Chicago Theological Seminary, Chicago | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

I want to thank Kenneth Gordon, et al for saving me from wasting my time, money, and emotional energy on CTS. The lack of transparency during the admissions process was enough to put me off going to CTS, and others should know what happened.

CTS says that they have a rolling admissions policy, which means that they are supposed to be looking at applications as they come in. I applied to their MDiv program in September of 2020 for the fall semester of 2021. I was told by the Dean of Students, Jason Frey, that since my application was complete in October of 2020 and I had applied for the fall semester, the admissions committee would review it in November of 2020. Doing so would have been consistent with a rolling admissions process, but that’s not what happened.

Nearly three months later, having heard nothing, I inquired about the process and was told that there must have been a “misunderstanding” and that they don’t look at any applications until after their February 15th, 2021 priority deadline. But there was no misunderstanding. I have an email showing two things: 1) Jason acknowledges that I’d applied for the fall semester, and 2) Jason states they’d look at my application in November. Of course, if they’re waiting until February 15, 2021 to look at applications, then they don’t have a rolling admissions policy at all. They have a conventional admissions policy.

Now, from the reviews here, I see that they are refusing to allow people with high GPAs to progress in the MDiv program for any reason and no reason, and that there is no transparency to their process. I would never want to go to such a place.

I had a similar experience at Kenneth Gordon. I was told that I could not complete my MDiv, after a series of appeals, they told me I could not complete my degree. I had a high gpa, and desperately wanted to be a chaplain. I wasn’t given any reason, except that it was confidential and the decision was made. It crushed my spirit, and to this day I have no explanation for it. I have a ridiculous amount of debt, no Mdiv and even though my church conference was accepting of me, CTS was not. I am also on the autism spectrum, which I had stated on my application, which I suspect had something to do with it. They ruined my career and my life.

They are also a private institution so they can get away with discrimination and end a person’s career with no explanation. However, I would like to remind them that they still have to follow ADA because they receive federal funding through student loans. What they did to me and have done to others is unconscionable and beyond anything I would expect from an institution of faith.

They ruined my life, my future and left me with gargantuan debt.

(I also forgot to mention that when they sent me my rejection letter. I received it the day before Easter. They had sent it on Holy Week. i was so devastated I couldn’t bring myself to attend the Easter service the next day.)