Ecumenical Student Scholarship
The Ecumenical Student Scholarship was created to support and encourage students from Christian faith traditions who want to enter into dialogue with and engage with others from the Anabaptist tradition while sharing the theological perspectives of and growing in their own tradition.
- Recipient: Awarded annually to students who belong to other-than-Anabaptist Christian traditions and who are beginning their first year of study in a master’s program at AMBS
- Amount: Full tuition for full-time students; 75 percent of tuition for part-time students
- Application deadline: Priority will be given to applications received by March 15
Other scholarship information
- Scholarship type: Merit-based
- Duration: Stated length of the recipient’s master’s program, based on recipient’s enrollment status (provided the recipient meets certain conditions each year)
- Recipient’s program: Master of Divinity Campus; Master of Divinity Connect; MA in Christian Formation; MA: Theology and Global Anabaptism; MA: Theology and Peace Studies
- Recipient’s location of study: On campus or from a distance
- Recipient’s enrollment status: Full time or part time
- Recipient’s permanent residence: U.S. or Canada
- Recipient’s church affiliation: Applicant must be a member in good standing of a congregation that is not affiliated with Mennonite World Conference or a related Anabaptist group
Full-time students will receive a 100-percent tuition grant for up to three years for a Master of Divinity degree and up to two and a half years for a Master of Arts degree. (Students need to take at least nine credit hours each standard semester to be classified as full time.)
Part-time students will receive a 75-percent tuition grant for up to six years for a Master of Divinity degree and up to five years for a Master of Arts degree.
Criteria for award recipients
- Recipients will be from the U.S. or Canada and be members in good standing of a congregation that is not affiliated with Mennonite World Conference or a related Anabaptist group.
- The decision to grant an award will be based on five factors:
- Previous academic performance, including a minimum GPA of at least 3.0 from all undergraduate work, based on information gained from transcripts and references. (Although AMBS is able to admit a limited number of students without a bachelor’s degree, preference will be given to students who have attained one, and all recipients should hold at a minimum an associate’s degree or equivalent.)
- History of and/or a commitment to enter into an active ministry or service assignment.
- Strong leadership potential for serving the church or broader community, based on information gained from references and from a required essay on the applicant’s past, present and future service/ministry.
- Willingness to engage with others from the Anabaptist tradition as part of growing in one’s own Christian tradition.
- Personal character and emotional health, based on information gained from references.
Procedures to apply for AMBS merit-based scholarships
Applicants must submit the following for the coming academic year:
- A completed Admissions Application with all supporting materials, including transcript(s), references and admissions essay.
- Completed Financial Aid and Scholarship applications.
- A 1,200–1,800-word essay that includes:
- demonstrated leadership potential for serving the church or broader community
- description of the applicant’s past, present and future service/ministry
- how an education at AMBS will enrich the applicant’s present and future ministry
The AMBS Scholarship Selection Committee will select the recipient(s) of this award by March 31 and inform the student(s) via e-mail. Recipients must accept their award in writing to confirm enrollment for Semester One.
Understandings for merit-based scholarship award recipients
Eligibility from year to year will be based on satisfactory progress toward completion of the degree, including:
- maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA
- supporting and participating in enrollment and recruitment activities and initiatives, as requested by the AMBS Admissions Team
- supporting and adhering to AMBS community standards
