Western Seminary

What Western Seminary does

Western Seminary is an accredited, nonprofit graduate theological institution founded in 1927 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon. It delivers gospel-centered, graduate-level theological education to approximately 950 credit students annually across four campuses (Portland OR, San Jose CA, Sacramento CA, and an online Global Campus) plus a teaching site in Seattle WA. The institution trains current and aspiring ministry leaders — including pastors, missionaries, church planters, and ministry staff — and serves a secondary segment of working ministry professionals seeking continuing education. Select prominent individuals have been affiliated with the seminary, such as former Alaska Governor Sean Parnell (Board of Trustees member and student as of 2016) and President Randy Roberts.

The institution's technology ecosystem is built on a conventional integrated stack: Microsoft 365 (cloud email, calendaring, 1 TB OneDrive, five ProPlus licenses per student) provides productivity tools; a Moodle-based Digital Learning Center delivers online coursework; a proprietary Student Information System (S.I.S.) handles course registration, grades, financial aid status, and student ledger management; and Stellic provides degree audit and academic planning. Single sign-on across all systems is enabled through Western email credentials. FERPA-compliant data practices are contractually enforced with Microsoft, and a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement covers the counseling program, with Microsoft services having undergone ISO/IEC 27001 and FedRAMP assessments. Logos Bible software is bundled into tuition.

Western's business model is tuition-driven and consumer-paid. Revenue comes from per-credit/per-program tuition plus ancillary fees (transcript, graduation, late-payment), with monthly payment plans offered. Federal financial aid (FAFSA school code G070178), grants, scholarships, and Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loans are available. Distribution is multi-modal: in-person instruction at four campuses, online delivery via the Global Campus, and a self-serve S.I.S. portal for administrative transactions. Marketing relies primarily on alumni referrals, church partnerships, academic conferences, and a digital help-resource portal. The 2016-17 operating budget was less than $8 million, and the institution is governed by a Board of Trustees with no identified parent company, venture, or private-equity ownership.

Name

Western Seminary

Legal name

Western Seminary

Website

https://westernseminary.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1927

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Western Seminary is a nonprofit, accredited graduate theological institution founded in 1927, serving approximately 950 credit students annually across four campuses (Portland OR, San Jose CA, Sacramento CA, and online) and a Seattle teaching site. It trains current and aspiring ministry leaders, including pastors, missionaries, and church planters, through tuition-based graduate programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graduate Theological Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Seminaries (Graduate Theology & Ministry) (EDAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Graduate theological education
• Seminary degree programs
• Ministry leadership training
• Biblical studies education
• Pastoral preparation

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Clara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Graduate theological education with tuition charged per credit/program. Students can pay via credit card or checking account through S.I.S. Monthly payment plans spread tuition and fees over the semester. Financial aid including grants, scholarships, and federal loans available.
2. Student Fees: Administrative fees for payment plans ($50 late payment fee), graduation fees, transcript fees ($5.00 electronic, $5.00 plus shipping for print, $15 rush processing)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Western Seminary is an accredited graduate theological school that trains ministry leaders through on-site programs at campuses in Portland OR, San Jose CA, and Sacramento CA, supplemented by a Moodle-based Digital Learning Center (Global Campus) for fully online learners and a Seattle teaching site. The seminary awards master's-level degrees in biblical and theological studies, supports personal enrichment study, and offers competency-based and continuing education options. Enrollment, financial aid, payments, and academic records are managed through the S.I.S. (Student Information System) with single sign-on across Microsoft 365 and Stellic.

Product overview

Western Seminary operates a multi-platform educational technology ecosystem centered around three primary integrated systems: the Digital Learning Center (DLC) for course delivery, the Student Information System (S.I.S.) for academic administration, and Microsoft 365 for productivity and communication. Stellic provides degree audit and planning capabilities. These systems share single sign-on authentication via the student's Western email credentials, allowing integrated access to course materials, registration, grades, financial aid, and tuition management. The DLC is built on Moodle and supports video content, discussion forums, and assignment submissions. S.I.S. handles registration, payments, and academic records. Microsoft 365 provides email, storage, and office productivity tools with five installation licenses per student.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Multi-Campus Graduate Theological Degree Programs Accredited graduate-level theological degree programs (master's in biblical and theological studies and related fields) delivered on-site at campuses in Portland OR, San Jose CA, Sacramento CA, and at a Seattle teaching site, designed for individuals preparing for ministry leadership roles including pastor, missionary, church planter, and ministry staff positions.
• Digital Learning Center (Global Campus Online Programs) Fully online delivery of Western Seminary graduate theological courses through a Moodle-based Digital Learning Center accessible to students globally, supporting discussion forums, assignment submissions, video content, and course navigation for working professionals and distance learners.
• Competency-Based Theological Education Flexible, competency-based theological education program offered through Western Seminary's Global Campus, providing personalized, modular training options tailored to working ministry professionals seeking continuing education and credentialing.
• Logos Bible Software Student Bundle A basic Logos Bible software package included with credit students' tuition and fees, providing Bible study efficiency and effectiveness tools integrated into the Western Seminary learning experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 950 credit students served annually across four campuses and online
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft 365 cloud platform partnership providing email, calendaring, 1 TB OneDrive storage, five ProPlus licenses for Office apps, and cloud-based productivity tools. Microsoft has contractual commitments under FERPA as a designated school official and has entered a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) for HIPAA compliance covering the counseling program.
• StelliccoreTechnology or IntegrationStellic provides degree audit and academic planning software allowing students to track degree requirements, plan courses, view remaining requirements, and access transfer credit information through www.westernseminary.stellic.com.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wheaton College Graduate School: Graduate programs at Wheaton College including the M.A. in Biblical Exegesis, M.A. in Theology, and M.A. in Christian Formation & Ministry — overlapping with Western in evangelical theological education at the master's level.
• Liberty University: Large evangelical university with a seminary (Liberty University School of Divinity) offering extensive online MDiv and doctoral programs — overlapping in mission and significantly broader scale and online reach.
• Biola University: Larger Christian university with a Talbot School of Theology offering MDiv and graduate theological degrees — broader portfolio than Western but overlapping in theological training and online graduate offerings.

Direct peers

• Phoenix Seminary: Smaller evangelical seminary in the Southwest offering graduate theological degrees with online options — comparable to Western in size, mission, and regional footprint serving ministry leaders.
• Fuller Theological Seminary: Major multi-campus evangelical seminary (Pasadena, Houston, Seattle, online) offering MDiv, MAR, ThM, and doctoral programs with a comparable theological-conservative-to-mainline orientation and similar reliance on tuition and donor support.
• The Master's Seminary: Conservative evangelical seminary focused on pastoral training with on-campus and online programs — comparable to Western in scale, theological orientation, and target audience of aspiring pastors and ministry leaders.
• Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary: Multi-site evangelical seminary (Charlotte, Hamilton, Boston, Jacksonville) offering graduate theological degrees with both residential and online options — directly comparable in mission and program structure.
• Western Theological Seminary: Reformed (CRC) seminary in Holland, MI offering MDiv and MA programs — comparable to Western as a mid-size accredited graduate seminary with residential and online/distance pathways.
• Dallas Theological Seminary: Standalone, non-denominational/evangelical graduate seminary offering master's and doctoral theological degrees with multiple Texas campuses and an online program — directly comparable to Western in mission, program mix, and target student.
• Trinity Evangelical Divinity School: Evangelical divinity school within Trinity International University offering MDiv and doctoral theological programs with on-campus and online modalities — directly comparable to Western in denomination and program mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WesternSeminary
• Facebookfacebook.com/westernseminary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/western-seminary

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Western Seminary