Elevation College tuition, housing will cost up to $20k annually for limited spots on campus

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Tuesday, June 02, 2026

Enrolled students at Elevation College, launched by the 10,000-member Elevation Church in North Carolina, will pay up to an estimated $20,000 annually to pursue a raft of ministry-related degrees on the campuses of the Charlotte-based megachurch starting this fall.

The college, launched in partnership with Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, revealed the cost for prospective students to pursue associate and bachelor's degrees on the college’s new website. The degrees range from general education to pastoral care and counseling.

Tuition is listed at $8,136 annually, with a notation that “Books and additional fees may apply.” Students will also be charged a $5,000 site fee to pay for “what makes Elevation College unique — ministry training, leadership development, classroom space, spiritual formation, and student programming.”

Those living on campus will pay $6,800 in annual housing costs for a living experience “built around shared accommodations designed to foster connection, accountability, and community.” The total charges amount to around $19,936.

With many families expressing growing concern about the rising cost of college, Elevation College officials say they are offering limited opportunities for students to access “high-quality, Christ-centered education at a significantly lower cost.”

“At Elevation College, we’re committed to offering a high-quality, Christ-centered education at a significantly lower cost. Because of the competitive pricing structure and our intentional class curation, enrollment is limited,” the college notes. “Once the Fall 2026 class is full, students will be added to a wait list in the order they apply.”

Elevation Church’s College and Leadership Pastor Matthew Drew told The Christian Post on Monday that the church is "incredibly excited about our partnership with Southeastern University and look forward to seeing all that God does through this upcoming generation.”

He said the college will accept about 30 to 40 students this fall, mainly due to their current “capacity for student housing.”

“We’re intentionally starting at a size that allows us to be relational, hands-on, and focused on developing each student well,” Drew said.

While there has been balanced interest in the ministry leadership programs offered by Elevation College, Drew said about 20% of applicants so far have been interested in digital media and design.

While the bulk of the ministry component of the degree programs will be done on-site, he said the academic component of the degrees will be delivered online through SEU, “pending approval in North Carolina to offer in-person instruction.”

Elevation Church, which attracts more than $100 million in donations annually, announced the partnership with SEU last December.

"This is for traditional college-aged students who feel called to ministry and want to earn an accredited degree from Southeastern University while gaining hands-on experience at Elevation Church," the church shared on Instagram last November. 

Southeastern University is a private Christian university affiliated with the Assemblies of God. Before the announcement of Elevation College, Elevation Church had been partnering with the university for its Elevation Church Ministry Leaders Series. The program focuses on helping ministry leaders become more effective "with in-depth training in interpreting Scripture and biblical context."

While affiliated with a Pentecostal denomination, Southeastern states on its website that it welcomes "students from all Christian backgrounds and denominations."

In its latest annual report, Elevation Church said more than 17,000 people attended in-person services on Sundays in 2024. The church also collected just under $102 million in donations from followers that year.