Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, has been placed on a 12-month probation. Despite this, it will continue to be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) through June 2026 as it works to recover from a financial crisis.
Last week, the SACSCOC announced that SWBTS, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, was placed on probation on June 12 and is required to demonstrate a “pattern of financial stability” as the school has been working to improve its financial health in recent years.
The probation follows the institution's failure to meet expectations regarding “financial resources” and “financial responsibility” during the 2022-2023 academic year, though the seminary leadership asserts that the situation has significantly improved since then.
The SACSCOC Board of Trustees will review the seminary's progress next year and decide whether to remove the probation, extend it, continue accreditation, or revoke accreditation entirely if standards are not met.
A letter from SWBTS President David S. Dockery stated, “The institution has now moved to a very different place than was the case in 2022,” and emphasized that “actually, Southwestern’s financial position, particularly related to operational budget matters, was measurably stronger in the spring of 2025 than was the case in the spring of 2021 when the institution’s accreditation was reaffirmed.”
“Southwestern, by God's grace, has reached an important level of financial stability, but the Seminary still needs to establish what SACSCOC refers to as 'a pattern of financial stability.' Our efforts will now be focused on ongoing stability as well as additional improvements.”
Dockery reassured that “all programs at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary remain fully accredited,” and pledged to work with the accreditation body toward full compliance.
Bob Brown, chairman of the SWBTS Board of Trustees, expressed optimism about the institution’s future, saying, “With our enrollment continuing to rise and our financial position measurably stronger, there are sound reasons to be positive about the future of SWBTS.”
Approximately when the task force published its report, the SACSCOC Board of Trustees issued a warning about the seminary’s financial stability and overall governance. Instead of placing the school on probation, the accrediting body monitored the seminary from June 2023 to June 2024 under a less severe warning status, which was maintained in June 2024.
In October 2024, Dockery noted that the seminary had transitioned “from instability to stability, from a time of crisis and challenge to a time of hopefulness,” supported by notable increases in tuition, operating revenue, and gifts since 2022, along with lowered expenses and eliminated short-term debt.
In 2022, SWBTS had $1.7 million in cash reserves and $4.2 million in short-term debt, whereas by 2024, it had over $12 million in cash and no short-term debt.
