How Can You Come to the United States to Study Theology?

By Muchangke (Paul Zhang)

Over the years, people have repeatedly asked me the same question:

"I want to come to the United States to study theology. How can I do it?"

Recently, several more friends have asked me about this.

Some ask how to apply to schools. Some ask how good their English needs to be. Some ask whether scholarships are available. Others begin with a very practical question: "After I arrive in the United States, can I study and work at the same time?"

As I receive more and more questions like these, I have thought that instead of answering them one by one, it would be better to write down some of what I have experienced and learned over the years.

This is not a "guide to studying in America," nor is it a promise that anyone who follows these steps will necessarily make it to the United States. I simply want to tell those who are seriously considering this path:

If you want to come to the United States to study theology, the first issues you need to settle are not money or a visa. They are two deeper questions.

1. The First Passport: Do You Have a "Passport from Above"?

Of course, practically speaking, traveling abroad first requires a real and valid passport.

But I am talking about another kind of "passport."

I often call it:

a "passport from above."

In other words, the first question you need to ask yourself is:

Why do I want to leave?

Is it because you see other people going abroad and you are tempted to do the same?

Is it because your present circumstances are not ideal and you hope that changing places will solve the problem?

Is it because you have heard that life in America is better and incomes are higher?

Or have you spent a long time thinking, praying, and seeking confirmation, and gradually become convinced that this is a calling for your life?

These are very different things.

Sometimes a person changes countries without resolving the problems within his own life.

If you are confused where you are now, arriving in America will not necessarily make the confusion disappear. If you have no direction where you are now, a flight of more than ten hours to another country will not automatically give you direction.

A change in geography cannot replace clarity about the direction of your life.

That is why I often tell people who want to study theology abroad:

Do not begin by asking where America is. Begin by asking why you want to go to America.

When Abraham left his country, his people, and his father's household, it was not because he had already researched every part of the road ahead. He did not even know all the details of his future. But he knew who was leading him.

When Hebrews looks back on Abraham's experience, it says that when he went out, he did not know where he was going, yet he still went forward by faith.

That is what I mean by a "passport from above."

If this is only an impulse, I would encourage you to slow down.

If you simply admire America, I would also encourage you to think again.

Because once you actually arrive in the United States, you will discover that this road is not as simple as the pictures you see on social media.

You will face language barriers.

You will face cultural differences.

You will face academic pressure.

You will face loneliness.

You will face financial burdens.

You will face uncertainty about your status and your future.

There may even be times when you ask yourself again:

"Why did I come here?"

At that point, what sustains you may not be the number in your bank account, but whether you have a clear answer within yourself:

I know why I started this journey.

2. The Second Thing: Do You Have the Faith to Step Out?

Once you have direction, you need a second thing:

faith.

I have seen two kinds of people.

The first has not thought things through but is extremely impulsive. As soon as an opportunity appears, that person rushes forward.

The second is exactly the opposite.

This person may have been thinking for five years, eight years, or even ten years.

He keeps asking for advice, comparing options, and asking questions:

Which school is the best?

Where is the cost of living lowest?

Which school offers the most scholarships?

Will my visa be approved?

What will I do after graduation?

What if I cannot find a job?

What if I run out of money?

The more questions he asks, the more questions appear, and in the end he never goes anywhere.

There is nothing wrong with being cautious.

There is nothing wrong with making a budget.

And there is certainly nothing wrong with researching schools.

But there are roads in life where you cannot wait until every traffic light turns green at the same time before you begin.

Faith does not mean the absence of risk. It means being willing to take the next step even when you cannot yet see the entire road.

Abraham was not given a map showing every detail of the next several decades.

He was given a direction, and then he walked one step at a time.

So if you have had a clear, steady conviction for a long time, and it has also been confirmed by your family, spiritual mentors, and a mature community, then what you may need next is not endless analysis, but action.

Study English.

Research schools.

Prepare your transcripts.

Contact admissions offices.

Write your application materials.

Make a financial plan.

Move forward one step at a time.

Very often, a road is not discovered by sitting still and thinking about it.

A road is made by walking it.

3. Do Not Begin by Asking, "How Much Scholarship Money Can I Get?"

This is one of the questions I am asked most often.

"Pastor Zhang, which school offers the most scholarships?"

"Is there a 100 percent full scholarship?"

"Is there a school where I can study without paying anything at all?"

I completely understand why people ask these questions.

Education in the United States is not inexpensive. For an ordinary family, tuition, housing, insurance, transportation, and living expenses together can be a significant financial burden.

But I want to offer one reminder:

Do not make a scholarship the only condition for deciding whether you will begin this journey.

Financial-aid policies vary greatly among seminaries, programs, and students with different backgrounds.

Some schools offer entrance scholarships. Some have special assistance for international students. Some awards are connected to academic performance, while others may be related to denominations, foundations, or other support networks.

