Student Life

College Membership

Membership of the student body is accorded to those students who have been interviewed and accepted by the College Management Committee and who follow the College stipulated courses for ministerial or missionary training. Such students are expected to participate fully in the fellowship and spiritual life of the College and have voice and vote in student meetings. They are also eligible, if they meet the necessary conditions, to receive College awards on the completion of their courses.

Students, if accepted by Queen's University Belfast, can take courses without becoming members of the College. They are not required to share in the spiritual life of the College, and are not eligible for a College award.

Devotion & Worship

Maintaining a strong personal devotion to the Lord is the mainspring of all Christian service and requires application and discipline in College as much as elsewhere. Study of the background and theology of Scripture, important as it is, must never take the place of daily personal meditation and prayer. The College encourages personal and corporate devotion and requires students to participate in fellowship every day by attending morning prayers and lunch. There is a series of classes on the devotional life. Visitors are invited on a regular basis to give expositions of the Scripture. Missionary presentations are also a regular feature of the curriculum. Bible expositions and the weekly sermon class are often occasions of challenge as well as instruction.

Practical Work

Students pursuing a course which includes PASTORAL STUDIES are expected to serve an assistantship of about 7 months in a local church supervised by its pastor. For a PRACTICAL STUDIES award, supervised work is arranged on one afternoon each week for one semester during each year of the course. Students working for an award in MISSIONARY STUDIES are required to spend at least one vacation [6-8 weeks] in a supervised placement in an overseas missionary context.

In all cases students participate in a one week mission each year - 'evangelism week'.  These periods of working together in teams prove valuable not just to the students, but to the churches in which they serve. They are also expected to prepare and be involved in the weekly sermon workshop in the first semester each year. Male students in the second semester take their turn to lead and preach at sermon class while the female students follow a specially designed course which involves instruction and participation in various public speaking projects.

Fees

These are reviewed annually and a statement of the fees for each year is available by clicking here.  The College recognizes the substantial financial pressures facing prospective students, and for that reason tuition fees are kept as low as possible. The generosity of the churches of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland is considerable, and is a vital component in our attempts to keep costs down. Without their help costs would be considerably higher.

On the basis of annual church contributions and other funds made available, bursaries may be offered to eligible students with limited resources. Guidance on making application for such bursaries, and for help from trust funds external to the College may be received from any member of the College Faculty, or from the College registrar.

Awards

Most of the courses taught in the College are recognised by education authorities throughout the UK for discretionary, and in some cases mandatory Further or Higher Education Awards. In Northern Ireland students on a course with a four GCSE/GCE entrance requirement may qualify for an award.

Early application for such awards, particularly where discretionary, is strongly advised. The amount of these awards has been reduced substantially in recent years, and university students are being encouraged by the government to obtain student loans to help pay for both tuition fees and maintenance.

Part-time Studies

Certain courses can be taken on a part-time basis. Students' wives and others can gain a Christian Service Certificate in this way. Additionally a Christian Education Certificate or Diploma is offered through evening classes and through a Thursday morning Ladies' Study Fellowship. For students desiring to follow university studies, a University Access course is taught according to demand.