When the going gets tough…

…the tough go to divinity school? At least that’s what this story from UWIRE says. Both Harvard and Yale Divinity schools have seen increases of more than 10 percent in applications. “The admission pool definitely spiked in this last year, and the economy probably is part of it,” according to Harold Attridge, dean of Yale […]

…the tough go to divinity school? At least that’s what this story from UWIRE says. Both Harvard and Yale Divinity schools have seen increases of more than 10 percent in applications.

“The admission pool definitely spiked in this last year, and the economy probably is part of it,” according to Harold Attridge, dean of Yale Divinity School, where a 13 percent increase in applications has led to the largest applicant pool in the school’s history.

The article draws from a rather small and elite pool for its data, only Harvard and Yale, as far as I can tell, but the reporter does talk to Daniel Aleshire, executive director of the 253-member Association of Theological Schools.


The story says Aleshire “drew a parallel between the current economic downturn and recent crises such as the dot-com bust and the attacks of Sept. 11, which were also followed by increased applications to divinity schools.”

Meanwhile, seminaries are seeking creative solutions for dire problems, as our frequent contributor G. Jeffrey MacDonald pointed out earlier this year.

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