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Your education is an investment in your life and your ministry. We’re here to help you make that investment affordable. 100% of students at Concordia University Irvine receive financial aid through a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study options. Your admissions counselor will help guide you through every step of the financial aid process, helping you understand your options to create a plan that works for you. Below are just some of the ways we help make your education affordable.
Through quality church work programs, Concordia University Irvine supports the formation of pastors, DCEs, DPMs, deaconesses, and teachers in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS).
The Church Vocations Scholarship is for applicants who plan to pursue a LCMS church career. This scholarship currently provides qualified applicants with $23,000 of institutional aid (all sources) plus free on-campus housing*. The scholarship is renewable each year for those who maintain a cumulative 2.5 GPA and a 2.8 GPA in certification course work.
*Total award amount subject to change.
To qualify you must:
Application Information:
If you are one of the first qualified students to have been accepted to Concordia, and to Christ College Church Vocation, and make your enrollment deposit by the deadline, you are guaranteed a total of $23,000 in institutional aid and an on-campus full housing grant. To begin your application or to ask any questions, please contact Carrie Donohoe, Christ College Program Coordinator, at [email protected] or (949) 214-3389.
*California students receiving Cal Grant funds are not eligible to receive aid beyond a student's financial need.
The Christ College Scholarship is for applicants who are members of an LCMS congregation and who plan to pursue a LCMS church career, if not eligible for the LCMS Church Vocations Scholarship. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5 cumulative and GPA of 2.8 in certification course work, and plan to pursue a career in a church work profession (Education, Seminary, Deaconess, DCE, and Parish Music).
In addition to the financial aid offered through Concordia University, church work students are also eligible for the following scholarships and grants.
Each district offers a varying amount of support to students and the application requirements are determined by each district. To qualify, students must be preparing for full-time LCMS church work at a synodical school.
Complete the District Aid application which requires your Pastor’s signature. Most Districts require additional forms and each district has a specific deadline. If you did not apply for District Aid last year, you may do so this year.
Any student, regardless of denomination, can request funds from their church. Complete this application so that these funds can be taken into consideration when finalizing your student bill. Have an “authorized” person from your church sign it and indicate the amount offered to you. The preferred authorized signature is from the treasurer or bookkeeper. There is no specific deadline, but submission is preferred prior to the start of the semester.
The Biermann Memorial Scholarship is open to all current members of LCMS congregations in the Missouri District who are attending any synodical Higher Education institution and working toward a degree that leads to a career in church work. Those who are in their vicarage or internship year are not eligible for scholarship funds for that academic year. Scholarship funds will be awarded each June for the following academic year.
Amounts range from $500 to over $1,000 (depending on the amount available and number of applicants).