Virginia Seminary is about Community. To get a sense of our life together, there’s no substitute for a visit to the campus. Whether you are a prospective student or an occasional visitor, we invite you to spend some time with us.  

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Prospective Students
We look forward to hosting all Master's level applicants for a visit to the VTS campus at least once in the application process to experience the rhythms of life in this community, to worship, attend classes and meet students, faculty and staff.  If complete application packets have been received 3-4 weeks in advance of the visit, we can also plan for your admissions interview at this time.  We welcome you to visit when is most convenient for you, but we encourage visits to take place on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, as those are the most vivacious days in our community.  

Below you'll see a list of dates during the 2012-2013 academic year on which we cannot host prospective student visitors to campus or on which there are some limitations in the schedule.  Please keep these dates in mind as you consider when you may be able to visit VTS:

September 25 - Quiet Day, no classes are held and the community observes silence during the day.

October 2-3 - Convocation

October 8 - Columbus day (seminarry is closed)

October 19 (reading day) and October 22 (mid term exam day) - classes are not in session, however, limited visits can be arranged if no other visiting dates are possible for the prospective student.

October 23-28 - fall break. Classes are not held, the refectory is closed, and other limitations to the schedule are in effect.

NOVEMBER 14 - The FALL MINISTRY CONFERENCE for prospective students who live within same-day driving distance from campus is held.  Anyone wishing to visit on November 14 will be included in the planning for this open house visiting day. Interviews will not be scheduled for November 14.

November 21-23 - Thanksgiving holiday

December 4 - Quite day

December 14, 17-20 - reading and final exam days. While some visits to campus are possible, we are not observing our regular class schedule, and students are preparing to depart for the Christmas holiday.

December 21-Janaury 2 - Christmas Holiday. The seminary is closed

January 3-31 - January term.  The usual class, chapel and lunch schedules are not in effect.  While it may be possible to hold some interviews  by special arrangement, particularly for applicants who live in the area, typically we do not host out of town visitors or hold interviews during the January term.

February 13 - Ash Wednesday Quiet Day

February 15-17 - Conference on Ministry Welcome Weekend for prospective students. All visitors will be participants in this prospective student event.  Registration to attend the Conference will be open in November and will take place through the VTS website.

February 18 - President's day.  The seminary is closed

March 20, 21 and 22 - Spring mid-term reading day and exams. Classes are not held and the refectory is not open for meals.

March 25-29 - Spring Break and Good Friday.  Classes are not in session, worship is not held, and students are away from campus.  Offices are closed on Good Friday.

April 1 - Easter Monday - the seminary is closed

May 14-20: Spring semester reading day and final exams.  No classes are held.

May 22-24: Board of Trustees visit campus and Commencement is held (May 23). 

May 27 - Memorial day. The seminary is closed

May 29, 20 and 31:  Faculty/Staff development Day and final faculty meetings. 

We strive to have all campus visits and interviews completed by the first week of June. 

Open House Visiting events for prospective students: 

November 14, 2012:  The "Fall Ministry Conference" is a one day prospective student open house event open to those who can drive to and from campus on the day of the event.  Information about our programs and community life are presented. Registration will open in early October 2012.

February 15-17, 2013:  The "Conference on Ministry" Welcome Weekend for prospective students. This event attracts participants from around the US, and is the premier event for all prospective students.  Registration materials and information will be available in November of 2011 and will be posted on the VTS website.

Individual visits to campus.  Informational visits prior to submitting an application, and interview visits scheduled once all application materials have been received at VTS can be arranged for any day of the work week. Although we do hold some interviews in the fall, the largest number are held during the spring semester between March and Mid-May.  Services of Morning Prayer, Holy Eucharist and Evening Prayer are held daily.   Interviews are not held on weekends.  We do not schedule an interview appointment until we have received, reviewed and processed your application.  Occasionally it is possible to forgo a second trip to campus for a face-to-face admissions interview if the applicant has already experienced a substantive visit which was planned under the auspices of the admissions office at some earlier point during the academic year in which the application is received. Such visits would include conversations with faculty members on the admissions committee, visiting class, meeting the Financial Aid and Housing Director, attending worship and enjoying lunch on campus . In these circumstances, a tele-conferenced interview may be scheduled instead.

For those who have not previously visited VTS, a personal interview is required. Usually, the interview can take place  three to four weeks from the time we receive your application packet, providing the packet is complete and all credentials are in order.  If you know of particular dates on which you can travel to VTS, please include those dates in the application packet, on a separate piece of paper, on top of the application materials so the sheet is visible immediately upon opening the envelope. 

In addition to arranging for your admissions interview, we are happy to plan activities and appointments that will introduce you to the communal and academic life at VTS as well as provide overnight accommodations in our guesthouse (based on availability) and meals in the refectory.