Statistics
Explore important data related to Western Seminary's post-graduation success, retention rates, and other student demographics.
Placement Data
This data is required every year by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) regarding the vocational placement of Western graduates.
Explanation of types of placement:
- Vocational placement: Graduates are in positions for which the degree program prepared them, regardless ofwhether those positions are compensated or volunteer.
- Non-vocational placement: Graduates received degrees in programs that they sought for non-vocational reasons,such as for personal enrichment.
- Further study: Graduates are pursuing additional education (at any level).
- Seeking placement: Graduates are actively seeking appropriate placement.
- Other: Graduates have positions or placements that do not fall within any of the above categories.
- Unknown: The placement status of graduates is still not known after repeated attempts to gather data.
| Graduate Year | Program | Number of Graduates | Response Rate | Vocational Placement (#students) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-2022* | MDiv | 27 | 89% | Vocational placement = 19 Non-vocational placement = 3 Further study = 1 Seeking placement = 1 Other = 0 Unknown = 3 |
| Professional MA (MAC, MAGL, MABL, MAML) | 77 | 82% | Vocational placement = 46 Non-vocational placement = 5 Further study = 3 Seeking placement = 9 Other = 0 Unknown = 14 |
|
| Academic MA (MABTS) | 53 | 81% | Vocational placement = 24 Non-vocational placement = 6 Further study = 6 Seeking placement = 5 Other = 2 Unknown = 10 |
|
| ThM | 1 | 100% | Vocational placement = 1 | |
| DMin | 4 | 100% | Vocational placement = 4 | |
| Other Professional Doctoral (EdD, DIS) | 5 | 80% | Vocational placement = 4 Unknown = 1 |
*Total response rate for 2021 graduates = 83%
Retention
Retention describes the balance of the number of students entering and leaving a school each year. This number is functionally made up of the total returning student body (including new incoming students), plus matriculated students, minus graduating students, and those who have opted out of Western. The definition Western has adopted comes from our Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) accreditors: Retention rate is defined as the percentage of students enrolling in consecutive fall terms.
| Year | Location | Retention Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-2022 | All | 91.5% |
| Portland | 93.4% | |
| Global (Online) | 89% | |
| Sacramento | 91.9% | |
| San Jose | 94.2% | |
| 2020-2021 | All | 92% |
| Portland | 92.6% | |
| Global (Online) | 91.4% | |
| Sacramento | 88.6% | |
| San Jose | 93.8% |
Student Demographics
2021 Institutional Peer Profile Report (Demographic Information)