Seminary Campaign Puts $40 Million Toward Student Aid

Prospective seminary students in Evanston and beyond may see expanded financial assistance as the campaign's accessible priority takes shape.

Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Scholarships

Limestone academic building with tall arched windows seen across a wide green lawn lined with mature oak trees under overcast daylight. — Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston has raised $81 million toward a $125 million campaign to expand student financial aid and educational access. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, located on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston, has launched a $125 million campaign called Abundant Spirit: Garrett's Next Century. Donors have committed $81 million so far, and the campaign is aimed at students preparing for religious leadership and service.

Why it matters

The campaign's stated purpose is to expand financial assistance and widen the range of educational pathways for future leaders, which bears directly on what it costs to attend seminary and who can afford to enroll. The seminary says the need for theological education has not diminished even as the ways people learn, lead, gather, and serve have changed.

The campaign has a $125 million goal, with $81 million already committed by donors. Of the planned spending, $40 million is allocated to the accessible priority, $55 million to the essential priority, and $30 million to the enduring priority.

The players

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

A graduate seminary in Evanston, Illinois, historically related to the United Methodist Church, that prepares religious leaders and is located on the Northwestern University campus.

The details

The campaign is organized around three priorities: accessible, essential, and enduring. The accessible priority is meant to expand financial assistance and create educational opportunities across different geographies, languages, life stages, and vocational contexts. The essential priority and enduring priority, the seminary says, will fund partnerships, faculty research, and collaborative learning with congregations and communities, and will support long-term endowment investments that sustain faculty, scholarship, and formation.

Nearly 175 years: Garrett has prepared leaders for service over its history.
1853: The seminary has been historically related to the United Methodist Church since this year.
November 13, 2026: The public phase of the campaign was announced.

Education Landscape

Garrett's campaign arrives as theological seminaries, like other graduate schools, face the ongoing question of how to keep advanced training affordable for students preparing for service careers. The seminary's three-part framing of accessibility, essentials, and endowment reflects a common approach of pairing scholarship funding with long-term institutional stability.

If you are considering seminary, the campaign's accessible priority is designed to expand financial assistance, so it is worth asking Garrett's financial-aid office what aid is currently available and how the new funding could affect it. Prospective students at any stage of life can also check the campaign's information page to see how these opportunities are being structured.

The takeaway

Garrett's campaign signals that the seminary is investing in student access, with $40 million earmarked for expanded financial assistance and educational opportunity. Prospective students interested in seminary training can ask the admissions or financial-aid office how the campaign may affect the aid they can expect.