Jamaica Theological Seminary Admission Entry Requirements 2023/2024

Period of Processing

• Applications for the Jamaica Theological Seminary (JTS) are continuously being processed throughout the year.

Timeline for Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programmes

Semester I Beginning in August

• Application processing period: January-July
• Application closes on June 30
• Late application deadline- last Friday in July

Semester II Beginning in January

• Application closes on November 30
• Late application deadline-second Friday in December

Admission Requirements

Admissions requirement for Graduate programme is:

• An undergraduate degree from an accredited and recognizable institution

Admission requirements for the other programmes, with the exception of the Bachelor of Arts in General Studies and the Certificate in Leadership and Ministry are:

• A minimum of 5 CXC (General Proficiency) and/ or GCE subjects with a combination of passes a I, II or III and/or A, B or C.
• English Language and Mathematics are compulsory (Grade I or II required).
• Applicants to the BA Theology, BA Biblical Studies, BA General Studies emphasis Biblical and Theological Studies must be a born-again Christian for at least one year and a member of a Church.

Applicants who do not possess all of the above academic requirements are assessed for equivalent qualifications that include but are not limited to:

• JTS Certificate and Associate in Leadership and Ministry programmes
• HEART /NTA Certification
• Secondary School Competency (SSC)
• Professional courses (diploma and certificates)
• Jamaica School Certificate Examination (JSCE)
• JTS Extension Certificate programme (ETA)

Applicants to the Bachelor of Arts in General Studies programme must be the holder of an accredited diploma or an Associate Degree from a recognized institution that has 60 semester credits – 30 of these credits should be in the Humanities or 90 term credits with 45 being in the Humanities. Applicants must also fulfill the requirement of ‘2’ above.

The Certificate in Leadership and Ministry programme is offered part-time as a first level qualification to the Associate of Arts and/or the Bachelor or Arts in Theology degree programmes. This programme is designed to assist persons who are desirous of acquiring tertiary level training but do not possess the matriculation requirements. Applicants to the programme who have fulfilled requirement ‘2’ above but do not have the academic requirement but have attained secondary education and / or possess vocational qualifications are carefully assessed by the admissions committee.

English Proficiency Entrance Exam

The exam is allotted 2 1/2 hours for completion. It covers areas such as comprehension and composition

Provisional Acceptance

Applicants who do not posses all five (5) subjects but have English Language, Mathematics and two (2) other passes may be granted provisional acceptance at the discretion of the Admissions Committee

Mature Entry

Applicants who do not possess any academic qualifications but have been serving in the Ministry (as an associate pastor, deacon, elder, lay-preacher etc.) for a minimum of 5 years and is over 30 years old are carefully assessed for Mature Entry Status. Persons who qualify under this status are admitted provisionally for 1 year; during this period they must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) for full admission to the programme.

Applicants who do not possess all the academic requirements but who have fulfilled the requirement of ‘2’ above may also be assessed using the Prior Learning Portfolio Development.

Re-Admission

Students who have not been registered at JTS for more than 1 semester will need to re-apply to the institution. In such a case the following documents will be required:

• Re-Admission Form
• Current Pastoral Reference
• Health Form
• Statement of Christian Testimony and experience over the period absent from JTS (If a student of BATH or BABS)
• Recent Photograph (if absent from studies over two (2) semesters)

If the applicant attended another tertiary institution during the period of absence form JTS, it is then the responsibility of the applicant to request that a transcript from that institution be sent to the JTS Admissions Office. Click here to visit the “Apply Today” webpage.