Christian college students gain access to financial aid program after ban
December 31, 2024
Students at a Christian college in Georgia have been approved to take part in a state-backed financial aid program that previously denied tuition assistance to those studying at a school of theology or divinity.
The Christian Post reports that Luther Rice College & Seminary near Atlanta, Georgia has been given the green light to participate in Georgia’s State Aid programs, starting in the fall of 2025.
The school had filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in October, requesting that state officials allow the school access to Georgia’s financial aid programs.
The lawsuit named as defendants the Georgia Student Finance Commission and Georgia Student Finance Authority and was supported by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a religious liberty legal non-profit.
The school’s complaint argued that Luther Rice was being forced to choose between maintaining its “religious mission, degree programs, and commitment to teaching from a Christian worldview” and following state rules restricting its faith-based identity.
The lawsuit claimed that Georgia other religious schools to participate in the state’s financial aid program and that Luther Rice was “the only excluded nonprofit school that is located in Georgia.”
Luther Rice President Steven Steinhilber said in an official statement: “This endeavor was not just an opportunity to defend our religious freedom, but it was also an opportunity to demonstrate the value of a Christian education. I commend the State and our partners at Alliance Defending Freedom for swiftly reaching a solution. I look forward to providing our Georgia residents an affordable biblically based education that is so vital for our time.”
ADF Legal Counsel Andrea Dill had previously told the Christian Post, “People of faith cannot be discriminated against for choosing the school that best aligns with their beliefs. The U.S. Constitution does not prevent the state from including religious organizations in state funding programs.”
Photo: top, Credit: Luther Rice College & Seminary