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Rooted and growing

It started simply, as great things often do. But what began in 1876 as a school of ministry training for just seven students has emerged as a world-class Christian liberal arts institution. Our dynamic community is made up of more than 3,800 passionate, creative, and engaged students—and the faculty, staff, parents, and friends who empower them.

Since its earliest stages, Calvin has embodied the multidisciplinary approach of the liberal arts. �鶹�� and Seminary began as one institution—De Theologische School—in 1876, taking students through six years of curriculum that incorporated both literary and theological training.

In 1894, the school opened its “literary” pre-seminary program to students aspiring to be teachers or go to universities. The first of these students enrolled in 1900, when the school hired more faculty and expanded the literary program into a Preparatory Department that included classical and scientific tracks and pedagogy courses in addition to the pre-seminary track. The first women enrolled in 1901.

In 1906, the school added two years of college work to the Preparatory program, opening John Calvin Junior College. In 1908 it changed the name to Calvin College.  The Preparatory Department and junior college had their own leadership structure but remained a single institution with the Theological School, with a common board of trustees. In 1920, Calvin became a four-year college. In 1931, the two schools were renamed Calvin College and Seminary.

In 1991, the two schools became separate corporations, each with its own board of trustees.

John Calvin

John Calvin (1509–1564), our namesake, was a French theologian, pastor, and reformer. His teachings and writings, especially the Institutes of the Christian Religion, profoundly shaped Reformed theology, the Protestant Reformation, and European ideas about work, politics, and society.

The Calvin Seal

Inspired by the 16th-century seal John Calvin used for his personal letters, Calvin’s symbolic emblem conveys our commitment to offer God our lives and learning.