Academic Appeals, Petitions, & Grievances

Bethel University strives to establish systems and academic standards that are reasonable and fair for all its students. Students may still encounter a need to request exceptions, appeal decisions, or find a means to submit an academic grievance when necessary.

NOTE: Some Bethel programs have program-specific appeal or petition processes. These program-specific processes and policies supersede the university policy regarding the student’s standing with that particular program.

Definitions

An academic petition is a request by the student for an exception to any standing university academic policy. 

An academic appeal is a request from a student to reconsider a university decision. 

A grievance is an allegation of unfair or discriminatory practice or decision by faculty, administration, or administrative staff. The central focus of a grievance is not the policy itself, but rather the action of the one against whom the grievance is filed or the unfair application of a policy. Grievances that involve discrimination, misconduct or sexual harassment should go through the process outlined in the Bethel University’s Title IX Policy.

Academic Petition

Students may petition for an exception to any university academic policy. This is done on a petition form which can be obtained through the Registrar’s Office website, through your Academic Advisor, or Academic Advising Specialist. The petition must be approved by the appropriate authority or committee in order to be official. Students will be notified of the decision. 

Samples of petitions can include but are not limited to:

• Change of student catalog year
• Extension of degree time limit
• Registration outside of add/drop/withdrawal dates
• Residency requirement
• Course substitution
• General Education requirements
• Graduation Requirements
• Change of Grade (Note: there will be a separate policy dealing specifically with Change of Grade requests.)

Academic Appeal

A student may request an appeal following a faculty decision or administrative action by the university including but not limited to penalties, dismissals, and petitions. Students have 21 days following a decision to submit an appeal.

Academic Grievance

Whenever possible, a first course of action for a student would be to seek to resolve any matter with the appropriate person. If not possible or still unresolved, the student has three weeks to submit an official grievance in writing to the Provost’s Office. Grievances that involve discrimination, misconduct or sexual harassment should go through the process outlined in the Bethel University’s Title IX Policy.

Academic Honesty

Since Bethel University is a Christian academic community, its fundamental purpose is the pursuit of knowledge and the development of growing Christian persons. Essential to the success of this educational mission is a commitment to principles of ethical academic integrity. Each member of the university community is responsible for upholding the highest standards of honesty at all times. Students, as members of this community, are also responsible for adhering to the principles and spirit of academic honesty.

Academic Dishonesty Definitions

Activities that have the effect or intention of interfering with education, pursuit of knowledge, or fair evaluation of a student’s performance are prohibited. Examples of such activities include, but are not limited to:

• Cheating: Using or attempting to use assistance, materials, or study aids not authorized and/or specifically prohibited by the instructor.  

• Plagiarism: Using the ideas (e.g. concepts, theories), data,  language, media, or images of another source (e.g. human or artificial intelligence) and representing it as one’s own original work, without specific and proper acknowledgement. 

• Fabrication: Deliberately submitting false, fraudulent, or altered information in any academic work.

• Multiple submission: Submitting, without prior permission, any work previously or concurrently submitted to fulfill another academic requirement. 

• Misrepresentation of academic records: Misrepresenting, tampering with, or attempting to tamper with any portion of a student’s academic record.

• Facilitating academic dishonesty: Knowingly helping or attempting to help others violate any provision of this academic dishonesty policy.

• Unfair advantage: Exercising or attempting to exercise unauthorized or unfair academic advantage over others or impeding the academic work of others.

Addressing Academic Dishonesty

While violating honesty standards is primarily an academic offense addressed by faculty and other academic officers, it is also a behavior inconsistent with Bethel’s Covenant for Life Together, which states that “We will not tolerate plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty.” As a result, academic dishonesty is dealt with by two separate and parallel processes, involving Teaching and Learning and the Office of Student Life.

Academic Penalties for Academic Dishonesty

When academic dishonesty occurs, penalties are given at the discretion of the faculty member, as described in the course syllabus. Such penalties can range from failure on an assignment to denial of credit (U or F) in a course.

Appeals of Academic Penalties

Students charged with a violation have the right to appeal any disciplinary action.

Institutional Intervention in Addressing Habitual Academic Dishonesty

Because Bethel is committed to developing “whole and holy persons,” repeated or habitual violations of academic honesty are causes for concern and, potentially, disciplinary action. Because Bethel’s Covenant for Life Together urges us to “nurture one another” and “to elevate kingdom values over personal agendas,” the Associate Provost of Teaching and Learning will be notified of all academic honesty violations. The faculty member reporting the academic honesty violation provides the student's name, describes the violation, identifies the date of the violation, and describes the response by the faculty member. Teaching and Learning keeps a record of instances of academic dishonesty so that inappropriate behavior can then be reported to, and addressed by, the Office of Student Life. While each offense is handled individually, the policy addresses the cumulative effect of all violations.

Appeals of Disciplinary Action

Students charged with habitual academic dishonesty have the right to appeal any disciplinary action. Appeals should be submitted in writing within three weeks of the decision to the Vice President of Student Experience.

The policies and procedures that address habitual academic dishonesty are not intended to be punitive but to be positively developmental in helping students deal with a pattern of behavior that is harmful to both the individual and the community. Keeping a record of all violations is a way to identify and help students who have made an unfortunate habit of academic dishonesty, for whatever reason. Without this record, individual faculty members and the Office of Student Life will not be able to identify a pattern of offenses and will be unable to take the necessary, restorative action.

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Academic Standing, Probation, and Dismissal

Academic standing is determined upon initial submission of final grades for Fall Semester, Spring Semester, and Summer Term. If students receive a change in grade (including incompletes) or have repeated a course, academic standing will be reassessed. Courses with the following grades are not included in the GPA calculation: AU, I, IN, P, S, U, W, WZ since there are no grade points associated with those grades. 

The Bethel University Registrar determines and makes the final decision on all academic standing designations assigned to any student. The Office of the Registrar notifies students of all standings except that of Good Standing and No Calculation.

NOTE: Some Bethel University programs may have additional policies for continued enrollment than those expressed in the university academic standing policies. Such program-specific requirements are listed with program information in this catalog and/or the student handbook. Students must adhere to their specific program continuation or graduation requirements in addition to maintaining good academic standing to progress. Any such program alerts, probations, and dismissals are the decision of the deans, department chairs, and/or program directors for that program and are not under the purview of the Office of the Registrar.

Good Academic Standing

Accessibility

Disability-related accommodations are determined by the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS). Students with a disability seeking accommodations are responsible to contact OARS and provide documentation of their disability. Once OARS determines the accommodations that are to be made,  the student and the instructor are notified. Accommodations cannot be applied prior to the faculty’s receipt of the notification and are not retroactive. The student and faculty discuss how accommodations may apply in the specific course, in consultation with OARS, as necessary. Accommodations cannot modify essential requirements or fundamentally alter the nature of the course. Specific information regarding the process for requesting and/or receiving an accommodation can be found on the website for the Office of Accessibility, Resources and Services.

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Advanced Standing (Seminary Students)

Students whose undergraduate coursework or degree is in a field related to their seminary studies may seek advanced standing. Advanced standing allows students to take one advanced course as a substitution for a required course for which advanced standing was granted. The advanced course must be in the subject area in which advanced standing was granted and must be taken at Bethel Seminary; transferred courses cannot be used. Advanced standing is not a means to reduce the credits or time required to complete a degree at Bethel Seminary. It provides the student with a better educational experience by reducing the repetition of course content acquired in the student’s prior learning. To be eligible for advanced standing, students must contact their student success advisor and apply for faculty approval of their prior coursework.

Students who have completed Greek language courses before entering the seminary will take an examination covering basic vocabulary, morphology, and elementary syntax to determine readiness for entrance into New Testament exegetical courses. Students who pass the Greek qualifying examination will then receive advanced standing in the Elementary Greek courses and will be able to select other courses in place of the basic language courses.

Students who have completed an approved Bethel bachelor-to-master’s undergraduate degree can apply for advanced standing with credit waiver. If approved, this will reduce the number of overall credits needed to obtain a master’s degree. Advanced standing with credit waiver is only available for designated courses in bachelor degree programs with which Bethel Seminary has a partnership approved by the Academic Programs Committee. The process for receiving the credit waiver through the approved bachelor-to-master's program is initiated during the admission process.

Artificial Intelligence

Misuse of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) undermines the College’s mission to educate and equip students to lead lives of impact through transformative academics in a Christ-centered community. This policy establishes expectations for the responsible and ethical use of GenAI technologies in academic and research contexts. 

