Elevation Church is rolling out Elevation College in Matthews this fall, a small ministry-focused program that offers students accredited degrees through a partner university. The setup is hybrid, with online coursework paired with on-the-ground practicum at the church. Students are required to live in newly built townhouses in Charlotte, and the combined cost of tuition, housing and a site fee is expected to land at roughly $20,000 a year.
Elevation College lists 10 programs in all, including eight four-year bachelor’s degrees and two associate options, geared toward students who want to work in worship, pastoral care, production or digital media. According to Carolina Public Press, the school brands itself as “Where calling meets college” and ties each program to an existing Southeastern University degree pathway.
How Classes And Degrees Will Be Delivered
All academic instruction and the actual degrees will come from Southeastern University, while Elevation College serves as the local community site where students complete practicums and receive on-site mentoring. Southeastern University lists “Elevation Church (Elevation College)” among its partner-site locations, and the school’s regional accreditation is on file with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at SACSCOC, which means students will earn regionally accredited degrees.
Costs, Housing And Enrollment
Elevation College plans to charge a little more than $8,000 in tuition, $6,800 for housing and a $5,000 site fee that church leaders say will fund ministry training, leadership development and student programming. WFAE reports that the program expects to enroll between 30 and 50 students during its first year, with the number of available townhouses helping set the size of the inaugural class.
Local Muscle And A Growing Model
Elevation is one of North Carolina’s largest churches, reporting around 17,000 weekly attendees, and it formally withdrew from the Southern Baptist Convention in 2023, a combination that helps explain how a congregation can spin up its own college site. Observers say the partner-site approach is part of a wider shift in Christian higher education toward lower-cost, hybrid campus models that link denominational universities with local churches, a trend highlighted by outlets such as WUNC and Stateline.
Prospective students will apply through Southeastern University and, if admitted to the Elevation partner site, will receive a Southeastern diploma while completing supervised ministry practicum work at Elevation. Both Elevation Church and Southeastern University are expected to release more details on the application process and the fall launch schedule as the college prepares to welcome its first class.
