Biola University Acquires Phoenix Seminary, Creating One of the Largest Nondenominational Seminaries in the U.S.

Biola University's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to acquire Phoenix Seminary, the Scottsdale, Arizona institution founded in 1988. The new campus will operate as Talbot Seminary Phoenix, a regional extension of Biola's Talbot School of Theology, with classes beginning in mid-August 2026.

The merger makes Talbot the second-largest nondenominational seminary in the United States, behind only Dallas Theological Seminary. Combined enrollment is expected to exceed 1,800 graduate students across campuses in greater Los Angeles and greater Phoenix.

Phoenix Seminary's leadership initiated the process in January 2026. Rather than responding to a financial crisis, the board acted to secure the institution's long-term mission in a market where smaller seminaries face mounting enrollment and financial pressure.

Biola plans to retain the Scottsdale property and offer jobs to all current Phoenix Seminary faculty. Students already enrolled will generally keep comparable tuition rates as they finish their existing degree programs.

Dr. Ed Stetzer, dean of the Talbot School of Theology, said the acquisition strengthens a shared commitment to the inerrancy of Scripture and the spiritual formation of students. Phoenix Seminary's longtime president and current chancellor, Dr. Darryl DelHousaye, called the merger a way to carry the seminary's legacy forward under a stronger institutional umbrella.

The Phoenix campus will also complement Biola's existing Talbot Embedded initiative, a modular hybrid program supported by a $10 million Lilly Grant that operates in San Diego, Hawaii, Seattle, and Las Vegas.