General Principles

Students are expected to use GenAI technologies in ways that support, rather than replace, genuine engagement in learning. Before using AI, students should carefully consider whether it is supplementing or substituting for meaningful educational participation.

Prohibited Uses 

The following are examples of prohibited uses. Your instructor may clarify additional prohibited uses. 

• Academic Misrepresentation: Presenting GenAI or AI-modified content as one’s own original work constitutes academic dishonesty.
• Citation Fabrication: Using AI to produce false or unverifiable references or data.
• Unauthorized Use: Using GenAI in ways that violate an instructor’s stated policies or without explicit permission. This breaches the College’s Academic Integrity Policy.
• Unverified Information: Submitting or relying on GenAI information without verification also violates standards of academic integrity. 
• Exam or Assessment Misuse: Using AI during closed-book exams, quizzes, or assessments unless explicitly authorized.
• Other Deceptive Practices: Using AI to impersonate another person, falsify data, or misrepresent academic work.

Permitted Use

Use of GenAI in a course is at the discretion of the instructor. Individual instructors may set more specific guidelines for GenAI use in their courses than what is stated in this policy. Students are responsible for understanding and following course-specific expectations for GenAI.  

GenAI may be used: 

• If it is explicitly permitted as stated in the syllabus or assignment for the specific course and/or assignments. 
• When the Instructor grants permission for students to use it in specific ways for specific assignments  

Consultation and Oversight

When GenAI use is not explicitly addressed in course materials or departmental guidelines, students must seek guidance from their course instructor to determine appropriate use.

The university reserves the right to use methods and/or technology to ensure compliance with this policy. This may include, but is not limited to, the use of cameras and/or the installing of software on personal or university-owned computers.  

Accountability

Violations are addressed in the University Academic Integrity Policy  (Link to Academic Honesty).

Attendance Policy

Students are responsible for all required work, whether that be individual or interactive, in each of their courses. Instructors determine the attendance policy for their courses as described in the course syllabus. Students assume full responsibility for class attendance and for work missed because of absence. Students should communicate with their instructors in a timely fashion about any absences and the possibility of completing missing work.

Students are expected to participate in a course in accordance with the course’s method of instruction (e.g., face-to-face, online, or hybrid) and as detailed in the course syllabus. 

Some programs and courses may specify additional course attendance requirements; these requirements will be stated within the program’s catalog page, handbook, and/or in individual course syllabi.

Class Participation

• Face-to-face courses: A student is considered to have participated when they attend in-person sessions and engage in measurable activities such as assigned graded work.
• Hybrid courses: A student is considered to have participated when they attend face-to-face sessions and engage in measurable activities such as assigned graded work.

Online courses: A student is considered to have participated in an online course by participating in measurable activities as assigned such as graded work, synchronous, interactive, and collaborative activities.

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Calendar and Student Load

Bethel University operates on a semester calendar. There are two semesters, Fall and Spring, in addition to a Summer term. 

Student load for each academic semester or term is as follows:

Undergraduate Level:

• Full time = 12 credits or more
• Part time = 0.1 to 11.99 credits
• Three-Quarter time = 9 - 11.99 credits
• Half time = 6 - 8.99 credits
• Less than half time = 0.1 to 5.99 credits

Graduate Level:

• Full time = 6 credits or more
• Part time = 0.1 to 5.99 credits
• Three-Quarter time = 4.5 to 5.9 credits
• Half time =  3 to 4.49 credits
• Less than half time = 0.1 to 2.9 credits

NOTE: 

• Receiving an extension or a grade of Incomplete in a course does not extend a student’s enrollment beyond the final class date.
• Credits must apply toward a student’s graduation requirements. If credits do not count toward graduation requirements or a student drops below full-time or half-time status a student's eligibility for certain financial aid programs may be affected.

Maximum Credit Limits

Undergraduate Programs:

To enroll for more than 18 credits for the Fall semester and 23 credits for the Spring semester (which includes January session), a student must have a Term GPA of at least 3.25 in each of the two preceding semesters, complete a petition explaining the reason(s) for the overload, and receive the approval of the faculty advisor or student success advisor and the Office of the Registrar.

January Session Course Load:

Student credit load for January Session (for those programs that have a January Session) is 2 to 5 credits. Most students take 4 credits. If a student is registered above the maximum credit load for January (five credits) on the day before January Session classes begin, the Registrar's Office will drop the most recent course(s) for which the student had registered until the student is no longer above the maximum credit load for January Session.

Summer Term Course Load:

Maximum credit load for summer term is 12 credits  (non-Seminary programs).

Seminary Programs:

Students are not permitted to enroll for more than 16 semester credits per semester or term without permission of the Associate Dean of Formation and Professional Development. A student whose grade point average is lower than a B (3.0) is not permitted to carry more than four courses per semester. 

NOTE: Students attending on an F-1 Visa should refer to the International Students Policy.

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Catalog

A University catalog is published annually, containing the requirements of every program offered and academic policies for that given academic year. Students are responsible for the academic program as stated in the University catalog that is current at the time of their matriculation (when they first enroll or re-enroll). A student’s plan of study is created and tracked according to that catalog. 

• Students are required to fulfill the curriculum requirements as outlined in the academic catalog that is in effect at the time of their initial matriculation into a degree-seeking program at the institution. This catalog year determines the specific degree requirements, including general education, major, minor, endorsements, and program specific academic policies, that the student must meet in order to graduate.
• Students may request to adopt a more recent catalog year if they prefer to follow updated curriculum requirements. The student must follow all requirements (major, minor, endorsement, general education) of the catalog to which they switch. 
• Students who discontinue studies and subsequently return to the university are responsible for the academic program as stated in the catalog that is current at the time of their re-enrollment.
• Students in a certification program, Teacher Education or Nursing Departments must meet the current license requirements at the time of graduation, which may require students to switch to the most current catalog.
• Students must adhere to the academic policies that appear in the most current catalog in the year in which they are enrolled. 
• Each student is responsible for knowing the academic regulations and other program requirements of the catalog year in which they are currently enrolled. While the deans, the student's advisor, the registrar’s office or others may provide appropriate reminders, the primary responsibility for knowing and fulfilling all policies and requirements rests with the individual student.
• The institution reserves the right to make changes to the curriculum and academic policies. In cases where courses or programs are discontinued, appropriate substitutions will be determined by the academic department and the Office of the Registrar.  

Change in Degree Program or Major

Students who desire to change or add to their degree program or major may request to do so.   Students must meet all admission requirements or pre-requisites for the new/additional Major or Program. Some programs may require a separate admissions application. For more information on Double Degrees and Double Majors, please refer to those specific sections of the catalog. 

Classification of Students

The official classification of undergraduate students (class standing) is made on completed cumulative credits (includes transfer credits) according to the following standards: 

Classification of Students

Year	Credits
Freshman	0-29.999 credits
Sophomore	30-59.999 credits
Junior	60-89.999 credits
Senior	90 credits or more

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Commencement

Bethel University holds a winter (December) commencement and a spring (May) commencement each year. Exact dates, application, and details are published on the student portal channel for Commencement.  

To be eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony, students must have a written approved plan to complete all remaining courses by the semester following Commencement. To be eligible for the December ceremony, students must have a plan to complete all remaining courses by the end of the Spring semester of the same academic year. To be eligible for the May Commencement, students must have a plan to complete all remaining requirements by the end of the Fall semester following commencement.  

Written graduation plans must be reviewed and approved by the Office of Student Success and Retention or their academic advisor. Some programs have additional requirements to be eligible for commencement. Students should contact their student success advisor or academic advisor with questions about their eligibility.

Students become official graduates of the University only after all requirements have been completed.

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Course Number Levels

The primary purpose of Bethel’s course number system is to identify the intended student for each course, its level of content and material, and any necessary course background.   

Undergraduate Level

• 000-099: Developmental  (Not degree applicable)

Lower Division: 

• 100-199 Freshman
• 200-299 Sophomore

Upper Division:

• 300-399 Junior
• 400-499 Senior

Graduate Level 

• 500-699: Master's Level
• 700-799: Advanced Master’s and/or Introductory Doctoral Level
• 800-899: Doctoral Level

NOTE: Courses to earn the Certificate in Applied Studies through the BUILD Program are all designed to be at a developmental level.

