ADVANCE Students
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
ADVANCE programs offer three levels of education: 12-hour certificates, 24-hour diplomas, and 48-hour leadership diplomas.
- Certificates focus on a specific area of ministry.
- Diplomas focus on a specific area of ministry, plus 12 hours of Christian studies (bible, theology & history).
- Leadership Diplomas focus on a specific area of ministry, plus 24 hours of Christian studies, and 12 hours of leadership training.
ADVANCE offers ministry training in these areas:
| Biblical Languages | Discipleship | Philosophy & Apologetics |
| Children’s Ministry | Leadership | Preaching |
| Chaplaincy | Missions | Teaching |
| Christian Studies | Music Ministry | Women’s Ministry |
| Church Education | Pastoral Ministries | Youth Ministry |
| Church Planting | Peer Counseling |
A full list of programs and courses is available in the current Academic Catalog. Yearly course offerings vary by ADVANCE Center.
If you are new to ADVANCE, please complete this application.
If you have finished 12-48 credits, please complete one of these forms.
frequently asked questions
What requirements are there to be a student?
ADVANCE Students must be 18 years old and have been a Christian for at least 1 year.
What items do I need to submit to complete my application?
New students will need a church endorsement submitted from their pastor and will need to pay a $30 new student application fee to their ADVANCE Center. They will also need to sign and submit the Ethical Conduct Standard agreement to their center.
Where do I apply?
All ADVANCE Students should apply online at www.gs.edu/advstudent. Alternatively, you may request a paper application directly from your center if you need an application in another language.
Is there an application deadline?
Students should check with individual centers for application deadlines, as center course schedules vary.
How do I select a program?
ADVANCE Students do not select a specific program on their application for admission but may pursue any of our various certificate, diploma, and leadership diploma programs once admitted.
When students fulfill the course requirements for a particular certificate, they should notify their center and submit a Certificate Completion Form. When students fulfill the course requirements for a particular diploma or leadership diploma, they should notify their center and submit a Graduation Application and graduation fees. These forms can be downloaded here.
How much does ADVANCE cost?
ADVANCE Centers operate as partners of Gateway Seminary and charge varying amounts for tuition based on their own operating costs. However, there is a base fee of $30 per credit hour and a cap of $100 per credit hour. The vast majority of ADVANCE classes are 3-credit hours, so ADVANCE students will typically pay between $90 to $300 per class.
Students also pay a $30 new student application fee when first applying.
Auditors pay the same amount per credit hour as regular students but do not pay a new student application fee.
Certificate recipients pay nothing to receive a certificate, once their course requirements are met and the appropriate paperwork is filed. Current graduation fees & late graduation application fees for diploma students, and transcript fees for all students, can be found here under “Other Fees (non-refundable).”
How do I pick an ADVANCE Center?
If you are not already connected with an ADVANCE center, instructor, or director, you can view our list of center locations here or look at the map below to see if there are any centers in your language near you or online. Once you find a center you would like to enroll with, contact them directly to find out their registration process, fees, and upcoming classes.
If you need assistance locating a center, please email
with your location, your openness to online learning, and any particular courses of interest.
I studied with ADVANCE in the past. Do I have to reapply?
Students will complete the application process once. After being fully admitted, students will remain in active status. This means students may take classes as they are able and will not need to reapply. However, students must inform their center leadership about changes in personal information, such as address, email, phone, and name.
Will my ADVANCE classes transfer?
Possibly. Up to 10 hours of ADVANCE electives can transfer into several of the master’s programs at Gateway Seminary. Some Bible colleges have accepted up to 24 or 48 hours of ADVANCE credit, while others have not accepted any. While Gateway Seminary is an ATS accredited institution, ADVANCE is not an accredited program. Other institutions have varying policies about whether or not they will accept ADVANCE credit, so please check with them about their specific transfer policies. If you need to request a transcript, you can download the transcript request form, and other ADVANCE student forms here.
Can I take classes at multiple ADVANCE Centers at once?
Yes. Some students attend multiple centers to take a fuller course load. Such students will need to complete a Dual Enrollment Form and designate their home center to maintain a student file for them and help them with their program progress.
What do I do when I am ready to graduate?
If you have completed all of the course requirements for an ADVANCE Diploma (24 credits) or ADVANCE Leadership Diploma (48 credits), please submit an ADVANCE Diploma Application by the deadline to avoid the $50 late fee. Deadlines are listed in the Los Angeles-Ontario Campus Calendar, located near the end of the current year's Academic Catalog. If you miss the initial deadlines, Graduation Applications will continue to be accepted for additional several weeks with a late fee. The final deadline for Graduation Applications is also listed in the Los Angeles-Ontario Campus Calendar. Graduation fees should be paid to your ADVANCE center.
If you have completed all of the course requirements for an ADVANCE Certificate (12 credits), please submit an ADVANCE Certificate Application by September for Fall or by February for Spring. There are no fees for receiving a certificate.
For both the Graduation Application and the Certificate Completion Form, please make sure you have completely filled out these forms before submitting. They will not be accepted until they are completely filled out, signed, and dated.
ADVANCE CENTER Locations
Click on the icons below to view center information. Once you find a center you would like to enroll with, contact them directly to find out their registration process, fees, and upcoming classes.
TRAINING EVENTS
Every year ADVANCE hosts two events for strengthening professional and volunteer church leaders.
Transform (August) is a one-day workshop focused on spiritual development and growth in ministry.
Foundations (March) is a one-day workshop focused on practical ministry skills.
Look for announcements about these events in Gateway’s newsletter The Loop and on Gateway social media.