Truett Seminary Reports Record-Breaking Student Enrollment
WACO, Texas (September 22, 2026) Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary has set a new enrollment record. For the fall 2026 semester, 558 students have enrolled for credit-bearing, graduate-level courses at Truett. This number, verified by the University’s Office of Institutional Research, constitutes a more than 12 percent increase over last semester and marks the Seminary’s fourth consecutive year of enrollment growth.
“Amid various forces and pressures driving down enrollments in theological schools and colleges, we are grateful and glad to be able to report a record-breaking enrollment this fall, eclipsing 500 students for the first time in our School’s 32-year history,” said Todd D. Still, PhD, dean of Truett Seminary. “When we were engaged in strategic planning in fall 2024, we were hoping against hope to enroll 500 students by fall 2030. To be where we currently are is a testament to the good work and good will of so many and to the Lord’s goodness to our Seminary. We are looking forward to stewarding well the students and resources entrusted to us as we seek to be faithful to our mission of equipping and forming God-called men and women for gospel ministry in and alongside Christ’s Church by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Since fall 2023, the Seminary’s enrollment has grown from 389 to 558 students. This year’s enrollment growth extends across several of Truett’s degree programs. At the Waco campus, enrollment in the Master of Divinity (MDiv) has increased 5 percent, the Master of Theological Studies 32 percent, and the PhD in Preaching 35 percent. Enrollment in the Doctor of Ministry, which serves students through cohorts in multiple locations, has increased 3 percent.
According to the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), growth in Truett’s MDiv program continues to outpace the national trend among ATS-accredited schools. While enrollment in the degree has declined nationally, following a decade-long downward trend, demand for the MDiv at Truett Seminary has increased by 32 percent since 2024.
Accessibility has proven to be an important factor in Truett’s growth, as evidenced by increased enrollment in Truett’s additional locations. The Houston campus now enrolls 92 students while the San Antonio campus has 35 students enrolled.
Truett’s commitment to making residential theological education more accessible will continue to expand with the planned addition of a Dallas location in fall 2027, pending final approval from accrediting agencies. The Dallas location will extend Truett’s presence into the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and join the Seminary’s existing locations in Waco, Houston, and San Antonio.
“The typical Truett master’s student is not necessarily a recent college graduate who has relocated to Waco,” said Toby Osburn, EdD, assistant dean of student services. “Instead, nearly one-fourth of Truett students reside in Houston and San Antonio and are employed full-time, with families and ties in their communities and congregations. These students deeply value in-person spiritual formation and theological education done around the table and in community with fellow students and faculty.”
Students comprising the record-breaking fall 2026 class self-identify with 19 different denominational affiliations. Baptists continue to represent the largest denominational group, with those identifying with a non-denominational or similar designation at 20 percent and Wesleyans accounting for 19 percent.
Truett’s denominational diversity is also reflected in its houses of studies, which provide community and support for students from specific traditions. The Wesley House of Studies, which launched in 2020, engages students from Methodist, Wesleyan, African Methodist Episcopal, Christian Methodist Episcopal, and Nazarene communities. Truett’s Anglican Episcopal House of Studies, which launched in 2025, now serves 16 students.
A diverse student body continues to characterize the Truett community, with women comprising 40 percent of the Seminary’s enrollment. Additionally, students come to Truett from 26 nations and 32 states and territories.
As Truett Seminary continues to grow, it remains fully committed to preparing students for thoughtful, faithful service in a twenty-first century Church and world.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.
ABOUT GEORGE W. TRUETT THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
George W. Truett Theological Seminary is an orthodox, evangelical, multi-denominational school in the historic Baptist tradition embedded into Baylor, a Christian R1 University. Truett’s mission is to equip God-called people for gospel ministry in and alongside Christ’s Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. Accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Baptist World Alliance, Truett Seminary provides theological education leading to the Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Master of Arts in Contextual Witness and Innovation, Master of Arts in Theology, Ecology and Food Justice, Master of Arts in Theology and Sports Studies (online), Master of Theological Studies, Doctor of Ministry, and PhD in Preaching. In addition to a number of distinctive programs, institutes, and centers, Truett Seminary also offers joint degrees through Baylor University school/college partnerships in social work, business, law, music, and education. Besides its flagship Baugh-Reynolds Campus in Waco, the Seminary also has locations in Houston and San Antonio. Visit the Truett Seminary website.