Course Papers (Seminary Students)

All assigned course and term papers in all degree programs (including DMin, and with the exception of those in Marriage and Family Studies) are to be submitted in thesis form in conformity with the most recent edition of Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers. When this manual is not sufficient, the student should refer to The Chicago Manual of Style. An important distinction is that Master's level courses using Turabian should adhere to the newer or parenthetical reference model (author, date). Doctor of Ministry students should adhere to the classic or footnotes model. Students submitting papers in the Marriage and Family Therapy  program should follow the requirements of the current edition of The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. In addition, students are expected to use inclusive language and images when speaking about or addressing human beings.

Course Program of Study

Course Program of Study (CPoS) refers to the federal regulation that mandates that financial aid can be awarded only to coursework that fulfills requirements in students’ documented degree plans. CPoS uses information from Bethel’s degree audit program for each financial aid recipient to determine the student’s enrollment level (full-time, half-time, etc.) based solely on courses which are required for a student’s program of study. 

Financial aid disbursements are reduced when the CPoS enrollment status is less than the requirement for the financial aid program. Courses that do not count toward the student’s degree, certificate, or other recognized credential, cannot be used to determine financial aid enrollment status unless they are eligible remedial courses.

For more information on CPoS and pertinent deadlines, contact the Financial Aid Office.  

Appealing CPoS Ineligibility

If a student believes that coursework not considered eligible for financial aid should be eligible, they may appeal that decision.

Course Time Conflict

A course time conflict is a partial overlap of two synchronous academic courses. Synchronous courses refer to classes that meet at a specific day and time. If the overlap is less than half of the scheduled time of either course, the student may submit a course time conflict form. Both instructors must approve of the arrangement described on the form. Both courses must be required by the student's major and/or minor or for the Pietas Honors Program, with the exception of music ensembles and performance groups. The form needs to be returned to the Registrar's Office by the add/drop date for the term.

If the time conflict is greater than 50% for either course, students must pursue a Directed Study for one of the conflicting courses.

Courses in Nonacademic Settings (Seminary Students)

Seminary faculty have established the following policy regarding academic credit for a seminar or course conducted in a nonacademic setting. The course must meet the following stipulations:

1. The amount of time spent in the course must be 80 hours for a 2 semester hour course; 160 hours for a four semester hour course.
2. The course must be taken under the direct guidance of a Bethel professor who will oversee the work.
3. Credit must be arranged with the registrar before taking the course.
4. A written evaluation must be prepared and submitted to the Bethel professor overseeing the work.
5. Tuition will be billed by Bethel at the current rate for course credit.

Credit Hour Definition

A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that reasonably approximates not less than: 

1. One hour (50 minutes) of classroom or faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; 
   or 
2. At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other activities as established by the institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading toward the award of credit hours.

Bethel has developed an auditing process for courses that are less than 15 weeks in length to ensure that these courses are equivalent in workload to full semester courses. Bethel University is committed to ensuring that a credit hour is equivalent in all colleges and schools and in all instructional formats.

Cross Enrollment

Cross enrollment provides an opportunity for students enrolled in courses from a level (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) that is different from their primary program or for courses that are part of a program that is offered in a different modality. Limitations may include prerequisites, available space, program restrictions, and the number of courses or credits in which a student may enroll. Billing is determined by the student’s primary program. 

Requests are subject to approval by advisors, department chairs or program directors of the student’s department and the course’s host department/program, and deans.

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Directed Study

Depending on the major, a student may be required to complete a directed study experience or may have the option of completing an elective directed study experience in his/her major under the guidance of a faculty member. The directed study may consist of independent reading and/or research, or travel with related study. Students design such an experience in cooperation with the supervising faculty member.

Students may engage in a directed study under the following regulations:

1. The proposed study must embody significant academic purpose and content, equal in quality to a regular course, yet be of such a nature that it cannot be obtained within an existing course. The amount and distribution of work should be similar to that of a regularly offered course of comparable credit.

2. Students must have demonstrated in program coursework that they have the capability and background to study independently. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher as certification of this ability.

3. Students may take only one directed study per term and no more than a total of two directed studies toward graduation. A faculty supervisor may direct no more than two study projects (directed studies and courses by arrangement) per term.

4. Upon fulfilling the agreement, students receive credit on their transcript for the course as titled. A directed study is graded based on an A–F grade mode, not S/U, and therefore is included in the student's cumulative GPA.

5. Complete the following procedures to obtain approval of a directed study proposal:

   1. The Directed Study Agreement form is available through My.Bethel.edu (Student Academics > Registration > Forms > caps-gs-directed-study-application).

   2. The student meets with the faculty member who will supervise the study. They jointly prepare the electronic Directed Study form, which includes submitting a syllabus with the objectives of the study, the study's relationship to the student's overall program, the specific content and procedures of the study, the definition of student and faculty roles, the product or response to be made by the student on which his or her learning will be evaluated, and the number and frequency of regular contacts between the student and supervisor. Students doing research off campus will contact their supervisor by phone at regular intervals at the student’s expense.

   3. When the student submits the electronic Directed Study form, it is automatically sent to the Office of the Registrar and to a designated dean, who confers with the student success advisor, the program director, and the divisional dean to determine approval.

   4. If approved, the Office of the Registrar coordinates the creation of the course, registers the student, and notifies the student and instructor that the course was approved and the registration is complete.

   5.  Processing of the agreement by the Office of the Registrar validates the agreement.

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Double Degrees and Double Majors

Double Degrees: An additional Bethel University associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree may be awarded, upon request, when a student has met all requirements of the additional degree and earned the required number of unduplicated in-residence credits (see residency requirements policy). Unduplicated semester credits are those that are not used to meet the requirements of any other Bethel University degree. Transfer students who hold another degree from another institution may earn a Bethel University degree if they meet all the requirements of the degree program including the general education requirement (if applicable) and the residency requirements. This policy does not address double majors. (For questions about double majors please see the double major policy.)

Double Majors: The overlapping of requirements in any combination of multiple majors chosen by a student is permitted as long as the student meets the requirements listed for each major and general education curriculum. All completed programs [e.g., Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.), Bachelor of Music Education (B.Mus.Ed.), Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.)] will be indicated on the transcript, regardless of overlapping course requirements and without the addition of extra required hours to meet the residency requirement. The senior seminar/capstone course in each major is required of students unless the student gets written approval from the relevant department to waive a culminating requirement.  

Upon successful completion of all degree requirements for each major, the student will be awarded a single degree listing all majors. Multiple majors may not be allowed if the fields of study are deemed to overlap significantly. The decision on overlapping coursework will be determined by the respective departments. Students who complete multiple majors are eligible for graduation honors based on their overall academic performance, as determined by the institution’s graduation honors criteria.

Students may change or drop one of their majors as long as they still meet the graduation requirements for the remaining major or majors.

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Extensions for Thesis, Capstone, or Dissertation Courses

Graduate School Policy:

Graduate students (except Seminary students) who fail to complete their final master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation course within the enrolled term will be assigned a grade of Incomplete (IN). Students are granted one full year from the end of the course to successfully complete their requirement. Failure to complete the requirements within the incomplete period will result in the "IN" grade reverting to an Unsatisfactory (U) grade. The student must re-enroll in the course and pay associated tuition to continue their pursuit of the degree

Seminary Policy:

Students who do not complete a master’s thesis, master’s capstone project, or doctoral dissertation during the term in which they enroll in their final capstone/thesis/dissertation course will initially be given a grade of incomplete. In each term thereafter, the student will register in an extension course that carries zero (0) credits, but will result in a thesis or dissertation continuation fee (see the section on Tuition and Fees for more information). Registering in an extension course each term and the subsequent billing will end when the student either (1) completes the capstone project, thesis, or dissertation, (2) officially withdraws from the program, or (3) reaches the maximum time for degree completion. The full continuation fee will be assessed for the final extension even if the student completes the capstone or withdraws before the full academic term has elapsed. When the thesis or capstone project is complete, the incomplete grade will be changed appropriately on the student’s transcript.

Students who require capstone, thesis, or dissertation extensions must be enrolled in consecutive terms without interruption until they have completed the work. Students whose circumstances require one or more semesters “off” will receive the grade earned for work completed. When students who had a break in their capstone, thesis, or dissertation enrollment return, they must retake the course. 

Students who officially withdraw from a program will receive a grade of “U” or unsatisfactory for their capstone, thesis, or dissertation course and must apply for readmission to return to complete their degree. See Withdrawal and Re-Enrollment for more details.

