Earlham School of Religion

What Earlham School of Religion does

Earlham School of Religion (ESR) is a private graduate theological seminary founded in 1960 by Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. It operates as the pre-eminent (and only) Quaker seminary in the United States, delivering Christian theological education rooted in Quaker values of contemplation, peace, and social justice to an ecumenically diverse student body. Core degree programs include the Master of Divinity (75 credits), M.A. in Religion (42 credits), M.A. in Peace and Social Transformation (36 credits, cohort-capped at 10 with full-tuition scholarships), and the jointly offered M.A. in Theopoetics and Writing (a first-of-its-kind program with Bethany Theological Seminary). Certificate programs cover Quaker Studies, Spiritual Formation, and Writing as Ministry, priced at $600 per credit hour.

Instructional delivery operates on two modalities: residential study at the shared Richmond campus (co-located with Bethany Theological Seminary since a 1994 partnership), and ESR Access, a distance learning platform combining Moodle-delivered online coursework with two-week on-campus intensives. Backbone technology consists of commodity education infrastructure (Moodle LMS, Ellucian Cloud student portal, Banner Self Service for registration, Zoom) with no proprietary technology or AI features disclosed.

Revenue is generated primarily through per-credit-hour tuition and semester fees, supplemented by an annual fund representing approximately 15% of operating budget, plus planned giving, major gifts, and grant funding (notably a Lilly Endowment Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative grant supporting the 2022 launch of the Quaker Leadership Center). ESR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, holds ATS and HLC accreditation, and is governed by its own Board of Trustees while affiliated with Earlham College. Customer segments include individuals discerning ministerial vocation, Quaker members, ecumenical students from multiple denominations, and non-degree/certificate seekers; go-to-market relies on campus visits, open houses, virtual events, and Quaker network referrals rather than broad-market recruitment.

Name

Earlham School of Religion

Legal name

Earlham School of Religion

Website

https://esr.earlham.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Earlham School of Religion is a private Quaker seminary in Richmond, Indiana, offering graduate theological degrees (M.Div., M.A. programs) and certificates to students discerning ministry, with residential and distance learning options and a co-located partnership with Bethany Theological Seminary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graduate Theological Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Seminaries (Graduate Theology & Ministry) (EDAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Denominational Theological Colleges (e.g., Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical) (EDAHAKAM)

Keywords

• Theological education
• Graduate seminary
• Quaker ministry
• Peace and justice studies
• Distance learning seminary

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and fees: ESR generates revenue primarily through tuition charged per credit hour for degree and certificate programs. Students pay tuition for residential and distance learning (Access) programs. Additional revenue comes from application fees, seminary fees, and continuing research fees for extended thesis work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Earlham School of Religion is a Quaker graduate theological seminary that offers Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Religion, Master of Arts in Peace and Social Transformation, and Master of Arts in Theopoetics and Writing degree programs, along with certificates in Quaker Studies, Spiritual Formation, and Writing as Ministry. Programs are delivered through residential study on the Richmond, Indiana campus or through ESR Access, a distance-learning modality combining online courses with periodic on-campus intensives.

Product overview

Earlham School of Religion is a Quaker seminary offering a portfolio of graduate degree programs and certificates. Core offerings include the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) for broad ministry preparation, the Master of Arts in Religion for academic/scholarly paths, the Master of Arts in Peace and Social Transformation for social change ministries, and the Master of Arts in Theopoetics and Writing (jointly with Bethany Theological Seminary) for creative writing ministry. Certificate programs include Quaker Studies, Spiritual Formation, and Writing as Ministry. ESR Access provides distance education delivery for these programs through online courses and intensive on-campus sessions. The institution also operates the Quaker Leadership Center as a ministry initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master of Divinity (M.Div.)
• Master of Arts in Peace and Social Transformation (MAPST)
• Master of Arts in Religion (M.A.)
• Master of Arts in Theopoetics and Writing (MATW)
• Quaker Studies Certificate
• Spiritual Formation Certificate
• Writing as Ministry Certificate
• ESR Access (Distance Education)
• Occasional Student Program
• Quaker Leadership Center (QLC)

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bethany Theological SeminarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1994ESR and Bethany Theological Seminary have been partner schools since 1994. They share a campus in Richmond, Indiana, offer joint programs including the M.A. in Theopoetics and Writing degree, share the Joint Seminaries Registrar, joint library committee, joint faculty retreat, and joint academic planning committee. Bethany represents the Church of the Brethren tradition while ESR represents the Quaker tradition, both sharing Peace Church heritage.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Guilford College: Guilford College is a Quaker-affiliated liberal arts college in Greensboro, NC that shares ESR's unprogrammed Quaker heritage; it is a broader peer rather than a direct seminary competitor since it offers undergraduate rather than graduate theological degrees.

Others

• Earlham College: Earlham College is ESR's parent institution and a Quaker liberal arts college founded in 1847; it is relevant as the operating umbrella and shared campus/facilities provider rather than a direct educational competitor.

Direct peers

• Iliff School of Theology: Iliff is a United Methodist-affiliated graduate theological seminary in Denver offering M.Div., M.A., and doctoral programs with a strong social justice focus, comparable to ESR in mission orientation toward social engagement and similar small institutional scale.
• Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary: Anabaptist/Mennonite graduate theological seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, comparable to ESR as a small historic peace-church seminary offering accredited M.Div. and M.A. degrees with a distinct Anabaptist identity and similar tuition/donation funding model.
• Bethany Theological Seminary: Bethany Theological Seminary is ESR's partner institution since 1994; it represents the Church of the Brethren tradition, shares the Richmond, Indiana campus, registrar, and joint programs (notably the MATW degree). It is the closest operational peer and co-delivery partner.
• Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary: Garrett-Evangelical is a United Methodist seminary on the Northwestern University campus offering accredited M.Div. and M.A. programs; comparable to ESR as an accredited graduate theological seminary with residential and distance learning offerings, though at a larger scale.
• George Fox University (George Fox Evangelical Seminary): George Fox is the largest Quaker university in the U.S. and operates an evangelical seminary; it is comparable as another Quaker-affiliated graduate theological training provider, though it serves the evangelical wing of Friends rather than ESR's unprogrammed/liberal Quaker identity.
• Chicago Theological Seminary: CTS is a small progressive, multi-denominational graduate theological seminary offering M.Div., M.A., and D.Min. programs; comparable to ESR in scale, progressive identity, and small accredited seminary model, though with a broader progressive mainline focus.
• Pacific School of Religion: PSR is a multi-denominational graduate theological seminary in Berkeley, California, accredited by ATS, that is comparable to ESR in size, ATS accreditation scope, and ecumenical/denominational positioning, though it serves mainline Protestant traditions rather than Quaker.

Regional players

• Friends Theological College: Friends Theological College in Kenya is a Quaker theological training institution serving African Friends; it is thematically comparable to ESR as a Quaker-affiliated theological educator, though it operates in a different geography and serves African Quaker leadership development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/earlham-school-of-religion

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Earlham School of Religion