Application Procedure for Master’s & Doctoral Programs

Application Deadlines

Master’s Level

Trinity uses a rolling admissions process; thus, master’s program applicants may begin their studies during fall, spring, or summer terms unless noted otherwise. We strongly encourage application six to twelve months prior to the expected enrollment date. Applications for admission and all accompanying materials should be submitted by the following preferred deadlines:

U.S. Citizens

Date Semester
August 1 For fall semester admission
December 1 For spring semester admission
April 1 For summer session admission

International Applicants

Date Semester
June 1 Fall semester application deadline
July 1 Fall semester deposit deadline
October 1 Spring semester application deadline
November 1 Spring semester deposit deadline

Applications received after these deadlines may not be considered in the term for which originally applied, and no master’s program applications will be considered for a given semester after the add/drop period of that semester.

Doctoral Level

Our doctoral programs are on a seasonal review process and therefore adhere to the deadlines outlined below.

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Date Semester
June 15 Fall semester/November seminars
October 15 Spring semester/March seminars
February 15 Summer session/July seminars

Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Studies) (PhD/EDS) and Doctor of Philosophy (Intercultural Studies) (PhD/IDS)

Date Semester
September 15 Spring semester
January 15 Summer/Fall semester

(EDS/ICS: Late application deadline of April 1 with permission of Program Director)

All elements of the PhD/EDS and PhD/ICS application package (application, personal statements, papers, test scores, recommendations, and transcripts) must be received by the deadline date. Only complete application packages will be sent to the Admissions Committee. Incomplete packages will be held for completion up to two years. Applicants missing the review deadline must contact admissions in order to have their file reviewed for a subsequent term. The Admissions Committee will usually notify applicants of its decision eight weeks from the review date. Students may apply to any semester (fall or spring) to begin the PhD/EDS and PhD/ICS programs.

 

Doctor of Philosophy (Theological Studies) (PhD/THS)

Date Semester
September 15 Spring semester
January 15 Fall semester


All elements of the PhD/THS application package (application, personal statements, papers, test scores, recommendations, and transcripts) must be received by the deadline date. Only complete application packages will be sent to the admissions committee. Incomplete packages will be held for completion up to two years. Applicants missing the review deadline must contact admissions in order to have their file reviewed for a subsequent term. The review dates of January 15 and September 15 represent the beginning of the application review process, which normally takes eight weeks. Students are encouraged to apply for the fall session to begin the PhD/THS program.

Once completed applications have been received by the admissions committee, faculty in academic departments will contact finalists to schedule an interview. The results of the interview will become part of the prospective student's application package for review.

At the conclusion of the review process, applicants will be notified of the results as soon as possible. The number of applicants chosen for admission to the PhD/THS program depends on many factors, including availability of faculty to serve as readers.

Personal Statements

Personal statements should be submitted with the online application, responding to the questions asked on the application.

Official Transcripts

Submit official transcripts from your baccalaureate degree plus any additional transcripts required for the program you are applying to at TEDS.  Please contact an enrollment counselor to determine which additional transcripts might be required. To be considered official, transcripts must be sent directly to Admissions Operations (Attention: Admissions Operations) in sealed envelopes from each school or electronically from the institution’s Registrar or Records Office.

Please send all required admissions pieces to:
Trinity International University
Admissions Operations
2065 Half Day Road
Bannockburn, IL 60015

Note: For university coursework done outside the U.S.A., students may need to submit transcripts through a foreign credit evaluation service. The Admissions Office must receive a "course-by-course evaluation" or a "detail report." There are several such services that are acceptable, including the following:

 

Recommendation Forms

All Applicants

Please complete the recommendation requests within the online application that are required for your program:

We will send electronic Recommendation Forms to those individuals requested by the applicant. Please do not request recommendations from persons in your immediate or extended family. Your recommenders should be people who know you well enough to provide specific examples to substantiate their recommendation. Application recommendations may also be used when awarding scholarships.

Master’s, Certificate in Theological Studies, and Special Student Applicants

The Certificate programs and MA in Theological Studies only requires one recommendation.  Please contact your enrollment counselor to verify how many recommendations you must submit:

  1. Pastoral - Pastor or church official
  2. Academic - A faculty member or administrator familiar with your academic work (undergraduate or graduate)
  3. General - An employer, professional acquaintance, or lay leader in your church

Master of Theology (ThM) Applicants

Please have recommendations submitted from the following three people:

  1. Pastoral - A pastor or church leader
  2. Academic - A teacher or professor who has instructed you in the concentration (OT, PT, ME, etc) to which you are applying
  3. General - A ministry supervisor, professional acquaintance, or lay leader in your church

Doctor of Ministry Applicants

Please have recommendations submitted from the following four sources: 

  1. Pastoral - Ministry supervisor
  2. Pastoral - Ministry colleague
  3. Pastoral - Lay leader
  4. General - Chairman of church board, professor, denominational official OR professional acquaintance.
 

Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Studies) and Doctor of Philosophy (Intercultural Studies) Applicants

Please have recommendations submitted from the following four people:

  1. Pastoral - A ministry supervisor (e.g., a superintendent, senior pastor or church leader, field supervisor, or mission executive)
  2. Academic - A professor from your most recent graduate studies
  3. General - A professional colleague
  4. General - A lay person from your church or organization

Doctor of Philosophy (Theological Studies) Applicants

Please have recommendations submitted from the following four people:

  1. Pastoral - A pastor or church official
  2. Academic - Three professors familiar with your academic work
 

Standardized Tests

Master of Arts Applicants

Applicants to all Master of Arts programs may be required to submit test scores from either the GRE or MAT if their undergraduate GPA is lower than the required minimum (see General Admissions Requirements) or if their undergraduate degree is from an unaccredited institution. Admissions can determine this only after transcripts of all previous postsecondary studies have been evaluated.