Freedom of Inquiry

All students have the right to free academic inquiry and scholarly investigation. Students are encouraged to discuss all topics freely and to exchange ideas in a mutually respectful manner. They are also free to publish any findings or recommendations, either individually or in association with others, provided they make no claim to represent the university without due authorization, and they have secured the appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals if that was required.  

Grade Point Average (G.P.A.)

Grade Point Average (GPA) is a numerical representation of a student's academic performance, typically calculated on a scale from 0.0 to 4.0. It reflects the average of all grades earned in courses, weighted by the credit hours of each course. The GPA (grade point average) is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points by the total number of credits the student has attempted in A-F letter-graded courses taken at Bethel. 

NOTE: Grade points are determined by multiplying the number of credits times the points assigned to the actual grade (see section on grades). 

When a course is repeated, only the last attempt is used in computing the GPA. The exception is when a course is designated as repeatable, in which case it can be taken for a grade for a prescribed number of times, with each occurrence factoring into the GPA. 

The GPA is calculated for two different time periods. The Term GPA only takes in account all A-F grades earned in a specific term. The cumulative GPA includes all A-F Grades taken at Bethel at a particular level (undergraduate, master’s or doctoral). The Cumulative GPA is used in determining academic standing.  

Coursework included in the GPA calculation meet all the following criteria:

• Completed.
• Given a letter grade of A-F.
• Taken at the level of the student's degree/credential of pursuit at that time (undergraduate, master’s, doctoral).

Coursework not included in the GPA calculation are:

• Non-A-F letter graded courses. These courses are graded as: AU, CR, I (Incomplete for A-F letter graded courses), IN (Incomplete for S/U courses), IP, N, NR, P (pass), S/U, W and WZ. 
• Courses taken at a level other than the student's degree/credential of pursuit at that time (undergraduate, masters, doctoral). 

NOTE: Some programs/departments take into consideration grades from transfer credits for select GPA calculations.

Grades, Grading System, and Grade Changes

 The scale below is used to define letter grades as well as the grade points assigned. The scores or points required in a course to earn a particular letter grade are determined by the instructor. An instructor has the option of affixing a minus to the grade of A, a plus or a minus to the grades of B and C, and a plus to the grade of D. A plus increases the number of grade points awarded by 0.3, and a minus decreases the number of grade points awarded by 0.3. All grades are considered final and are not subject to change except for errors in calculation, or as a result of a formal grade appeal process. The grade of I or IN is resolved to a grade when work is completed or the incomplete extension deadline has been reached.

Coursework is evaluated on the following scale:

Grading System

Grade	Definition	Grade Points
A	Exceptional	4.0
A-		3.7
B+		3.3
B	Good	3.0
B-		2.7
C+		2.3
C	Satisfactory	2.0
C-		1.7
D+		1.3
D	Minimally Acceptable	1.0
F	Failing	0.0
AU	Audit	NA
CR	Credit	NA
I	Incomplete (courses with letter grades)	NA
IN	Incomplete (courses graded S/U)	NA
IP	In Process	NA
N	No Grading	NA
NR	Not Reported	NA
S	Satisfactory	NA
U	Unsatisfactory	NA
W	Withdrawal	NA
WZ	Audit Withdrawal	NA

Non-credit bearing grades:

• Grade of AU:

  • The grade AU is given when a course is audited.
  • Auditing at Bethel is defined as observation in the classroom setting. 
  • Anyone wishing to audit a course must secure the consent of the instructor.

• Grade of I or IN: An incomplete grade (I or IN) may be assigned when a student is unable to complete course requirements by the end of the term due to extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control; it will not be granted to those who are simply behind in their assignments. Students must request and receive approval for the incomplete from the instructor before the last day of class. The majority of the coursework must have been completed; the remaining work must be of the kind that can be done through independent effort. Unless the grade of I or IN is removed by the deadline designated by the instructor, the student will be graded for the course using the default grade designated by the instructor. This deadline may be no later than the end of the eighth week of classes of the next semester.

• Special Cases

  • Active Military Duty Students: See Military Service Policy
  • Graduate Level: Incompletes in capstones, clinical experiences, dissertations, and theses may be handled differently. See “Extensions for Thesis/Capstone/Dissertation Courses” for more details. Incompletes in internships and practica are handled differently. See “Internships.”

• Grade of S/U: The S/U (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) grade mode is used in designated courses as noted in the course description. Other courses are graded based on an A–F basis unless the S/U option is indicated in the catalog.

  • The S grade indicates achievement equivalent to at least a grade of C.
  • Some graduate courses allow for either an A–F or S/U grade. This option is also indicated in the catalog course description. In these courses, a student may change from A–F grading to S/U, with instructor approval, within the first two weeks of class.  

• Grade of W: The grade W is given to a student who officially withdraws from a course by the withdrawal deadline, which is approximately 60% of the total course length. After the withdrawal deadline, students will receive the grade they have earned. Grades of W do not affect the Grade Point Average (GPA) but could have financial aid implications.

• Grades of IP, N, and NR: The grades of IP (In Progress), N (Not Graded) and NR (Not Reported) are generated for administrative use only. These grades are not counted in the GPA.

NOTE: For information regarding GPA Calculation and Repeat courses, please see the GPA (Grade Point Average) Calculation and Definition Policy.

Grades for Music Lessons, Performance, and Artistic Experiences

Grading of private music lessons, performance groups, and artistic experiences (in all departments) will be graded as follows:

• Courses taken for credit will be assigned letter grades
• Courses with zero credit will be graded on an S/U basis. 

Valid Reasons for a Grade Change:

• Clerical and calculation error
• Resolution of an approved grade appeal
• Completion of work for an incomplete grade

Grade changes may be submitted by the instructor to rectify an error in the grading process or if an incomplete grade needs to be changed to the grade earned by the student. See incomplete grade policy for specific information about incomplete grades.

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Honors

Graduation Honors Policy

Timing of GPA Calculation:

• For May commencements: End of Fall term GPA will be used for the Commencement Program. 
• For December commencements: End of Summer term GPA will be used for the Commencement Program. 
• Honors will be recalculated after all requirements are met and will appear on the final transcript.   

Honors Cords and Societies:

• Approved academic societies may award cords for the commencement ceremony. These are listed in the graduation program. 
• Graduates requesting to wear cords from societies not on the approved list must submit requests to the Registrar by March 31 (spring) or October 31 (fall).

Undergraduate Level Honors 

• Bachelor’s Degrees (60 Bethel Credits):
  • Summa Cum Laude: 3.90 cumulative GPA
  • Magna Cum Laude: 3.75 cumulative GPA
  • Cum Laude: 3.60 cumulative GPA
• Bachelor’s Degrees for Students with Fewer than 60 Credits Taken at Bethel University:
  • With Distinction: 3.90 cumulative GPA

Graduate Level Honors

For graduate students in programs where no GPA-based honors apply, the hood will be considered the primary honor.  

• For master’s-level programs at Bethel Seminary, the following graduation honors levels apply:
  • Summa Cum Laude: 3.90 cumulative GPA
  • Magna Cum Laude: 3.75 cumulative GPA
  • Cum Laude: 3.60 cumulative GPA

Semester’s Honors Policy

Dean’s List Honors:

• Undergraduate students who complete at least 12 credits in a semester with a GPA of 3.60 or higher will receive Dean's List recognition.
  • Dean’s List status is final 14 days after the final grade deadline.

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Immunization Requirements

Minnesota state law requires some students to provide attestation of immunization dates for the following: measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, and diphtheria. The law makes others exempt from the requirement.

• Students intending to live on campus must provide proof of immunization to Health Services before moving into their assigned residence their first term as a Bethel student.
• Students intending to live off campus must provide attestation of immunization dates when attending face-to-face classes during weekday, daytime hours or those who participate in on-campus residencies or intensives that are longer than seven consecutive days unless otherwise exempted by Minnesota law.
• Students can obtain a medical or non-medical exemption   
• Students exempt from providing immunization records are as follows: 
  • Any student born before 1956
  • Any student who graduated from a Minnesota high school in 1997 or later.
  • Students enrolled only in fully online academic program unless required by their program to be immunized

NOTE: Some programs, courses, field experiences, clinical experiences, or those going on study abroad may have specific immunization requirements students must follow to participate.

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Incomplete Grades

A student who is unable to complete all course requirements due to extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control (such as serious illness or critical emergencies), may request an incomplete grade (I or IN) from the instructor. To be considered for an incomplete grade, students must have completed (⅔) two thirds of the work at a passing grade. An incomplete will not be considered for a student who is simply behind in their assignments.

