Cost & Travel

The cost for the program is $1250 per year for years 1-2, and $2500 for year 3. ($5000 total for the 3 years).
Full tuition must be paid before classes begin each fall.
Special financial arrangements will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and partial or full scholarships may be available upon request and demonstration of need, and availability of funds.

Each school year will begin with a weekend retreat in the fall. Students are responsible, if at all possible, to come to Minnesota for the retreat each year as part of their program requirement. (If a student is absolutely not able to attend in person, arrangements will be made for them to participate as much as possible via Zoom.)
Most of the cost of the retreat (travel, lodging, food) is built into the SEM tuition but some additional costs may be involved, depending on each student’s specific situation. The SEM tuition fee and the intentional ratio of local-to-non-local students allows us to offer to cover reasonable airfare or gas costs for non-local students to come to the Twin Cities. Details of these arrangements must be discussed with the SEM director and approved before tickets are booked or travel plans are finalized.
- - Arrangements will be made for out-of-town students to stay with local student-hosts who will provide free lodging and meals apart from the retreat meals at Woodland Hills.
  - Students arriving early or staying on after the retreat are responsible for their own lodging and food costs.
  - If students prefer to stay in a hotel, they are responsible for making their own arrangements and cover these costs.
The annual kickoff retreats involve interpersonal connection (students to WH, to each other, and to the SEM leaders), casting the vision for the year, worship and prayer times, and recreational activities.

This 7-day event takes place at the end of year three. Third-year students will wrap up their SEM program with a final graduation and commissioning ceremony, and also embark on a 6-day Civil Rights Justice Journey to Southern landmarks in the civil rights/reconciliation movement.
Most of the costs of the week-long trip and graduation, including travel to and from the Twin Cities for out-of-towners, are built into the third-year SEM tuition, apart from personal costs based on specific student situations.
As with the opening retreat, costs are distributed evenly across all the third-year students’ tuition fees to make it possible for everyone to participate, and travel plans and reimbursements must be pre-approved before being finalized.