Concordia University, Saint Paul

The mission of Concordia University, St. Paul, a university of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod, is to prepare students for thoughtful and informed living, for dedicated service to God and humanity, for enlightened care of God’s creation, all within the context of the Christian Gospel.

The vision of Concordia University, St. Paul is to be acknowledged as the leading Lutheran university offering exceptional opportunities for students from all backgrounds who seek relevant career preparation and a challenging academic experience coupled with the insights of Lutheran theology.

Concordia University, St. Paul empowers you to discover and engage your purpose for life, career and service in a dynamic, multicultural, urban environment where Christ is honored, all are welcome, and Lutheran convictions inform intellectual inquiry and academic pursuits.

Concordia University, St. Paul graduates are well equipped for a lifetime of career success and service in a variety of fields and communities. Student outcomes reflect the relevant skills and real-world preparation provided at CSP. Our integrated career development plan meets you where you are and provides you with tools and strategies to support you in achieving your current and future career goals.

Concordia University, St. Paul was founded in 1893 to provide a Christian learning environment for young men preparing to enter the professional ministries of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Today, Concordia University continues to grow to meet the needs of students, the church and the community, while at the same time holding steadfast its historical values and mission.

When you attend Concordia University, you’re more than just a student. You’re part of the Concordia family. Our responsive, student-centered approach to teaching makes your goals, and your successes, our priority. Your learning experiences will be relevantto the skills employers seek and real preparation for a life of meaning and service. Our 51-acre campus is conveniently located minutes from the downtown areas of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Concordia’s urban location offers rich opportunities for jobs and internships at 16 Fortune 500 companies and hundreds of major employers headquartered in the Twin Cities area.

All application documents submitted to Concordia University, St. Paul by the applicant or on the applicant’s behalf become property of Concordia University, St. Paul and cannot be released back to the applicant or to any other institution. In accordance with federal law, current and prospective students and their parents have the right to know certain information about Concordia University, St. Paul including a variety of academic information, financial aid information, institutional information, and information on graduation rates, campus safety, and equity in athletics.

Visiting Students (non-degree seeking) are those who are not intending to obtain a degree from Concordia University, St. Paul and are primarily interested in taking courses to transfer to another college or university or complete a certificate through Concordia. Concordia students need to be readmitted to the university if they have been out of classes for more than two term. To return to Concordia to complete an unfinished degree program, complete and submit the readmission application.

The Center for Hmong Studies seeks to cultivate the past, interpret the present, and enrich the future through research and publication, curriculum and teaching, and conferences.

Founded in 1984, Hoffmann Institute’s mission is to prepare students for professional outreach ministries, encourage and develop an active outreach consciousness within the campus community, and raise outreach vision, commitment, involvement, and leadership throughout the church. In fall 2015, the Hoffmann Institute created a new Hoffmann Mentoring Initiative. The goal of the mentoring initiative is for students to receive one-on-one mentoring, participate in service learning at non-profit organizations in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and to study Christian theology on faith, vocation, and justice.

The Twin Cities Teacher Collaborative is an innovative partnership that prepares and supports teachers who are committed to social justice and able to eliminate educational inequities. The unique Twin Cities Teacher Collaborative (TC2) is part of a significant and progressive effort initiated in 2009 by the Bush Foundation to establish a new paradigm for teaching and learning in Minnesota, to improve teacher effectiveness as a means to reduce educational disparities and increase the number of learners who attend post-secondary school.

Concordia University, St. Paul was founded in 1893 to provide a Christian learning environment for young men preparing to enter the professional ministries of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Originally founded as Concordia High School, the first class takes up residence in temporary quarters on September 13, 1893. The following year, Concordia spends $22,000 to purchase land and buildings previously owned by the state training school for boys in a then remote location midway between downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. Concordia adds a fourth year of high school, then freshman and sophomore college years. Enrollment growth leads to new construction, including the Gymnasium (converted in the 1950s to Graebner Memorial Chapel) and Recitation Hall (now Meyer Hall).

Concordia earns accreditation as a two-year college in 1921. Students complete their first two years at Concordia College then transfer to a Concordia senior college to finish their undergraduate degree.