This incomplete must be negotiated with the instructor and have a set deadline when the remaining work is to be submitted. That deadline must not exceed 90 days; an earlier deadline is at the discretion of the instructor and must be included on the petition.

The remaining work must primarily be done through the independent effort on the part of the student. If the incomplete grade is not removed by the set deadline, it will be changed to the default grade listed. 

Special Cases

Military Service Incomplete - See Military Policy for details

Incompletes in practica, doctoral dissertation work, doctoral projects, internships, master’s theses, and master’s capstone projects may require extended deadlines.

Seminary

Seminary students in Directed Studies, Clinical Pastoral Education, and Marriage and Family Studies-Supervised Clinical Experience may be allowed up to two semesters for the completion of the course.

The grade of Incomplete may be awarded for Professional Internships to allow up to one year maximum extension.

Individualized Majors

Students may choose to develop an individualized major designed to meet their needs and interests. Different expectations for this policy are split by degree type.

Associate’s Degrees

The Associate of Science Individualized Major allows associate’s-degree seeking students to pursue approval for an individualized major only during the admission process. This degree option is available in an online format only. 

Bachelor’s Degrees

Bachelor's degree-seeking students may choose to develop an individualized major designed to meet their needs and interests.

1. The individualized major must contain coursework of no fewer than 30 and no more than 60 credits from at least two academic majors or disciplines and must differ significantly from all other existing majors. It must make a clear, explicit, and convincing case for the theoretical and/or practical interconnectedness between the disciplines.  
2. When two disciplines or fields are included, the major must show why the need met by the proposed individualized major cannot be met by any single major, double major (two stand-alone majors), or a multi-disciplinary major.
3. The proposed major must contain junior level (300) courses from at least two standard disciplines or fields. In at least one of these disciplines or fields, work at the senior level (400) must be selected.
4. The proposed major must meet the same graduation requirements as established for Bachelor’s degrees (e.g., required upper division credits, minimum GPA, general education, etc.) 
5. The proposed major must include a culminating experience at the senior level (400), focused upon the organizing principles of the major and in the form of a senior seminar, internship, or directed study.

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Individualized Study

An individualized study course provides the student with an opportunity to pursue a specialized area that may not be available through standard course offerings. An individualized study may not be used to meet General Education requirements. Undergraduate students who have earned at least 60 credits and Graduate students with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher may request to take an individualized study in their major or minor for academic credit.

The policies below apply to all individualized studies:

1. The proposed study must embody significant academic purpose and content, equal in quality to a regular course, yet be of such a nature that it cannot be obtained within an existing course. The amount and distribution of work should be similar to that of a regularly offered course of comparable credit.
2. It may be used only for advanced course credit in a student's major or minor field.    
3. A student may take only one individualized study course per term and no more than a total of two courses.
4. An individualized study course may not substitute for a required course. 
5. Proposals for the individualized study must come from the faculty instructor.

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Intellectual Property Rights

In addition to the responsibilities students have to abide by standards of academic integrity, students are also entitled to protection of their intellectual property rights.

• Original work that a student submits as part of a course is the property of the student. That work may be used by Bethel for educational purposes within the context of the course in which the student is enrolled unless the student grants permission for other uses. Students who complete theses, dissertations, and capstone projects acknowledge, by completing the project, that they are aware that a copy of the work may be retained by the University Library and made available to library patrons.
• Student work submitted to third-party plagiarism detection software, required in some courses or assignments, may be used by those companies (including its affiliates, vendors, service providers, and licensors) for the purposes of plagiarism prevention or the other services provided as part of the company’s support.
• Any other use of student work must credit the student as the author of the work.
• Students may seek to publish or present work they have submitted as coursework. If they do so, they must follow ethical guidelines common to academic research and unique to the discipline in which they do their work. They must redact any sensitive, personally identifiable information (e.g., names of businesses cited in case studies, demographic information related to research subjects, etc.) before releasing their work for applications outside of the classroom. If students seek to publish research involving human subjects, they must have secured the appropriate review/approval from Bethel’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) before the collection and analysis of data.
• Although students may choose to co-author with a faculty member, students own materials they independently design, data they collect, or written work that they create.
• Students are encouraged to copyright written materials when releasing them outside of the classroom.

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Internships

An internship is a unique form of experiential learning that enhances a student’s academic program and/or provides career exploration. Internships include specific learning goals agreed upon by the student, faculty member, and site supervisor that integrate knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills. Internships may be credit bearing or non-credit bearing, course based or individual, compensated or uncompensated. In some cases, internships must also fulfill the specific requirements of an accrediting agency or licensing body.

An internship is an academic experience in which students will typically:

1. Explore career opportunities and make deliberate application of their academic knowledge and skills.
2. Gain new understanding of concepts valuable in a field or discipline.
3. Develop professional skills (e.g., networking, time management, teamwork).
4. Grow in personal maturity and confidence in their abilities.
5. Develop understanding of persons, groups, and settings typically not encountered in an academic setting.

Internships may be offered in two modalities:

Course based:

• Provides opportunity for corporate learning from peers
• Provides structure for consistent group interaction
• Provides structure for consistent student interaction with instructor
• Instructor creates, distributes, and implements a syllabus for the class.

Individual:

• Learning outcomes are well-defined
• Instructor monitors progress
• Instructor and student interact periodically
• Student provides evidence of learning
• Work that repeats previous experience does not qualify for an academic credit internship. The work must provide an opportunity to meet academic/educational objectives.

To register for an internship, students must meet the following criteria:

• Declared major or minor in the discipline of the internship;
• Junior, senior, or graduate standing for credit;
• Sophomore standing for non-credit or for credit by permission of the instructor;
• Minimum of 10 credit hours completed in the discipline;
• Students must be in Good Academic Standing. 
• Any additional criteria as established by the program.

A credit-bearing internship must be 1 to 4 credits with the following minimum work hours or in combination with class contact time required:

• 1 credit: 45 hours
• 2 credits: 90 hours
• 3 credits: 135 hours
• 4 credits: 180 hours
• A non-credit bearing internship requires a minimum of 45 work hours 

(NOTE: Some programs may require more hours.)

Internship courses may be repeated. Each separate internship must have goals and objectives different from the prior ones taken for credit.

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Leaving the University Prior to Graduation

Withdrawal

Students who decide to discontinue their studies prior to completing their program must officially withdraw. To officially withdraw from Bethel University, a student should complete the appropriate forms available from the Office of Student Life, or call the office at 651.638.6300 and schedule an appointment for an exit interview. Failure to notify the institution of an intent to withdraw may result in loss of financial aid and housing deposit.

Stop Out (Temporary Withdrawal)

Students who find it necessary to discontinue their studies, but intend to return to Bethel, may be eligible for Stop Out status rather than officially withdrawing from the university. When Stop Out is granted the student must plan to be away for no more than three consecutive terms (fall, spring, summer).  

A Stop Out status allows a student to return to Bethel after a predetermined time of no more than three consecutive semesters/terms (fall, spring, summer) away without reapplying for admission. Students also retain their class-level status for housing sign-up (when applicable) and academic registration. 

Students in online undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate programs work with their Advisors should they need to pause from taking classes for a period of time. 

Readmission

Students who have officially withdrawn from the university must apply to be readmitted if more than one semester has passed since their last enrollment. Requirements for students who re-enter Bethel within two years of the time of last enrollment are based on the catalog of the year they originally entered Bethel.

If more than two years have passed since they last enrolled in a course at Bethel, they must meet the requirements of the catalog for the year they re-enter. However, students who have three or fewer courses to complete may choose to stay on the most recent catalog under which they were enrolled or move to the current catalog. Students who are in programs that lead to licensure are responsible for meeting current licensure standards.

Students who are approved to re-enroll after academic dismissal will return on an academic standing equivalent to the second term of academic probation. Students must achieve the minimum cumulative GPA required for good standing at the end of their first term of re-enrollment. The one exception is for re-enrolled students who, in their first term of re-enrollment, achieve the minimum required term GPA for good standing. They will not be dismissed even if their cumulative GPA at the end of that term is below good standing. In this case the student's academic standing remains equivalent to that of a second term of academic probation for no more than one additional term.

Students who have not officially withdrawn from the university and have not enrolled for courses for two consecutive semesters are automatically withdrawn from Bethel and listed as inactive. Students wishing to re-enroll will need to to go through the re-enrollment process. 