If you are uncertain as to whether the GRE or MAT will be required, check the admissions requirements for your intended program of study or contact the Admissions Office (800.345.8337). If either the GRE or MAT is required, students should make arrangements to take one of these tests as soon as possible. Trinity’s campus counseling center administers the MAT. If you live nearby, you may make an appointment to take the test with the Counseling Center (phone: 847.317.4067).

The following chart reflects the recommended minimum scores for the GRE and MAT. Note that standardized test scores alone will not determine whether an applicant is admitted to a program of study, but will be considered in conjunction with the rest of an applicant’s file.

Test Score Percentile
GRE 150 (verbal); 4.0 (analytical) 50
MAT 400 (scaled score) 50

Doctor of Ministry Applicants

The Miller Analogies Test (MAT) is required. Scores from the GRE may be accepted from applicants who live in parts of the world in which the MAT is not administered.

Academic Doctoral Program Applicants

Doctor of Philosophy (Theological Studies) applicants, including applicants required to take the TOEFL, must submit GRE scores. Applicants to our Doctor of Philosophy Educational Studies or Intercultural Studies programs may submit scores from either the MAT or the GRE. (Special conditions apply to applicants whose first language is not English; see section on TOEFL below.)

Language Requirements

In addition to the regular application materials, applicants must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) if English is not the applicant’s first language. See the following chart for required tests and minimum scores:

English Language Test (TOEFL) Requirements1

Tests Format Cert. MA Mdiv ThM Dmin PhD
TOEFL Internet (iBT) 922 92 92 92 92 100
TOEFL Computer (CBT) 2372 237 237 237 237 250
TOEFL Paper-based 5802 580 580 580 580 600
1
Students may submit any test format. Degree programs that do not require certain tests are listed as “N/A.”
2

Includes Certificate in Theological Studies and Visiting students.

 

Waivers from TOEFL are not normally granted. Failure to submit required TOEFL scores may result in denial of admission or postponement of the application decision to a subsequent semester.  If an applicant’s score is marginally below the score required, that applicant may still be admitted if they submit a TOEFL Waiver Request that is granted (additional writing sample, English language recommendation, etc.).

Master’s Level

Applicants with completed advanced degrees at the master’s level or higher may request a waiver from the standardized testing requirement.

 

Graduate Test Information

Test scores must be less than five years old (except TOEFL scores, which must be less than two years old) and must be submitted directly to our Admissions Office from the testing service. Photocopies from the applicant are not acceptable.

  Graduate Record Exam (GRE) Miller Analogies Test (MAT) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Write: GRE Educational Testing Service PO Box 6000 Princeton, NJ 08451-6000 The Psychological Corporation 555 Academic Court San Antonio, TX 78204 TOEFL Services Educational Testing Service PO Box 6161 Princeton, NJ 08451-6151
Call: 609.774.7670 800.622.3231 210.921.8802 609.771.7100
Fax: 609.774.7906 888.211.8276 609.771.7500
Email: gre-info@ets.org toefl@ets.org
Web: www.gre.org www.milleranalogies.com www.toefl.org
Trinity Code: R1797 2068 1797

Tuition Deposits

Master’s Level

If you are admitted to Trinity, you must submit a tuition deposit of $125 to the Admissions Office as a confirmation of your acceptance of our offer of admission. This deposit is refundable only if the Admissions Office receives written notification of cancellation by the following dates: July 1 (Fall semester), December 1 (Spring semester).  Students who participate in the deposit match program may not receive a refund for their deposit at any time. Deposits are only good for the academic year for which originally submitted and will be forfeited if applicants postpone to the following academic year.

Doctoral Level

If you are admitted, you must submit a nonrefundable tuition deposit as a confirmation of your acceptance of our offer of admission. Specific information regarding this deposit is detailed in your letter of acceptance from the Admissions Office.

International Applicants, Master’s or Doctoral Level (F-1 or J-1 Visa)

If you are an International applicant who will be entering the United States on an F-1 or J-1 visa and plan to attend Trinity’s Bannockburn Campus in a full-time residential status, you must submit a tuition deposit of US$2,000 to the Admissions Office as confirmation of your acceptance of our offer of admission before an I-20 can be issued. This deposit is partially refundable, with $1,875 being refundable at any time and the remaining $125 being refundable if the Admissions Office receives written notification of cancellation by the following dates: July 1 (Fall semester), December 1 (Spring semester). (International students residing in the United States should submit a tuition deposit of $125 and are subject to the same refund policy described above in “Master’s Level”.)

Special Instructions

Applicants with Disabilities

We want to be prepared to meet your needs when you come to Trinity. After you receive your letter of admission, please send us a statement describing your disabilities and what special attention or arrangements you may need at Trinity. For more information, contact the Associate Dean of Students (telephone: 847.317.4063).

Doctor of Ministry Applicants

Please inform the Doctor of Ministry Office in writing if and when you intend to take up residence in the community to pursue on-campus coursework during the regular academic terms.

Academic Doctoral Applicants

You are required to submit a work that shows evidence of your writing and research ability. All PhD applicants must submit an exemplary research paper or thesis. EDS and ICS applicants may also submit a recently published paper or article. For application purposes, your paper must be in English or translated into English.  Writing samples should be submitted electronically (PDF format) to aot@tiu.edu and will be added to the student’s electronic admissions file.