Luther Rice College and Seminary v. Riley
Description: Georgia officials are excluding Luther Rice College and Seminary from participating in student financial aid programs widely available to other colleges, harming high school and college students as a result. While the state allows private and religious colleges to participate in such programs, Georgia excludes schools that state officials consider a “school or college of theology or divinity.” Luther Rice is one such school that Georgia has barred from participating in student financial aid programs because it has a religious mission, awards religious degrees, and teaches all of its courses from a Christian perspective.
Georgia agrees to allow students who choose Christian college to receive financial aid
ATLANTA – To settle a lawsuit brought by Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a Christian college, Georgia officials have agreed to allow Luther Rice College and Seminary to participate in the state’s financial aid programs.
ADF attorneys filed the lawsuit Luther Rice College and Seminary v. Riley two months ago, challenging state officials for excluding Luther Rice from participating in student financial aid programs widely available to other colleges, negatively impacting high school and college students as a result.
“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, director of the Center for Christian Ministries. “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.”
Georgia offers student financial aid programs to help students cover tuition costs for undergraduate degree programs at Georgia colleges and universities. While the state allowed private and religious colleges to participate in such programs, Georgia excluded schools that state officials considered a “school or college of theology or divinity.” Luther Rice was one such school that Georgia barred from participating in student financial aid programs because it has a religious mission, awards religious degrees, and teaches all of its courses from a Christian perspective.
“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,” said Dr. Steven Steinhilber, president of Luther Rice. “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.”
Luther Rice, located near Atlanta, is a Christian, private, nonprofit college that offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level degree programs 100% online or in combination with on-campus classes. It offers three undergraduate degree programs: an Associate of Arts in General Studies, a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion.
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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ABOUT Ryan Tucker
Ryan Tucker serves as senior counsel and director of the Center for Christian Ministries with Alliance Defending Freedom. He oversees all litigation efforts to maintain and defend the constitutionally protected freedom of churches, Christian ministries and religious schools to exercise their rights under the First Amendment. Prior to joining ADF, Tucker engaged in private practice for over 16 years with a litigation boutique law firm in San Antonio, Texas, eight of those as a partner. His portfolio included all aspects of civil litigation, both state and federal, with a particular focus on commercial and complex business disputes. Tucker earned his Juris Doctor at Baylor Law School, where he was a senior editor of the Baylor Law Review. He obtained his bachelor of business administration in management at Texas A&M University, where he graduated cum laude. A member of the state bar in Texas and Arizona, Tucker is admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court and multiple federal district and appellate courts.
ABOUT Andrea Dill
Andrea Dill serves as legal counsel for the Center for Christian Ministries at Alliance Defending Freedom. Before joining ADF, Dill worked as an associate at a large law firm in Washington, D.C. where she focused on intellectual property litigation. In that role, she gained experience with trial, depositions, discovery management, and motions practice. Dill received her J.D. in 2019 from Duke University School of Law, where she served as an articles editor for the Duke Law Journal. After law school, she clerked on the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. Dill received a B.S. in civil engineering from Texas A&M University in 2014. She is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and Texas.