Military Service and Veterans

Bethel is approved for veteran’s education training by the Minnesota State Approving Agency.   

Students called to active military service should expect some disruption in their progress toward their desired degree and/or certificate. Disruption could include, but may not be limited to, course availability and time to complete the desired credential.

Students called to active service during the semester may choose to withdraw from their current class and drop future classes. If 75% of the scheduled days of a given course have elapsed, students can choose to take an incomplete or withdraw. Students will have one year to submit the remaining coursework for a final course grade. If the student does not complete the work, the grade earned at the time of deployment will be assigned.   

Students who choose to withdraw may be readmitted and re-enrolled, without penalty or redetermination of admission eligibility, within two years following release from the state or federal active military service.

Academic Progress:

Class sessions students miss due to performance of active military service are counted as excused absences and will not be used in any way to adversely impact the students’ grades. However, any student who selects this option is not automatically excused from completing assignments due during the period when the student is performing active military service. A letter grade or a grade of satisfactory will be awarded only if the student has completed sufficient work and has demonstrated sufficient progress toward meeting course requirements to justify the grade. Payment during an enrollment period in which continuation is elected as a result of call to duty may be delayed until course completion at no additional cost

Withdrawing from a Course:

If students drop all courses during the Add/Drop period, they will have their net tuition bill reduced to zero (additional gift aid from Bethel will be added to the school bill so the total gift aid from Bethel covers 100% of tuition and fees for the dropped course[s]). Non-Bethel sources of financial aid are subject to federal and state refund policies and may be used to cover non-tuition educational expenses (e.g. room and board). 

If students withdraw after the end of the Add/Drop period, a grade of “W” and a notation that they were called to active duty will be recorded on pertinent academic records.

Late Arrival to Campus due to Active Military Duty:

Throughout the course of military service, there may be times when deployment, duty, or training delays a student in arriving for the beginning of the fall or spring semester. In order to facilitate and encourage academic success and preparedness, students and faculty must follow these guidelines:

• Students must contact professors and the Office of Financial Aid at least two weeks prior to the start of the term to indicate that military service is delaying their return for the semester.
•  Students and faculty should discuss a plan and deadlines for completing missed work.
•  When coursework is available online and accessible, military students are expected to complete coursework during their absence.
•  Military students joining a course late must do so no later than 10 days into the course.

During the period of time prior to when the student joins a course, and when the above guidelines are followed, there will be no academic penalty given for attendance or late work, including quizzes, forum posts,  and exams.

Late fees will be suspended during the period of late arrival.

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Multilingual Seals

Students can be granted language credits for Bilingual and Multilingual Seals depending on the type of seal. The high school assessment must have taken place in the 11th or 12th grade and must appear on the high school transcript. 

For Spanish:

• Seal/Certificate: 8 credits -- SPA 101/SPA 102S

For Other Languages (French, Russian, Hmong, etc):

• Seal/Certificate: 8 credits - S tag is earned

Non-Degree Seeking Students

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Posthumous Degree Conferral

A posthumous degree honors the academic achievements of a student who has died prior to completing their program and recognizes their contributions to the academic community.

To be eligible for consideration, the deceased student must have met the following:

1. Enrollment Status: The student was enrolled in a degree program at the time of death.
2. Good Standing: The student was in good academic and disciplinary standing at the time of death.
3. Academic Progress:

4. The student was making satisfactory academic progress toward the degree. 

5. Bachelor’s/Associate Degrees: The student had completed at least 75% of the required coursework. A minimum of at least 30 credits must have been taken at Bethel.

6. Master’s Degrees and Doctoral Degrees: The student had completed at least 75% of the required coursework. 

Nomination and Approval Process

1. Recommendation: A recommendation for the posthumous degree must be made by the academic department and supported by the college dean.
2. Documentation: The academic department must provide documentation of the student’s progress and standing.
3. Review: The request is reviewed by the Provost or designee in consultation with the Registrar.
4. Approval: Final approval is granted by the President of the institution.

Awarding

• The posthumous degree may be conferred at a commencement ceremony or presented privately to the student’s family.
• The diploma will indicate that the degree was awarded posthumously.
• The student’s name may be included in commencement materials with appropriate notation.

Recordkeeping

The Office of the Registrar shall maintain records of all posthumous degrees awarded, including the student’s name, degree type, and date of conferral.

Prerequisites and Corequisites

Some courses have prerequisites and/or corequisites to ensure students have the appropriate academic preparation and experience for the course.

Course Prerequisites:

Course prerequisites are courses that must be completed prior to enrolling in a specific course. In some cases, prerequisites may be taken concurrently.

Course Corequisites:

Course corequisites are courses that must be completed concurrently (within the same term or at the same time) as a specific course. 

Program Prerequisites:

Program prerequisites are the required courses or requirements listed as part of an academic program’s admission requirements. 

NOTE: In some cases, the prerequisite and/or corequisite may be waived by consent of the instructor or program director. Course prerequisites and corequisites are listed with each course description in the catalog.

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Program Overlap

Students may not earn a minor that has the identical name as their major. Some minors and second majors are not allowed with particular majors. Consult the major/minor requirements listed in this catalog for further information.

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Registration - Add, Drop, and Withdraw

During any full term, half term, part of term, January Session or Summer term, students may make registration changes to their course schedule prior to the deadline published on the Office of the Registrar website.  

All registration changes are official on the date the student makes the change online or when a written request is submitted to the Registrar’s Office. Specific add, drop, and withdrawal deadlines are listed on the Office of the Registrar’s website. No registration activity is complete until the change is displayed on the student record. 

Adding A Course 

During any term (full term, half term, part of term, January Session, Summer Term), students may add courses prior to the published deadline.  

• For courses less than 5 weeks long, the add deadline is the 3rd calendar day of the part of term in which the course occurs.  
• For courses 5+ weeks long including full semester classes the add deadline is the 8th calendar day of the part of term in which the course occurs. The specific dates are posted on the Office of the Registrar’s website. 

Dropping a course 

During any term (full term, half term, part of term, January Session, Summer term), students may drop courses prior to the deadline listed on the Office of the Registrar's Website. A course that is dropped by the deadline will no longer appear on the student’s schedule or transcript. 

• For courses less than 5 weeks long, the drop deadline is the 3rd calendar day of the part of term in which the course occurs.
• For courses 5+ weeks long including full semester courses, the drop deadline is the 8th calendar day of the part of term in which the course occurs.

Dropping a course could have an impact on the student’s bill and/or Financial Aid. Students should contact the Business Office and/or Financial Aid Office to determine the impact of dropped classes on their student bill. 

Administrative Drop 

Withdrawing from a Course

A student may withdraw from a course starting the day after the drop deadline.  Unlike dropping, a course withdrawal appears on the student’s transcript with a grade of “W.”  The withdrawal deadline is approximately at the 60% point of the course. The specific dates are posted on the Office of the Registrar’s website.  Course withdrawals are official on the date students withdraw from the course online or written notice is received by the Office of the Registrar.

The “W” grade does not impact the student’s GPA. However, it is taken into consideration as attempted credits when determining Financial Aid eligibility. Please see the Satisfactory Academic Progress under the Financial Aid section of this catalog.  

Charges Related to Registration Activities

The student is responsible for all charges incurred due to registration activity and for any loss of financial aid or change of loan deferment status as a result. Scheduled online sessions count as “class sessions” when determining tuition refunds and grades. Any refund due to a registration drop or withdrawal will be governed by the refund policy found in this catalog.

Exceptions to Registration Policies

Extenuating circumstances beyond the student's control may warrant exception to a registration policy. Such exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis and may require submitting a petition.

Administrative Withdrawal

The instructor may request an administrative withdrawal from a course if the student has consecutively ceased to participate in 20% or more of the course. (See Attendance Policy for information about what constitutes participation.) Requests are reviewed by the Registrar.  

For withdrawal from all courses and/or re-enrollment, please see Withdrawal from the University/Re Enrollment section of the policies.

Auditing a Course

Auditing a course allows degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking students to benefit from the content of a course that is not graded or taken for credit. Please see the Finance section regarding the tuition charges. 

Auditors are required to meet any requirements set by the instructor. The grade of AU is given when a student audits a course. The course grade does not count towards the GPA. The credits are not counted as part of a student’s credit load. 

Students may change their registration from audit to credit or credit to audit only within the prescribed registration period for the course. Otherwise, the student can register for the course for credit in a subsequent term.

