-person intensive courses on the PTS campus in each of the two January terms.
• Master of Theology (ThM) – The duration of study is eight and one-half months (two semesters), early-September through May.
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – The PhD program is completed in five consecutive years of full–time resident study