Admission & Status

Admission to the seminary is without regard to race, ethnic origin, or sex, and is the responsibility of the faculty. Much of the admission process, however, is handled in the academic office and dealt with by the admissions and standards committee. Admission requirements for degree programs are listed in the seminary Catalog 2005-2006. The various status designations are also explained there. Three matters need particular attention.

  1. Unclassified Status (note the following distinctions)
    1. A student not yet admissible to a degree program.
      e.g., "unclassified, pre-degree (Uncl.P.D./[name of degree])"
    2. A student who takes classes without entering a degree program.
      e.g., "unclassified, non-degree (Uncl. N.D.)"
    3. A student from another school taking courses only for transfer purposes.
      e.g., "unclassified, visiting student (Uncl. V.S.)"
  2. Special Status (one admitted without all admission requirements completed)
    The student must have all admission requirements met before the beginning of the second calendar year of his/her residence at the seminary.
  3. Probationary Status
    1. At Admission (based on college work)

      Those students admitted on probation without the required 2.67 G.P.A. must have their probation lifted before the end of the fourth quarter of residence at the seminary. Ordinarily probationary students will be required to reduce their academic load if still on probation after two or three quarters. The lifting of probationary status is a decision made by the admissions and standards committee on an individual basis.

      The following regulations and procedures also relate to the probationary student:

      1. The acceptance letter sent to a student admitted on probation will strongly advise him/her to take four years to complete his/her academic program for the M.Div. degree.
      2. The admissions and standards committee will strongly advise a probationary student to limit the number of hours he/she spends in outside work to a recommended maximum of 15 hours.
      3. A probationary student is required to discuss the matter of outside workload with his/her faculty counselor during the first month of the first academic quarter. This discussion is to be initiated by the student.
      4. Wherever possible the admissions and standards committee will include a period of supervised field education in the program of a probationary student before making a final decision to allow him/her to continue his/her studies at the seminary.
    2. During Program of Studies (based on seminary work)

      The standard for admission to the seminary (2.67 G.P.A.) is also the standard used to determine a student's satisfactory progress while in seminary. While a student is not immediately expelled for falling below 2.67, he/she may be placed on probation and allowed to remain on probation for only two terms. Any student who has a 2.50 G.P.A. or lower will be terminated from the seminary program. Funding sources such as the Veterans Administration, Classes and the guaranteed student loan program will be promptly notified when a student receiving funds is placed on probation and/or terminated.

  4. Withdrawal
    For a variety of reasons, such as personal, financial, academic or vocational, a student may choose to withdraw from studies at the seminary. The student is requested to contact the registrar to discuss formal withdrawal. The failure of a student to remain registered as a full-time or part-time student will be considered an act of withdrawal. Should a student desire later to resume studies after having withdrawn, he or she must reapply for admission to the seminary. Students who withdraw and who are holding scholarships, loans, or other indebtedness related to their tenure as seminary students, are required to contact the financial aid officer concerning their responsibility for meeting repayment obligations.
  5. Re-admission
    No period of time is specified before students dismissed for poor academic performance are eligible to petition for readmission. The seminary's admissions and standards committee, however, will only readmit a student when there is clear evidence that the difficulties previously encountered can be overcome and that eventual completion of degree requirements can reasonably be expected.