Courses that are experiential or individualized (for example music lessons, internships, etc.) are not eligible to audit.  

Instructors may decide not to allow auditors to take their course if they determine it is in the best interests of accomplishing the course objectives. Disruptive auditors can be removed at will by the instructor.

PSEO (Postsecondary Enrollment Options) students are not eligible to audit courses.

It should be noted that students seeking to enroll in a course for credit will be given priority over auditors when a class has reached its maximum enrollment. 

Repeating a Course

Students can replace a previously earned Bethel grade by repeating the same course in a subsequent semester or part of term. Grade replacement occurs when the grade is entered for the repeated course; the lowest grade is excluded and the highest grade is included in the GPA. The lowest grade earned grade and credits will show on the transcript, but will not be included in the GPA calculation or the cumulative credits earned.

If the repeated course is taken at a different institution, the new grade is not included in the GPA. Grades for all courses remain visible on the student's transcript.  

Courses that are designed to be taken multiple times (e.g., internships, music ensembles, topics courses, etc.) are excluded from this policy.

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Registration for Courses at Other Twin Cities Seminaries

Because Bethel Seminary is a member of the Minnesota Consortium of Theological Schools (Bethel Seminary, Luther Theological Seminary, St. John’s Divinity School, The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, and United Theological Seminary), full-time degree students may take courses at these member institutions. To do so they should:

1. Complete the consortium registration form found on bethel.edu/registrar/forms;
2. Return the completed form to the registrar's office;
3. Pay the tuition rate of Bethel Seminary; and 
4. Ensure that the consortium registrar sends a transcript back to Bethel.

Courses taken at a consortium school must be electives only. Required courses may not be taken without approval through the Academic Petition process.

Religious Accomodations for Classroom Absences

Faculty may consider reasonable accommodations that allow students to meet their academic obligations without compromising their religious commitments. Examples of accommodations may include opportunities to make up missed exams, assignments, or other requirements. 

Accommodations cannot be guaranteed. Accommodations cannot place a burden on other students; disrupt learning; have a negative effect on non-Bethel personnel supporting internships, practica, clinical experiences, or other activities; or create unmanageable additional work for faculty or staff.  

Accommodations are made for absences due to religious observances. Accommodations are not made to relieve students of the obligation to complete assignments. Students may not use religious commitments or beliefs as the basis for avoiding readings, lectures, or any other assignments (e.g., dissection of certain animals or clinical experiences with people of a given gender or sexual orientation). 

Guidelines for Accommodations

Accommodations will be considered based on the following criteria:

1. The observance must be commonly recognized/observed by adherents to the student’s faith tradition.
2. The observance must be short-term and not result in chronic absences (e.g., not most Fridays of a class).
3. The student must be able to meet all essential course outcomes with the accommodation.
4. The accommodation must be reasonable in light of the course requirements and impact on other students, academic partners, faculty, and university support services. 
5. Students must request the accommodation by the deadline listed below.

The university recognizes that certain courses, such as labs, internships, practica, clinicals, field experiences, and student teaching, may be structured so that accommodations are not possible because they will disrupt essential learning processes or outcomes and/or create unresolvable requests for faculty, staff, or non-Bethel personnel. 

Advising Support

Students, especially those new to the university or participating in PSEO, are encouraged to consult their advisors when planning their schedules. Advisors can provide guidance to help students balance their academic requirements with their religious commitments.

Appeals

If a faculty member is unable to provide or denies appropriate accommodation, students may appeal the decision to the academic dean over their school or college.

Residency Requirements

Associate Degrees: Students must complete at least 30 credits at Bethel in order to graduate with an Associate’s Degree. 

Bachelor’s Degrees: Students must complete at least 30 credits of the needed 122 credits at Bethel in order to graduate.

Students must also take at least half of their major requirements at Bethel.

Master’s and Doctoral Degrees (except Bethel Seminary): Students must complete 67% of their degree at Bethel.

Bethel Seminary Degrees: Students must complete at least 33% of their degree at Bethel.   

Certificates: A minimum of 80% of the required certificate credits must be completed at Bethel.

NOTE: Some programs or majors may have other specific residency requirements of which students must adhere to successfully graduate with their degree.

Selecting a Major

Students may choose a major program of study before starting classes at Bethel but are not required to do so in all cases.  

Bachelors-seeking students

Students who start their degree program with 60 or more completed credits (including all transferred credits) must choose a major during the admissions process. Enrollment Counselors will assist new students in the process of choosing the intended major.

Students who start their degree program with fewer than 60 completed credits (including all transferred credits) have the option to admit as “exploratory” and may complete up to 60 credits before deciding on a major. After completing 60 cumulative credits, "exploratory" students must identify their major before they will be allowed to register for additional classes. Student success advisors will assist students in the process of choosing the intended major.

Associates-seeking students

Students who intend to earn an Associates degree must choose their degree or major during their admission to the college. Enrollment Counselors will assist new associates-seeking students in this process.

When academic programs or program elements (minor, endorsement, concentration, track, emphasis, pre-licensure program) are eliminated, affected students will be notified by Bethel. The university will establish a teach-out schedule with a date for when classes in those programs or program elements will no longer be offered. After the teach-out is announced, no new or current students may enroll in or declare the program or program element in teach-out. Students should seek to complete all requirements during the teach-out period. Students who have not completed all requirements have two academic years beyond the end of the teach-out period to complete any remaining requirements through approved transfer courses.  All transfer courses must comply with published transfer policies. Theses, dissertations, and capstone projects must be completed at Bethel within two academic years after the teach-out period. The end of that two-year period is the date on which the program or program element officially ends and degrees or credentials will no longer be granted.

Thesis

Master’s level students may opt to complete a thesis as a free elective option within their degree program. The student is responsible to find an instructor who is willing to work with them throughout the process to completion of the thesis. A thesis is completed once a student satisfactorily finishes the 2 credit Thesis Proposal course and a 4 credit Thesis Writing course. If the student does not complete their Thesis Writing course within the term allotted, they must complete the requirements as described in the Extensions for Thesis/Capstone/Dissertation Courses policy.

Time Limits for Degree Completion

All degree requirements must be completed within a set number of years from the student’s initial enrollment. Maximum year requirements are listed by degree type below.

Undergraduate 

No maximum, unless specified by the program. 

Graduate Master’s 

The following Master’s Degree must be completed within 5 years from the student’s initial enrollment. 

• Business (M.B.A.)
• Counseling (M.A.)
• Education K-12 (M.A.)
• Medical Sciences (M.S.)
• Nursing Midwifery (M.S.)
• Physician Assistant (M.S.)
• Social Work (M.S.W.)
• Special Ed (M.A.)
• Teaching (M.A,)

The following Master’s Degrees must be completed within 8 years from the student’s initial enrollment. 

• Children’s, Youth, and Family Ministry  (M.A.)
• Christian Thought (M.A.)
• Marriage and Family Therapy (M.A.)
• Ministry (M.A.)
• Theological Studies (M.A.) 

The following Master’s degree must be completed in ten years. 

• Master of Divinity (M.Div.): 10 years

Graduate Doctoral

• Doctor of Ministry (D.Min): 6 years
• Doctor of Education (Ed.D.): 15 years

If a student withdraws from their program for a time and then re-enters to complete the program, the time elapsed while they were not enrolled continues to count toward the time limit for degree completion.

Transcripts

Bethel Transcript

The academic transcript is a comprehensive record of all coursework a student completes at Bethel University. It includes courses taken, grades earned, semesters attended, honors, and degrees awarded, as well as coursework transferred from other schools. 

Official Bethel transcripts are available to any student who has completed academic work to date at Bethel University. Both electronic and paper versions of official transcripts may be ordered via the Registrar’s Office. Current students are able to view and download their unofficial Bethel transcript online. 

Transcripts from Other Institutions

Transcripts are considered official if they come directly from the issuing institution to Bethel University and contain the college seal and the signature of the Registrar and are identified as official.

NOTE: All transcripts received from other institutions or schools that are in the student’s academic file remain the property of Bethel University and cannot be released to the student or other parties. However, students have the right to view these documents upon request. 

Questions regarding transcripts should be addressed to the Office of the Registrar.

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Transfer Credit and Prior Learning

The University Registrar oversees the credit evaluation process for transfer purposes. To be accepted, transfer course work must be taken at the college level from an institutionally accredited college or university as approved by the U.S. Department of Education. 

