The University of Valley Forge (UVF) is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grant (money ...

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania Phoenixville is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia at the junction of French Creek (Schuylkill River tributary), French Creek and ...

, 8.8 miles from

Valley Forge National Historical Park Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site of the third winter encampment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, taking place from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. The National Park Service preserves the site a ...

. It is affiliated with the

Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

and offers several Bachelors and Masters programs.

History

The University of Valley Forge began as a summer Bible School on the campgrounds of Maranatha Park in

Green Lane, Pennsylvania Green Lane is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The population was 490 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Upper Perkiomen School District and Boyertown Area School District. History The William and Caroline Schall House was added ...

, in 1932. It existed for the training of pastors,

evangelist Evangelist may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a c ...

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

, Christian education workers and lay workers. The summer Bible School grew into a permanent Bible School and, in 1939, was chartered as Maranatha Bible School. Mergers with Beulah Heights Bible Institute, Metropolitan Bible Institute, New England Bible Institute and Pine Crest Bible School resulted in increased enrollment and a name change to Eastern Bible Institute and later, Northeast Bible Institute. The university moved in 1976 to the campus of the former Valley Forge Army Hospital in Phoenixville. Today the school has an enrollment of over 500 students, offers 40+ undergraduate programs and ten graduate programs. In the summer of 2002 the college was granted accreditation with Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Valley Forge Christian College officially changed its name to the University of Valley Forge on September 16, 2014.

Academics

The University of Valley Forge is approved by the Department of Education of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to grant the degrees of Master of Arts, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Religious Education, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Social Work, Associate of Arts, and Associate of Science. The university is accredited by the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (abbreviated as MSCHE and legally incorporated as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evalua ...

Athletics

Valley Forge teams, the Patriots, compete at the

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

level of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA). The university joined the

Colonial States Athletic Conference The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) is an NCAA Division III collegiate athletic conference in the Mid-Atlantic United States. There are currently nine full member institutions as of 2018. The conference's membership, as with most Midd ...

in the 2020-2021 academic year. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf and soccer; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball and volleyball.

References

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1931 Universities and colleges affiliated with the Assemblies of God Universities and colleges in Chester County, Pennsylvania 1931 establishments in Pennsylvania Private universities and colleges in Pennsylvania