“Christian university in Santa Clarita committed to Scripture, with Chancellor John MacArthur.”
The Master's University and Seminary is a small, private, unapologetically conservative evangelical Christian university in Santa Clarita, California, about 45 minutes north of Los Angeles. Founded in 1927 as Los Angeles Baptist Theological Seminary and later renamed in 1986 after pastor-chancellor John MacArthur, TMU enrolls roughly 2,800 students — including about 1,900 undergraduates — across a 110-acre campus in the scenic Santa Clarita Valley. The university is explicitly confessional: every faculty member signs TMU's Doctrinal Statement and Community Life Standards, and the entire academic program is built around a biblical worldview, with tri-weekly chapel services (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) that are a non-negotiable part of the student experience. TMU is organized around several schools including Biblical Studies, Business, Communication, Education, Music, and Sciences. The School of Biblical Studies is the university's flagship and the reason many students choose TMU — it is widely regarded as one of the most rigorous evangelical Bible programs in North America, with graduate programs including the MA in Biblical Studies and the doctoral program at the co-located Master's Seminary (founded by MacArthur and ranked as one of the top evangelical seminaries). Beyond Bible, TMU offers BSN nursing, business, biology/pre-med, music (with a strong worship-music emphasis), and education programs — all delivered within an integrated Christian worldview. Class sizes are small (student-to-faculty ratio ~12:1), and 98% of students receive some form of financial aid. Student life is close-knit, residential, and explicitly Christian: six on-campus dorms house the majority of students, chapel attendance is expected, and the Student Life team runs activities including the annual Truth & Life Conference, Day of Prayer, Springfest, intramurals, and frequent beach or LA-area outings. Athletics compete as the Mustangs in the NAIA Golden State Athletic Conference, fielding 18 varsity sports. TMU is best suited to students who want a rigorous academic program delivered within a conservative, John MacArthur-aligned Reformed evangelical framework — it is not a good fit for students seeking religious or cultural pluralism.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
CPA exam pass rate
NASBA
Test Required — All applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores.
Official SourcePriority Deadline (Fall)
Financial aid priority deadline; complete applications reviewed first
Rolling Admission
Applications accepted on a rolling basis until space fills
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$39,020
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
TMU's flagship school, widely regarded as one of the most rigorous evangelical Bible programs in North America. Offers undergraduate Bible majors, the MA in Biblical Studies (online and residential), and the doctoral Biblical Counseling program. All TMU undergraduates complete a Bible minor regardless of major.
Undergraduate business programs with majors in accounting, finance, management, and entrepreneurship delivered within a Christian worldview. Graduates feed into ministry-aligned, small-business, and nonprofit-sector roles as well as traditional corporate paths.
Houses TMU's BSN nursing program, biology (pre-med), chemistry, mathematics, computer science, education, and music programs. The music program is particularly strong in worship-ministry and performance tracks.
Communication, English, history, and political science majors delivered from a classical Christian liberal-arts perspective. Pre-law advising and internship support through the Institute for Worship and Christian Apologetics.
4 years
TMU's flagship undergraduate program — rigorous exegesis, original-language training (Greek and Hebrew), and systematic theology delivered within a conservative Reformed framework.
2 years
Nouthetic/biblical counseling program rooted in scripture as the primary counseling text. A leading program nationally for pastors, lay counselors, and ministry leaders.
4 years
CCNE-accredited BSN program that blends clinical training with a Christian worldview. Graduates pursue licensure via NCLEX and place into hospitals and missions nursing.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $39,020
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
