Georgia officials will allow Luther Rice College and Seminary to participate in the state’s financial aid programs. The reversal comes after the conservative school engaged Alliance Defending Freedom to sue the state.
The change was announced Dec. 19, two months after ADF attorneys filed the lawsuit Luther Rice College and Seminary v. Riley.
Georgia law prohibits private schools that are considered a “school or college of theology or divinity” from participating in public tuition assistance programs. State officials determined that even non-theology degree programs at Luther Rice are so intertwined with religious studies that the school does not qualify for general education grants.
Students were “unjustly excluded” from attending Luther Rice, ADF claimed, and the school was forced to make an impossible choice “between (a) maintaining its religious mission and degree programs and teaching all courses from a Christian worldview, or (b) giving up that religious character and exercise to participate equally with other schools in the state.”
According to a news release, the Lithonia, Ga., school was approved to participate in Georgia State Aid programs starting in fall 2025. That approval includes HOPE and Zell Scholarships for undergraduate students and high school dual enrollment opportunities.
No other details about the new arrangement between the state and the school were released.
ADF, a conservative powerhouse in legal battles over culture war issues, claimed victory.
“Georgia officials did the right thing by allowing Luther Rice to participate in student aid programs while still adhering to its religious beliefs, character and exercise,” said ADF Senior Counsel Ryan Tucker. “We’re pleased that Georgia high school students can now receive dual credit by taking classes at Luther Rice and that college students who choose Luther Rice can apply for much-needed financial aid. The state should never limit educational opportunities for students based on their faith.”
Luther Rice President Steven Steinhilber said this turn of events demonstrates the value of a “Christian education.” He added, “I look forward to providing our Georgia residents an affordable biblically based education that is so vital for our time.”
Luther Rice College and Seminary is a private Baptist school incorporated in 1962. Founded in Jacksonville, Fla., the school relocated to Georgia in 1991 after receiving donated property. It enrolled 757 students for the 2023-24 school year, 269 of them undergraduates. The school is named after Luther Rice, a Baptist leader who promoted missionary work, Baptist unity and the education of ministers.
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