Phoenix Seminary (now becoming Talbot Seminary Phoenix)

Scottsdale, Arizona

Important update: In June 2026, Biola University announced it is acquiring the assets of Phoenix Seminary and bringing the school into its Talbot School of Theology. Phoenix Seminary is closing as an independent institution after its summer 2026 session, and its Scottsdale campus is being rebranded as Talbot Seminary Phoenix, a regional Arizona campus of Talbot. Classes are expected to begin under the new name in fall 2026, pending final regulatory and accreditation approvals. The information below reflects the school as it has operated and what the transition means for prospective students.

About the school

Phoenix Seminary is an interdenominational evangelical seminary in Scottsdale, Arizona, known by its motto, "Scholarship with a Shepherd's Heart." It was founded in 1988 as a branch campus of Western Seminary and became independent in 1994. Over nearly four decades it built a reputation as a conservative, academically serious evangelical school committed to biblical authority and pastoral formation, training students for ministry across a range of evangelical churches.

The seminary has offered the Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies, Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Arts in Counseling, Master of Theology, and Doctor of Ministry. It has been accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and the Higher Learning Commission, and in recent years enrolled roughly 300 to 350 graduate students.

What the merger with Talbot means

In January 2026, Phoenix Seminary's board approached Biola University about donating the school's assets and merging with Biola's Talbot School of Theology, based in La Mirada, California. Leaders on both sides have said the move came not from a crisis but from more than a year of prayer and discussion about the best path forward. Biola's board unanimously approved the acquisition, and the two schools announced it in June 2026.

Under the plan, the Scottsdale campus becomes Talbot Seminary Phoenix, a regional Arizona campus of Talbot School of Theology, with local faculty and staff remaining on site. The combined school is expected to enroll around 1,800 graduate students, which would make Talbot the second-largest nondenominational seminary in the country, behind only Dallas Theological Seminary. For current Phoenix Seminary students, Biola and Talbot have committed to a teach-out arrangement designed to let students finish their degrees with comparable tuition and minimal disruption.

For prospective students

If you are considering this school, you would now be applying to Talbot Seminary Phoenix, part of Biola University's Talbot School of Theology, rather than to an independent Phoenix Seminary. That brings the resources and accreditation of a larger, well-established evangelical university, along with Talbot's programs and its network across the western United States. The Scottsdale campus is expected to continue serving students in Arizona and the wider Southwest. Because the transition is still moving through regulatory approvals, prospective students should confirm current program details, accreditation status, and application steps directly with Talbot before enrolling.