Maryland is where American clergy formation began. St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore opened in 1791 and Mount St. Mary's in 1808, and both are still among the largest Catholic seminaries in the country. Alongside them, Washington Adventist trains Adventist pastors on the DC line, Capital Seminary and Lancaster Bible College's Greenbelt campus serve the corridor's working ministers, and Wesley and RTS put Methodist and Reformed graduate degrees within commuting distance. This guide profiles 13 Maryland institutions.
How this guide is organized
Maryland's Bible schools sort into four groups:
Catholic seminaries and universities — St. Mary's, Mount St. Mary's, Loyola Maryland, and Notre Dame of Maryland. This is the deepest Catholic theological infrastructure of any state its size.
Evangelical adult and graduate programs — Lancaster Bible College's Greenbelt campus and Capital Seminary and Graduate School.
Denominational schools — Washington Adventist University for Seventh-day Adventists, Wesley Theological Seminary for United Methodists, and RTS Washington for Reformed students.
Church-based training — Maryland Bible College and Seminary and similar unaccredited ministry schools.
Because so much of Maryland's population lives inside the Washington and Baltimore metros, many students also enroll at DC and Virginia institutions. Read our accreditation guide before enrolling anywhere that does not appear in a federal accreditation database.
Bible colleges and Christian universities in Maryland (undergraduate)
Maryland has fewer traditional undergraduate Bible colleges than neighboring Pennsylvania or Virginia, but it has strong options for adults and for Catholic and Adventist students specifically.
Washington Adventist University
Location
Takoma Park (DC border)
Accreditation
MSCHE
Denomination
Seventh-day Adventist
Programs
Bachelor's degrees in Theology and Religious Studies with a ministerial track that prepares students for Adventist pastoral ministry, plus religion minors across the university.
Online
Yes — online degree completion and select graduate coursework
Tuition
Published undergraduate tuition in the mid $20,000s before aid, among the lowest private rates in the state.
Why students choose it: Maryland's principal undergraduate Bible and theology school, sitting on the DC line with direct access to the Adventist denomination's world headquarters in Silver Spring. Its theology program is the standard pathway into Adventist pastoral ministry for the Columbia Union.
Ideal for: Seventh-day Adventist ministry candidates, DC-metro students, and anyone wanting affordable accredited theology study near Washington.
Bachelor's degrees in Biblical Studies, Ministry, Human Services, and Business built for working adults, delivered in evening cohorts at the Greenbelt site.
Online
Yes — online and hybrid undergraduate and graduate programs
Tuition
Adult-program per-credit rates well below traditional private tuition.
Why students choose it: The most accessible accredited Bible degree in the Baltimore–Washington corridor. Lancaster Bible College brought its Pennsylvania Bible-college curriculum into Maryland specifically for adult and second-career students, and it carries both regional and ABHE Bible-college accreditation.
Ideal for: Working adults in the DC and Baltimore suburbs, bivocational ministers, and church staff finishing a bachelor's.
Bachelor's and master's degrees in Theology, plus a Master of Arts in Theology and pastoral ministry certificates alongside the seminary on the same campus.
Online
Limited — primarily residential, with some graduate theology online
Tuition
Published undergraduate tuition in the low $50,000s before aid, with heavy institutional discounting.
Why students choose it: The second-oldest Catholic university in the country, founded in 1808, and the rare campus where undergraduates study theology alongside a major national seminary. Its Catholic identity is explicit and its theology department is a common feeder into graduate ecclesiastical study.
Ideal for: Catholic undergraduates in theology, lay ministry candidates, and students discerning priesthood before seminary entry.
Published undergraduate tuition in the mid $50,000s before aid.
Why students choose it: Baltimore's Jesuit university and the leading place in Maryland to study theology inside a nationally ranked liberal-arts university. Its graduate pastoral counseling program is one of the oldest in the country and licensure-oriented.
Ideal for: Catholic and ecumenical students wanting academic theology, and pastoral counselors seeking licensure alongside formation.
Bachelor's degrees in Religious Studies plus a Master of Arts in Contemporary Communication and education degrees frequently paired with parish and Catholic-school ministry.
Online
Yes — online and evening adult undergraduate programs
Tuition
Published undergraduate tuition in the high $30,000s to low $40,000s before aid.
Why students choose it: A small Catholic university with a long history of forming lay ministers and Catholic-school teachers in Baltimore, and one of the more affordable Catholic options in the state through its adult programs.
