New Student

You've been accepted to Eden Theological Seminary!

Dear new student:

Congratulations on your acceptance to Eden Theological Seminary!

In recognition of your gifts and your commitment to engage in meaningful service, Eden’s faculty, staff, and students are happy to welcome you into this community of learning and faith.

Sincerely,

Dana McNamara, MDiv
Director of Admissions & Financial Aid

New Student Onboarding Information and To-Do:

Commitment Form

The Commitment Form is how you’ll let Eden know your decision to attend as well as provide a few more details about yourself to the school. Please click the below button to submit the Commitment Form.

New Student Orientation

Mark your calendar for New Student Orientation!

Sunday, August 24, 2025; 1pm – 5pm CST  (in person & online)
Monday, August 25, 2025; one additional hour in the evening. Time TBD  (online only)

New Student Orientation is mandatory for all entering students in all credit bearing programs.  It’s also a crucial event to help you benefit from all the opportunities and services available to you.  At orientation you will meet your entering classmates, learn your way around Eden’s online systems and campus, and begin to navigate the school’s policies and degree programs.

If you live within driving distance of St. Louis, please plan to join us for orientation in person.  If you are staying overnight, we’d be happy to put you up in a (free) dorm room, or you can stay in a nearby hotel.  If you’d like to stay in the dorms, please indicate so in your RSVP.  For students who live more than a day’s drive away, orientation will also be available on Zoom.

Please RSVP to Orientation using the form below:

For your calendar:

Friday, May 30, 2025
Fall New Student Registration Opens

Wednesday, August 20 to Saturday, August 23, 2025
Doctor of Ministry – August Intensive Seminar at Eden

Sunday, August 24, 2025; 1pm – 5pm CST
Fall New Student Orientation (in person & online)

Monday, August 25, 2025; one additional hour in the evening. Time TBD
Fall New Student Orientation Continued (online only)

Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Beginning of Semester

Tuesday, September 2, 2025; 5:30pm – 7:00pm CST
Opening Convocation, in person & online
NOTE: Each year we introduce the new students during worship at Opening Convocation. Please make every effort to attend!

Register for Courses

FALL REGISTRATION WILL BE AVAILABLE MAY 30, 2025

Please check back around that date to begin your registration process.

Financial Aid

Investing in your future takes resources and we understand that. Thank you for filling out your Financial Aid Forms during your application process.

Here’s how to proceed with your Financial Aid:

Accept your Scholarship – If you received scholarship, you’ll need to formally accept your award by completing the below linked form. It requires a Thank You letter from you, the form includes a template. The Scholarship Acceptance Form will give you information about requirements and policy regarding your scholarship award as well as give you space to enter your Thank You letter. Scholarship Acceptance Form

Register for Fall 2025, upon registering for courses an account with Campus Ivy will be set up on your behalf.

Log in to Campus Ivy. Campus Ivy is our 3rd party student loan processor. After you register, you will receive an email from Campus Ivy (check your junk/spam folder) wherein you’ll have 72 Hours to click on the link provided to log into your account. In order to proceed with student loans please complete the Entrance Counseling and sign the Master Promissory Note; both are linked below.

Student Responsibility
Student Master Promissory Note

Entrance Counseling

Make an appointment with Dana McNamara, Director of Financial Aid, to proceed with your student loans.

Dana McNamara: [email protected] or 314-918-2642

Contextual Education

For MDiv, MAPS, and MCL students only. Eden calls their field education program, Contextual Education as we hope that you’ll be able to learn about how ministry looks and operates in different contexts.

To prepare for Contextual Education at Eden, it is important as a new student to consider what ministry site you would like to focus on as a place to practice what you are learning at Eden. Many students at Eden already have a relationship with a church or nonprofit agency where they would like to serve. For some students, that is also where they are employed on a part-time or full-time basis.

If you would like assistance in finding a Contextual Education ministry site, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Ben Hartley, Eden’s Professor of Contextual Education, Mission, and United Methodist Studies ([email protected]). He will be happy to help! The Contextual Education office will also be sending you a form by email to complete. That form will contain some additional information and ask you to identify your ministry site and your ministry site supervisor (usually a pastor who agrees to work with you for one hour a week, reflecting theologically on ministry practice).

Eden Bookstore

Eden has two bookstores, kind of confusing, we know!  Eden has a physical bookstore located on campus where logo merchandise, and progressive Christian books can be purchased the store or online through the campus store’s website. Textbooks are not available in the campus store but can be purchased online through Eden’s Bookshop.org affiliate page. The bookstore receives a commission on textbooks sales. Further questions? You can direct them toward the Theological Librarian/Archivist and Bookstore Manager, Scott Holl.

Scott Holl: [email protected] or 314-252-3141

Physical Store Hours

  • Monday – Thursday: 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
  • Friday: 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
  • By appointment or chance
Share Your News!

Let’s celebrate this next step; we have a social media announcement ready to go for you!

How to customize your announcement:

  • Click the below button to make your announcement!
  • Click “Use Template”
  • Once logged in, find the icon labeled “Upload” located on the left side of the window.
  • Upload your own photo to change it from the stock photo.
    • Once uploaded, drag it over the stock photo, it should automatically adjust.
  • When you’re ready to download, click where it says SHARE in the upper right corner. A drop-down menu will appear where you will click DOWNLOAD. I suggest downloading it as a PNG.

Share your announcement on social media and use the hashtag #EdenLeadin!

Additional Learning Opportunities

In addition to degree programs, Eden also provides resources for formation and theological engagement for leaders and communities through Certificate and Community Learning Programs. There are many times when students enrolled in degree programs may participate in the Community Learning Programs for FREE!