Official transcripts for all courses completed at colleges outside of the United States must be evaluated (and translated, if needed) by a NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services) approved evaluation agency.  Examples of approved agencies include, but are not limited to, World Evaluation Services, Educational Credential Evaluators Inc.

Official transcripts sent directly from the college, university, or institution offering the transfer course are required.

Credit from institutions that are not institutionally accredited can be accepted when there is an officially approved transfer articulation agreement with the institution. Articulation agreements may include exceptions to transfer credit, course requirements, and degree requirement policies.

Undergraduate Transfer Credit 

Only courses in which students earn a grade of C- or better may be transferred to Bethel. Courses taken pass/fail, credit/no credit, satisfactory/unsatisfactory do not transfer unless the official transcript indicates that a pass/fail, credit/no credit, satisfactory/unsatisfactory is equivalent to a grade of C- or higher. For satisfactory or passing grades on other schools' transcripts that are not defined as equivalent to a C- or higher, transfer credits will be awarded for the class if the instructor of record submits a letter on letterhead that indicates the student earned the equivalent letter grade of a C- or higher. Audited courses are not accepted for transfer to Bethel. Some degree programs require a higher cumulative GPA on all academic work accepted in transfer, or a higher minimum grade for courses. Please refer to specific programs to see transfer grade requirements. Grades earned in transfer courses are not included in calculating the cumulative GPA or the GPA for the major at Bethel. 

Courses accepted in transfer must be relevant or equivalent to courses required for the student’s program of study at Bethel. Transfer courses that do not fulfill specific courses or requirements may be brought in as electives and counted toward the total credits required for graduation.

To fulfill a specific Bethel requirement at a minimum:  the credits of the transfer course must be greater than 50% of the credits of the Bethel requirement (e.g., a 2-credit transfer course may not be used to fulfill a 4-credit Bethel requirement, but a 3- or 4-credit transfer course may fulfill either a 3- or 4-credit Bethel requirement). The level of the transfer course must not be more than one level above or below the Bethel course (e.g., a 100-level course may replace a 200-level course, but may not replace a 300-level course). Exceptions can be granted based on content in consultation with the Program Director or Chair. 

If a transfer course is not accepted for Bethel credit, the decision may be appealed. 

Current Bethel students studying abroad or taking courses at another college or university should obtain approval of courses to be taken prior to registering for the course. Upon completion of the course, students are responsible to ensure official transcripts are sent to the Bethel Office of the Registrar.

Graduate Level Transfer Credit 

The transfer credit must be clearly designated as graduate credits, no more than 3 years old unless approved by the Program Director. The grade must be a C (2.0 on a 4.0 scale)  or higher. Some programs may require a higher grade to meet specific accreditation or programmatic requirements.  

Seminary Additional Notes:   

Courses with S/U or P/F grades are not accepted. All credits applied toward degree requirements at Bethel must have been earned within 10 years of the Bethel degree being awarded. 

Only hermeneutics courses taken at an institution accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) will be accepted in transfer to fulfill BT 510 Hermeneutics. Students who have taken hermeneutics at an institution not accredited by ATS may appeal to have it accepted.   

Students may appeal for credit for coursework completed at non-accredited seminaries or graduate schools. Approval is not automatically granted. 

Students with coursework which does not meet this requirement, or with credits which will become ineligible during the time of enrollment in their Bethel degree program may petition to have the work reviewed for exception.

A student with a relevant Master of Arts degree from Bethel or another seminary may be granted credits toward a Master of Divinity or Master of Arts degree. No more than half of the credits required for the lesser degree may be used toward the second degree at Bethel.

Challenge Examinations and Achievement Tests (Seminary Students)

Bethel Seminary does not accept credits through challenge examinations and/or achievement tests.  

Clinical Pastoral Education

Summer, semester or extended programs in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) approved by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) are available for academic credit. Students may receive transfer credit for one CPE unit completed before entering Bethel Seminary if that unit was taken at an accredited CPE site and the student provides written documentation of successful completion.

Prior Learning Credits

Bethel University recognizes that students may have acquired knowledge outside of the traditional classroom. As a result, options for earning credit exist through the following means. 

A maximum of 40 credits in prior learning can be applied toward an undergraduate degree program.  Students must still complete the residency requirements for their degree  program. See the residency requirement policy for specific information.  

NOTE: Bethel Seminary does not grant credit for prior learning except by special arrangement and approval of the Dean of the School of Theology and Bethel Seminary.  Experiential learning in the form of a directed study is available to students once they are enrolled in various programs or degrees under certain circumstances. Please see directed study within the academic policy section of this catalog for more information.

Prior Learning: Credits by Examination - Undergraduate

Bethel distinctives, program-determined residency requirements, capstone courses and 400 level courses; these requirements cannot be met through ACE-recommended PLA credit.

1. Credit may be awarded to a student who receives a qualifying score on the following:
   1. Advanced Placement Examination (AP). A minimum score of 3 is required in order for the exam to replace most Bethel requirements. However, a score of 4 or higher may be required by some departments or programs. The Office of the Registrar maintains information about AP exams and General Education requirements. Click on link for equivalency to Bethel Courses
   2. College-Level_Examination Program (CLEP) General Examination or a Subject Examination.  Click link for score details 
   3. International Baccalaureate (IB) exam. Bethel awards 3 credits for Standard Level Examinations with a score of 5 or higher. A student with a score of 4 or higher on a Higher Level Examination is awarded 6 credits. Consult the Office of the Registrar for details. Click link for score details
   4. A DANTES Subject Standardized Test (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support), which is equivalent to a college course. Consult the Office of the Registrar for details.
2. Exemption from certain first-level courses may be granted on the basis of an adequate score on special placement examinations devised by the respective departments.
3. Students who complete high school outside the U.S. may be eligible to receive credit for some first-year courses.

Prior Learning:  ACE-Approved Training  - Undergraduate

NOTE: Not all programs will accept ACE-Approved training to meet degree requirements. 

Many career fields offer non-collegiate-sponsored training courses, examinations, or certifications. Students may earn PLA credit for completing such training that has been recommended for credit by the American Council on Education (ACE). This includes military training documented on the Joint Services Transcript (JST).

Prior Learning: Assessment  - Undergraduate or Graduate 

Prior Learning assessment evaluates and recognizes learning gained outside traditional academic settings A verified certificate of completion or an official transcript from the organization must be submitted.  

NOTE: Not all programs will accept a Prior Learning Assessment to meet degree requirements. 

Credits for prior learning assessment may be awarded through one of two options

1. A formal agreement is made with a non-institutionally-accredited institution or organization for the awarding of credits upon the successful completion of training courses, examinations, or certifications. 
2. The training courses, examinations or certifications from a non-institutionally-accredited institution or organization in which no formal agreement exists may be formally evaluated and approved by the Registrar's Office. Upon this formal evaluation, a verified certificate of completion or official transcript to Bethel's Graduate School. Students are awarded credits upon the successful completion of training courses, examinations, or certifications.

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Withdrawal and Re-Enrollment

University Withdrawal

Enrolled students who leave the university without a definite plan to return should officially withdraw.(This is also known as discontinuing studies.) Withdrawal can affect tuition charges and financial aid.  Information about the financial implications associated with withdrawal from the University can be obtained from the Bethel Business Office and Bethel Financial Aid Office 

Withdrawing from the University after the add/drop deadline and before the course withdrawal deadline will result in grades of “W” for the courses that were in progress.  

Students who fail to enroll in courses for three consecutive semesters/terms (e.g. fall, spring, summer) are automatically withdrawn from Bethel and are listed as inactive.

University Re-Enrollment

Students may re-enroll after withdrawal. Former students who have a registration hold on their account from the Business Office are not eligible to re-enroll until the hold is resolved. Students will enter under the academic status in which they left.   

Students who have ceased enrollment for more than three consecutive semesters/terms (e.g. fall, spring, summer) will re-enroll under the University Catalog that is in place at the time of re-enrollment. Students who have three or fewer courses to complete may request to stay on the most recent catalog under which they were enrolled. Students who are in programs that lead to licensure are responsible for meeting current licensure standards which may require the completion of additional courses.

Re-Enrollment after Academic Dismissal

Students who are approved to re-enroll after being Academically Dismissed will be placed on second semester Academic Probation status. Students must achieve the minimum cumulative GPA required for good standing at the end of their first term of re-enrollment.

Specific academic programs may have different dismissal and re-enrollment policies than those listed above. These requirements would be listed with program information and/or the student handbook.