Ideal for: Catholic-school teachers, parish catechetical leaders, and adult students in Baltimore.
Certificate, diploma, and degree-titled programs in Bible, theology, and missions with heavy local-church and missions-sending emphasis.
Online
Yes — distance and correspondence study available
Tuition
Substantially lower than accredited institutions; church-based pricing.
Why students choose it: A long-running Baltimore ministry training school connected to Greater Grace World Outreach, focused on producing missionaries and church planters rather than academic credentials.
Ideal for: Students preparing for missions or church planting who prioritize practical training and low cost over transferable credit.
Columbia Union College heritage (now Washington Adventist)
Location
Takoma Park
Accreditation
MSCHE
Denomination
Seventh-day Adventist
Programs
The institution known as Columbia Union College renamed itself Washington Adventist University in 2009; its theology programs continue under the current name.
Online
See Washington Adventist University
Tuition
See Washington Adventist University
Why students choose it: Included because the former name still appears in searches for Maryland Bible colleges. Transcripts and programs are administered by Washington Adventist University.
Ideal for: Alumni needing records, and prospective students who encountered the older name.
Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Theology, Bachelor of Sacred Theology, and the Ecumenical Institute of Theology's M.A. and certificates open to lay students of all traditions.
Online
Yes — the Ecumenical Institute offers online and evening graduate coursework
Tuition
Seminarian costs are typically covered by sponsoring dioceses; Ecumenical Institute programs are priced per credit.
Why students choose it: The first Roman Catholic seminary founded in the United States, established in 1791, and still one of the most significant. Its Ecumenical Institute is unusual: a Catholic seminary running a fully ecumenical graduate theology school where Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic students study together.
Ideal for: Catholic seminarians sponsored by a diocese, and lay or Protestant students seeking an accredited graduate theology degree in Baltimore.
Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Theology, Bachelor of Sacred Theology, and a pre-theology program for candidates entering without philosophy.
Online
Limited — residential priestly formation
Tuition
Formation costs are borne by sponsoring dioceses and religious orders.
Why students choose it: The second-oldest Catholic seminary in the United States, founded in 1808, and among the largest by enrollment. It forms priests for dioceses across the eastern seaboard on a campus shared with Mount St. Mary's University, giving seminarians access to a full university library and faculty.
Ideal for: Diocesan seminarians on the East Coast and candidates needing a pre-theology year.
Master of Divinity, M.A. in Ministry, M.A. in Biblical Studies, M.A. in Leadership, and a Doctor of Ministry and Ph.D. in Leadership, all built for working ministers.
Online
Yes — online and hybrid delivery across most degrees
Tuition
Graduate per-credit tuition positioned below most ATS seminaries in the region.
Why students choose it: The Washington region's most flexible evangelical graduate school. Now part of Lancaster Bible College, Capital serves the enormous population of bivocational and second-career ministers in the DC–Baltimore corridor, including many pastors of immigrant and multiethnic congregations.
Ideal for: Working pastors, church planters, and ministry leaders in the DC metro who need graduate credentials without relocating.
Master of Divinity, Master of Arts, Master of Theological Studies, and a Doctor of Ministry with tracks in public theology and church leadership.
Online
Yes — hybrid and online options across several degrees
Tuition
Graduate per-credit tuition with substantial denominational scholarships for UMC candidates.
Why students choose it: The main United Methodist seminary for the Baltimore–Washington Conference and the closest ATS seminary for most Maryland Methodists. Its location supports internships with denominational agencies, advocacy organizations, and Capitol Hill offices.
Ideal for: United Methodist ordinands in Maryland, public-theology students, and D.Min. candidates in church leadership.
Master of Arts in Theology and graduate certificates in areas such as spirituality, scripture, and church ministry, designed for part-time lay students.
Online
Yes — online and evening formats built for working students
Tuition
Per-credit graduate pricing, among the more affordable ATS-context options in Maryland.
Why students choose it: One of very few genuinely ecumenical graduate theology programs in the country, and the practical route for Baltimore-area lay leaders who want an accredited theology master's while working full time.
Ideal for: Lay ministers, teachers, chaplaincy-track students, and Protestants seeking accredited graduate theology in Baltimore.
Reformed Theological Seminary — Washington, DC campus
Location
Serving Maryland's DC suburbs
Accreditation
ATS and SACSCOC
Denomination
Reformed / Presbyterian
Programs
Master of Divinity, M.A. in Biblical Studies, and M.A. in Religion delivered in evening and modular formats for the capital region.
