Private (nonprofit)

Starr King School for the Ministry

Oakland, California·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Far West·sksm.edu
Acceptance
Grad-only
—
6-yr Graduation
Grad-only
—
Total enrollment
77
peer median 84
Avg net price
Grad-only
—
Use this data
Ask Clema
AboutProgram outcomesAccreditationFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsCampus safetyPeersDocumentsAlumni

About

Starr King School for the Ministry is a multi-religious Unitarian Universalist seminary in Oakland, California. The seminary was formed in 1904 to educate leaders for the growing number of progressive religious communities in the western part of the US. The school emphasizes the practical skills of religious leadership through the lens of Educating to Counter Oppressions (ECO). Today, it educates Unitarian Universalist ministers, religious educators, and spiritual activists, as well as progressive religious leaders from a variety of traditions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, earth-centered traditions, and others.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 2 Title IV programs, 1 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 1 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
2
Passing
1
50.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

2programs
  • Passing1 · 50.0%
  • No Data1 · 50.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
0
No data
1

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

1
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Master's Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+10.1%
$49,050 vs $44,535

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools

Accredited since 1978Next review Mar 2030

Action history · 7

  1. Feb 2025Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Warning
    Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools
  2. Feb 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools
  3. Jun 2021Accreditation Reaffirmed: Warning Removed
    Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools
  4. Jun 2020Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Warning
    Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools
  5. Jan 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, students received in Pell grants, alongside $1.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
—
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
—
null total
Direct Loans
$1.2M
51 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
’20
0k
’21
0k
’22
0k
’23
0k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Unsubsidized · Grad$759K
39 loan awards
Grad PLUS$435K
12 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 64 borrowers who entered repayment, 2 (3.1%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.1%
+0.8pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
64
Defaulted
2
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.0%
2017
8.3%
2018
5.4%
2019
3.1%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at SKSM

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs3
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

11 total completions
01Theology
11100.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
77
12-mo unduplicated
87

Gender split

Men
21%18
Women
79%69

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
11.63
1 offenses · 86 students

3-year trend

12.202 yrs ago34.481 yr ago11.63Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
5
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

1total
  • Public property1

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

SKSM vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions SKSM selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectStarr King School for the Ministry
Grad-onlyGrad-only77Grad-only—
Academy for Jewish Religion California
Grad-onlyGrad-only58Grad-only—
Bethany Theological Seminary
Grad-onlyGrad-only61Grad-only—
Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius
Grad-onlyGrad-only24Grad-only—
Church Divinity School of the Pacific
Grad-onlyGrad-only40Grad-only—
Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest
Grad-onlyGrad-only109Grad-only—
Franciscan School of Theology
Grad-onlyGrad-only89Grad-only—
Hebrew College
Grad-onlyGrad-only163Grad-only—
Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies
Grad-onlyGrad-only74Grad-only—
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Grad-onlyGrad-only46Grad-only—
Saint Meinrad School of Theology
Grad-onlyGrad-only183Grad-only—
Saint Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary
Grad-onlyGrad-only143Grad-only—
Saint Vincent Seminary
Grad-onlyGrad-only79Grad-only—
St Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry
Grad-onlyGrad-only144Grad-only—
Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church
Grad-onlyGrad-only12Grad-only—
Urshan Graduate School of Theology
Grad-onlyGrad-only116Grad-only—
Wartburg Theological Seminary
Grad-onlyGrad-only161Grad-only—
Westminster Theological Seminary in California
Grad-onlyGrad-only108Grad-only—
Peer group median——84—

Institutions like SKSM

Explore the federal data for institutions in SKSM's comparison group.

IPEDS

Reports & documents (1)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of SKSM (9)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Vanessa Ament
  • Sofía Betancourt
  • Marc Estrin
  • Kelly Flood
  • Stephanie Kaza
  • Adrian Melott
  • Peter Morales
  • William G. Sinkford
  • Sam Webster

Frequently asked questions about Starr King School for the Ministry

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about SKSM.

What is the acceptance rate at Starr King School for the Ministry?

Starr King School for the Ministry does not have a reported acceptance rate. This institution offers no undergraduate degree programs, so there is no undergraduate admissions cycle to report.

What is the graduation rate at Starr King School for the Ministry?

Starr King School for the Ministry does not have a reported federal graduation rate. Federal graduation rates track first-time, full-time undergraduates seeking a degree. This institution offers no undergraduate degree programs, so there is no cohort to follow.

How many students attend Starr King School for the Ministry?

Starr King School for the Ministry reports a total enrollment of 77 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Starr King School for the Ministry?

Starr King School for the Ministry does not have a reported average net price. Net price is a federal metric for first-time, full-time undergraduates receiving federal aid. This institution offers no undergraduate degree programs, so it does not report one.

Where is Starr King School for the Ministry located?

Starr King School for the Ministry is located in Oakland, California 94612.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant & loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant and Direct Loan recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

Have a question this page can’t answer?

Ask Clema anything about Starr King School for the Ministry and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

Try for freeBook a demo

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card