NON-TRADITIONALADMISSION APPLICANT POLICY

In truly exceptional circumstances an applicant will be considered for non-traditional admission into a basic degree program at St. Augustine’s Seminary of Toronto [SAS].

Applicantswill be eligible to apply as follows:

  1. Pontifical Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology /Master of Divinity [S.T.B./M.Div.]
  1. No formal post-secondary studies
  2. Formal Post-secondary studies, diploma or one year of university
  3. At least 10 University courses or half of the required credits for a first-entry undergraduate degree
  4. Please note: the limit for admitting students in this category to the M.Div. is set by our accrediting body, the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada [A.T.S.]. As a result, this category of applicants is just as competitive as the general applicant category.
  1. Master of Theological Studies [M.T.S.]
  1. Formal Post-secondary studies, diploma or one year of university
  2. At least 10 University courses or half of the required credits for a first-entry undergraduate degree
  3. Please note: the criteria for admitting students in this category to the M.T.S. is outlined by our accrediting body, A.T.S., and requires approval of a B.A. Equivalency by the Toronto School of Theology Admissions and Procedures Committee.

In addition to the application, each non-traditionaladmission applicant will be interviewed and required to complete a short essay which will be reviewed by the Academic Dean, Director of the Institute of Theology and the English Tutor. Evidence of the ability to engage in graduate study is required for the applicant to proceed with an application to the aforementioned basic degree programs. All other applicants will be directed to the S.T.B. only or diploma programs respectively.

If accepted, the non-traditionally admitted student will be entered into the S.T.B./M.Div. concurrent programs or M.T.S.degree program [POSt]conditionally based on:

a)All students must successfully complete 10 credits within 4 years as an admission requirement.

b)Once successfully completed, the student’s file will be reviewed.

  1. If the student’s grades meet the admission criteria, the credits will be counted toward the basic degree and the student may continue in the degree program.

a)The admissions criteria include:

  1. Cumulative Grade Point Average
  2. Review of the number of Standing Deferred extensions granted
  3. Review of the number of Supplementals completed to achieve a grade of 70%
  4. Formational review of the candidate in relation to entering into the ethos and mission of the Seminary, public lay ministry and leadership in the Church.
  1. Only in exceptional cases will a non-traditionally admitted student be allowed to apply for the Thesis stream of the M.Div. or the M.T.S.
  2. If the candidate is not eligible for continuation in the M.Div. or M.T.S. basic degree program, the following options are available:

a)For the M.Div. non-traditionally admitted student – the Academic Dean may allow him/her to continue in the S.T.B. The completion of the philosophy pre-requisites courses is an admissions requirement for the ecclesiastical degree as well.

b)For the M.T.S. non-traditionally admitted student – the Academic Dean will review the eligibility to graduate with a diploma.

It is noted that though a non-traditionaladmission applicant may be admitted to a basic degree program without the appropriate first-entry undergraduate degree, this admission does not guarantee the applicant will be eligible for Advanced Degree studies. Students should check with the admitting institution for the admission criteria for its degree programs.

Approved by SAS Board of Governors January 25, 2016