Online
Yes — RTS Global online degrees supplement the campus program
Tuition
Graduate per-credit tuition typical for ATS seminaries, with church-match scholarships.
Why students choose it: The Reformed option for Maryland students, drawing heavily from PCA and Reformed congregations in Montgomery and Howard counties. Its evening schedule is designed for students working full time in the DC area.
Ideal for: Presbyterian and Reformed ordinands, and Maryland suburbanites who need an evening or modular M.Div.
Published annual undergraduate tuition before institutional aid, with graduate schools noted separately. Net prices after grants are typically far lower.
School
City
Published tuition
Accreditation
Maryland Bible College and Seminary
Baltimore
Lowest in the state (church-based)
Not regionally accredited
Lancaster Bible College — Greenbelt
Greenbelt
Adult per-credit rates
MSCHE / ABHE
Washington Adventist University
Takoma Park
Mid $20,000s
MSCHE
Notre Dame of Maryland University
Baltimore
High $30,000s–low $40,000s
MSCHE
Mount St. Mary's University
Emmitsburg
Low $50,000s
MSCHE
Loyola University Maryland
Baltimore
Mid $50,000s
MSCHE
Capital Seminary and Graduate School
Greenbelt
Graduate, per credit
MSCHE / ABHE
St. Mary's Seminary and University
Baltimore
Diocesan-sponsored / per credit
MSCHE / ATS
Mount St. Mary's Seminary
Emmitsburg
Diocesan-sponsored
MSCHE / ATS
Figures reflect publicly published rates as of mid-2026 and are rounded. Confirm current tuition on each school's official site.
Verify ATS accreditation for any seminary before enrolling in an M.Div. intended for chaplaincy or doctoral study.
Maryland region by region
Baltimore
Baltimore holds the state's oldest and most academically serious theological institutions: St. Mary's Seminary and its Ecumenical Institute in Roland Park, Loyola Maryland in Evergreen, Notre Dame of Maryland in Homeland, and Maryland Bible College in the city. Urban ministry, hospital chaplaincy through the Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland systems, and parish work in one of the country's oldest Catholic dioceses shape the training here.
Washington suburbs — Montgomery and Prince George's counties
This corridor is where most Maryland students actually enroll. Washington Adventist sits in Takoma Park beside the Adventist world headquarters, Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary operate in Greenbelt and Lanham, and Wesley Theological Seminary and RTS Washington are minutes across the district line. Programs here are built around evening and hybrid schedules for federal workers, immigrant-church pastors, and second-career students.
Northern Maryland and Frederick County
Mount St. Mary's University and Seminary in Emmitsburg dominate the state's north, drawing seminarians from dioceses across the eastern seaboard to a rural mountain campus that is deliberately removed from metro distractions.
Eastern Shore and Western Maryland
Neither region has a Bible college. Students in Salisbury, Ocean City, Cumberland, and Hagerstown generally study online or commute long distances. Our online Bible degree hub covers accredited distance programs that serve these areas well.
How to choose a Bible school in Maryland
1. Accreditation
Institutional accreditation (MSCHE). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education accredits Washington Adventist, Mount St. Mary's, Loyola Maryland, Notre Dame of Maryland, St. Mary's Seminary, and Lancaster Bible College. Credits from these schools transfer most easily.
ATS accreditation. St. Mary's, Mount St. Mary's Seminary, Wesley, and RTS hold accreditation from the Association of Theological Schools. An ATS M.Div. is normally required for military and hospital chaplaincy endorsement and for admission to research doctorates.
ABHE accreditation. Lancaster Bible College and Capital are accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education in addition to MSCHE — a signal that the Bible curriculum is genuinely central rather than a minor.
Unaccredited church schools. Maryland Bible College and similar programs can be valuable practical training, but credits generally will not transfer and federal aid does not apply. Confirm approval with the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
Maryland's schools are more denominationally defined than in most states. St. Mary's, Mount St. Mary's, Loyola, and Notre Dame of Maryland are Roman Catholic and their formation programs assume Catholic practice. Washington Adventist requires Adventist doctrinal alignment for ministerial students. Wesley is United Methodist and progressive-leaning, RTS is confessionally Reformed and subscribes to the Westminster Standards, and Lancaster Bible College and Capital are broadly evangelical and inerrantist. Read the doctrinal statement in full and confirm your denomination recognizes the school for ordination.
3. Format and life stage
Traditional undergraduate: Washington Adventist, Mount St. Mary's, Loyola Maryland.
