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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024* | MDiv | 15 | 87% | Vocational placement = 11 Non-vocational placement = 0 Further study = 0 Seeking placement = 2 Other = 2 Unknown = 2 |
| Professional MA (MAC, MAGL, MABL, MAML) | 76 | 96% | Vocational placement = 59 Non-vocational placement = 3 Further study = 3 Seeking placement = 6 Other = 2 Unknown = 3 |
|
| Academic MA (MABTS) | 47 | 79% | Vocational placement = 13 Non-vocational placement = 10 Further study = 5 Seeking placement = 5 Other = 4 Unknown = 10 |
|
| ThM | 5 | 100% | Vocational placement = 3 Non-vocational placement = 1 Further study = 1 Seeking placement = 0 Other = 0 Unknown = 0 |
|
| DMin | 7 | 100% | Vocational placement = 7 Non-vocational placement = 0 Further study = 0 Seeking placement = 0 Other = 0 Unknown = 0 |
|
| Other Professional Doctoral (EdD, DIS) | 11 | 89% | Vocational placement = 8 Non-vocational placement = 1 Further study = 0 Seeking placement = 0 Other = 2 Unknown = 0 |
*Total response rate for 2023-24 graduates = 91%
Retention
Western Seminary measures retention as the percentage of students who continue their studies from one semester to the next until completion of their degrees. This number is calculated as the number of students enrolled in a given semester divided by the number of all active students (continuing students plus newly admitted students minus those graduating minus those who have withdrawn).
| 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
2023 Institutional Peer Profile Report (Demographic Information)