So yes, you should apply for scholarships, and you should apply seriously.

But before you have even applied to a school, do not assume:

"If the school admits me, someone will certainly pay all my expenses."

That expectation can easily lead to disappointment.

The U.S. Department of State also explains in its student-visa guidance that a consular officer may ask applicants how they will pay their educational, living, and travel expenses. In other words, from the beginning, you should have a reasonably realistic financial plan rather than making "I'll figure it out after I get to America" your primary strategy. (Reference: U.S. Department of State website)

My personal advice to friends is this:

If you do not currently have a stable scholarship or clearly committed long-term financial support, it is wise to prepare adequately for at least the total cost of the first year.

People ask me, "How much should I prepare?"

I usually suggest that, if circumstances allow, RMB 300,000--500,000 may be considered as a relatively prudent personal planning range.

But I want to emphasize this:

This is not an amount required by the U.S. government, nor is it a uniform standard for every school.

At some schools, one year may cost far less than this. At others, once housing, insurance, and family living expenses are included, the total may be much higher.

What really matters is the estimated cost listed on the I-20 issued by the school you are applying to, together with the actual financial-aid package the school offers you.

So do not ask only:

"How much money can the school give me?"

Also ask:

"If others are temporarily unable to help me, am I prepared to bear a cost for the calling I believe I have received?"

4. Can I "Work My Way Through School"?

Another very practical question is:

"After I arrive in the United States, can I study theology while working to support myself?"

This needs to be explained clearly.

If you are applying for F-1 student status, your primary purpose is study.

Current U.S. rules do not mean that F-1 students are absolutely prohibited from all employment. Rather, employment is strictly regulated and must meet the applicable requirements.

Eligible F-1 students may have opportunities for on-campus employment. While school is in session, on-campus employment is generally limited to 20 hours per week. Off-campus employment, CPT, OPT, and other circumstances each have their own eligibility and authorization requirements. You cannot simply assume that you may go out and take any job you want. (Reference: Study in the States)

Eligible students may also be able to apply for practical training directly related to their field of study before or after graduation. For example, general OPT may provide up to 12 months of practical training, but the student must meet the eligibility requirements, receive a recommendation from the school's DSO, and obtain the required employment authorization. (Reference: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services)

For that reason, I strongly discourage this kind of thinking:

"My real purpose is to come to America to make money. I will simply find a school first so that I can enter on student status."

From both an integrity standpoint and a legal standpoint, this is not a path one should take.

If your main purpose is employment, you should pursue an appropriate lawful path for employment.

If your real purpose is study, then you should take your student status seriously and fulfill its requirements.

Do not allow a journey that is supposed to be about pursuing truth to be built on something untrue from the very first day.

5. When Choosing a School, Do Not Look Only at Rankings---Ask Where It Will Lead You

6. Do Not Ask Only, "How Can I Get There?" Ask, "Who Will I Become After I Finish?"

I believe this is the final and most important question.

Many people ask:

"How can I get to America?"

But very few ask:

"If I really do get to America, what kind of person do I hope to become three or five years from now?"

Studying theology is not an immigration plan.

Nor should it merely be a way to add an American degree to your résumé.

If, after three or four years of theological study, you know more Greek and Hebrew, have read more systematic theology, and have earned an impressive degree, but your life has not become more humble, you do not love people more deeply, you are not more faithful, and you are not more willing to serve---then what has that degree really given you?

True theological education does more than increase a person's knowledge.

It should reshape the person.

It should make our minds clearer,

our hearts softer,

our lives more mature,

and our feet more willing to go toward people who need us.

So if someone asks me today:

"Pastor Zhang, how can I come to the United States to study theology?"

My answer still begins with two questions:

First, do you have a "passport from above"?

Second, do you have the courage to take the first step by faith?

Once those two questions are settled, then you can talk about schools, English, tuition, scholarships, the I-20, visas, and plane tickets.

Do not reverse the order.

Money can be prepared little by little.

English can be learned little by little.

Application materials can be completed one document at a time.

Even the difficulties along the road can be faced one by one.

But if a person does not know why he is setting out, he may travel to the other side of the world and still fail to find his direction.

When a person truly knows who has called him and why he is setting out, then even if the road ahead is not completely clear, he can still move forward one step at a time.

What ultimately determines how far you can go is often not how much you already have in your hands, but whether you know why you are setting out---and whether you are willing to pay the cost of that calling.

Perhaps that is the most important answer to the question, "How can I come to the United States to study theology?"

Note: The discussion in this article concerning U.S. student status, study, and employment authorization is intended only as general experiential information. Policies and school requirements may change. When applying, applicants should rely on the latest requirements published by the international student office of the school to which they are applying, the U.S. Department of State, USCIS, and DHS/SEVP.