Working adults: Lancaster Bible College Greenbelt, Notre Dame of Maryland's adult programs, and Washington Adventist's completion tracks.
Bivocational and current ministers: Capital Seminary's online and hybrid graduate degrees, and RTS Washington's evening M.Div.
Chaplaincy candidates: Wesley, St. Mary's, and RTS offer ATS M.Div. degrees; CPE residencies are available through Johns Hopkins, MedStar, and University of Maryland hospital systems.
Catholic seminarians: St. Mary's and Mount St. Mary's, with diocesan sponsorship.
Cost and financial aid for Maryland Bible students
Every accredited school in this guide participates in federal student aid. Start with the FAFSA, then check the Maryland Higher Education Commission's state aid programs. The Howard P. Rawlings Guaranteed Access Grant covers a large share of demonstrated need for lower-income Maryland residents and can be used at eligible in-state private nonprofit colleges; the Educational Assistance Grant serves a broader income band. The Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship is worth planning around — completing general-education credits at a community college and transferring into a Bible degree can cut total cost dramatically.
Denominational support is significant in Maryland. Catholic dioceses fully sponsor seminarians at St. Mary's and Mount St. Mary's, the Baltimore–Washington Conference funds United Methodist candidates at Wesley, and the Columbia Union subsidizes Adventist theology students at Washington Adventist. Ask your denomination before assuming a school is unaffordable.
Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park is Maryland's main undergraduate Bible and theology college, with Seventh-day Adventist ministerial training. Lancaster Bible College's Greenbelt campus offers accredited Bible degrees inside the Washington suburbs, Capital Seminary and Graduate School serves the same corridor at the graduate level, and Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg is the leading Catholic option.
Does Maryland have a seminary?
Yes, and several of national importance. St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore is the oldest Roman Catholic seminary in the United States, founded in 1791. Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg is one of the largest Catholic seminaries in the country, Wesley Theological Seminary serves United Methodists just across the DC line, and Capital Seminary and Graduate School and the Ecumenical Institute at St. Mary's round out graduate options.
Is there a Bible college near Baltimore?
Yes. St. Mary's Seminary and University sits in north Baltimore and its Ecumenical Institute of Theology enrolls Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox lay students. Loyola University Maryland offers theology degrees in the Jesuit tradition, Notre Dame of Maryland University offers religious studies, and Baltimore students commonly commute to Capital Seminary's Greenbelt-area programs or study online.
Can I use Maryland state grants at a Bible college?
Yes for accredited institutions. The Howard P. Rawlings Guaranteed Access Grant and Educational Assistance Grant, administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission, apply at eligible in-state private nonprofit colleges including Washington Adventist, Mount St. Mary's, Loyola Maryland, and Notre Dame of Maryland. The Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship is also widely used for general-education credits before transferring into a Bible degree.
What is the cheapest Bible college in Maryland?
Maryland Bible College and Seminary in Baltimore charges church-based rates far below the accredited universities, though it is not regionally accredited. Among accredited schools, Washington Adventist University generally posts the lowest published undergraduate tuition, and Lancaster Bible College's Greenbelt site and Capital Seminary's per-credit graduate pricing are the lowest accredited routes for working adults.
Are there online Bible degrees from Maryland schools?
Yes. Capital Seminary and Graduate School delivers online and hybrid graduate ministry and leadership degrees, Lancaster Bible College offers online undergraduate and graduate programs available to Maryland students, Washington Adventist runs online degree-completion tracks, and Wesley Theological Seminary offers hybrid and online coursework for several degrees.
Why does Maryland have so many Catholic seminaries?
Maryland was founded in 1634 as a haven for English Catholics and Baltimore became the first Roman Catholic diocese in the United States in 1789. St. Mary's Seminary followed in 1791 and Mount St. Mary's in 1808, making the state the historic cradle of American Catholic clergy formation — a legacy still visible in the scale of both seminaries today.
How much does Bible school cost in Maryland?
Published undergraduate tuition at Maryland's Christian colleges runs roughly $25,000–$55,000 before aid, with Washington Adventist at the low end and Loyola Maryland and Mount St. Mary's at the high end. Graduate seminary tuition is priced per credit and is usually far lower per year, and Catholic seminarians in formation are typically sponsored by their diocese.
Tuition figures reflect official school publications and published rates as of mid-2026 and are subject to change. Always confirm current costs, program availability, and accreditation status on each school's official website before applying.
