Bethel University will consider applicants who meet the general requirements for admission to the University. For admission to certain majors or certificates, applicants must meet additional admission requirements.
Meeting minimal entrance requirements does not necessarily guarantee admission. Exceptions to minimum criteria may be made at the discretion of the admissions committee.
Students who have not achieved the minimum GPA, grade standards, or other assessment criteria may still apply to be considered for provisional acceptance. See Admission Categories defined below.
Applicants will be notified in writing of their admission decision. A student’s application, including all required materials, is valid for one year from the date of initial admissions decision.
If there is reason to doubt the validity of the high school diploma, transcript, or recognized equivalent, Bethel University will follow its procedures to verify completion of high school, recognized equivalent of a high school diploma, or college coursework.
Admission Calendar
Once accepted, Bethel University offers multiple opportunities for students to start their program throughout the year, in either a term format or a dynamic rolling basis. Students may contact the Office of Admissions for the next available start date for each program.
Course/Cohort Cancellation
Bethel University reserves the right to change the start date or to cancel any course at any time up to ten calendar days before the start of the course.
Admission Categories
Acceptance
All admission criteria have been met and all admission materials have been received.
Conditional Acceptance
The student has not met all admission requirements. Remaining requirements must be met prior to deadlines stated in the acceptance letter.
Provisional Acceptance
Provisional status is determined at the time of admission. Below are the academic conditions for provisional acceptance and for continued enrollment beyond the initial term or academic year.
Traditional Undergraduate Programs
To support these students, Bethel requires all provisionally admitted students to participate in the Spark program during the first Fall term of enrollment at Bethel. The program includes GES 109 Orientation to College Studies (for first-time college students)
and GES 130 Christianity and Western Culture (CWC), group tutoring sessions for CWC, and a specialized academic advisor who monitors the students’ academic progress.
Post-Traditional Undergraduate Program
Post-traditional undergraduate students admitted provisionally are required to take GES 107/SOCS 110 How Learning Works and
complete MATH 090 Foundations of Math Readiness. MATH 090 must be taken prior to taking any other math course. Does not apply to Post-Baccalaureate Nursing Program students since they already have earned a Bachelor's Degree.
Note: Summer session is not counted as a term for traditional undergraduates; it does count for post- traditional undergraduates.
Evaluation of Provisionally Accepted students
Undergraduate Students
Provisionally Admitted Students have up to two academic terms to achieve good academic standing. Students will be reviewed and assigned the appropriate academic standing based on their cumulative GPA. See Academic Standing section of the catalog.
If the cumulative GPA is below good academic standing, they are academically dismissed.
Graduate and Seminary Programs:
Provisional students are evaluated for good academic standing at the end of their first term. If they achieve good academic standing (Cumulative 3.0 Graduate program, 2.0 for Seminary) at the end of their first term, they are allowed to continue to the next term. If good academic standing is not achieved, they will be academically dismissed.
Limited Enrollment (Partnership Students only)
Limited Enrollment is an option for students who are part of a partnership agreement and who do not meet the General Admission Requirements. Students with Limited Enrollment are permitted to enroll as non-degree seeking students for no more than two courses from a limited list of available courses. Limited Enrollment students must maintain good academic standing.
Provisional Admission
Applicants who do not meet the applied program’s [appropriate/relevant] minimum incoming GPA, grade standards, or other assessment criteria may receive provisional acceptance. See Admission Policy.
Undergraduate
Undergraduate students who are admitted provisionally must take prescribed additional coursework as part of their provisional enrollment.
Required Courses
Traditional Undergraduate:
GES 109 Orientation to College Studies (for first-time college students) and GES 130 Christianity and Western Culture, and a specialized academic advisor who
will monitor students’ progress.
Online Undergraduate:
Students admitted provisionally will not be allowed to proceed until the Foundations of Math Readiness (FMR) requirement (MATH 090) is met. Provisional students are also required to successfully complete SOCS 110 Succeeding in College.
Provisional Evaluation
Provisional evaluation provides an early assessment of academic success specific to provisionally-admitted students. Students must meet good academic standing when provisional evaluation occurs. If students do not meet good academic standing at the time of their evaluation, the student will be academically dismissed.
Note: Students will be evaluated for academic standing each semester. Provisional evaluation occurs:
Undergraduate
Graduate and Seminary
International Students
An international student is any applicant who wishes to enroll with non-immigrant visa status. [Students who are US citizens (including those who are living outside the US), those who are legal permanent residents, those who have refugee status, those who have been granted asylum, or those who are undocumented are not considered international students.]
In addition to the general requirements in this section, international applicants to Bethel University's online undergraduate programs must meet additional criteria for admission. International candidates may enroll as fully online students who plan to complete their program outside the United States. CAPS does not enroll residential international applicants. Residential options for international applicants exist.
For international applicants, attending school in the U.S. on a Visa, the following additional items are required to apply to Bethel University:
- Copy of valid passport
- After financial aid has been received, submission of a Certificate of Finance and most recent copy of bank statements going back 6 months
For international applicants living outside of the US, the following items are required to apply to Bethel University:
- Copy of valid passport
- Once financial aid has been received, submission of a Certificate of Finance and most recent copy of bank statements going back 6 months
- If applying as a first-year student, an evaluated transcript with a cumulative GPA by an official NACES or AICE member, or TruMerit (WES is a preferred vendor.)
- If applying as a transfer student, a course-by-course transcript with a cumulative GPA by an official NACES or AICE member, or TruMerit (WES is a preferred vendor.)
- IELTS, TOEFL, or DET (Duolingo) score if English is not the student's first language or his/her education did not take place in an institution where English was the primary instructional language
- Minimum scores: 4 iBT-TOEFL, 550 PBT-TOEFL, 6.5 IELTS, 110 DET
Once the above requirements are met, students will be considered for conditional acceptance. To complete the acceptance process, students need to submit the following once the financial aid award is received:
- Certificate of Finance and most recent copy of bank statements going back 6 months
- Additional bank statements and a sponsorship letter may be required
In order to enroll at Bethel, Bethel requires official transcripts from all institutions student has attended. Uniquely for high school transcripts, the posted graduation date must be listed on the transcript.
- International students are only eligible to apply for Fall term
- Acceptance Deadline: May 1, prior to the start of the student's first Fall term
- Applicants must be conditionally accepted by May 1 to be eligible to enroll for Fall term
Fully Online International Applicants
A fully online international applicant is any candidate who is not a U.S. citizen and intends to complete their fully online program in their home country. Note that non-U.S. citizens cannot receive a U.S. Visa if they are intending to enroll in a fully online program. Fully online international applicants must complete the general requirements for admission as well as the items listed below:
- International student applicants whose primary language is not English must submit a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic), or Duolingo English Test (DET) examination score report. Note: Some programs may require scores from a specific test such as TOEFL to be submitted. This English proficiency requirement can be waived if the student received an undergraduate or higher level degree at a U.S. college or university.
- TOEFL minimum score of 4 on the Internet-based test or 8 on the Essentials test.
- IELTS minimum score of 6.5.
- PTE minimum score of 55.
- DET minimum score of 110.
- Transcript(s) from colleges and/or universities where the highest degree was earned is/are required to be submitted. Unless excepted by a program's admission requirements, all non U.S. transcript(s) is/are required to be evaluated by one of the members of National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) or the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools International, Inc. (TruMerit) if the student's degree(s) is/are received outside of the U.S. It is advised that students received a course-by-course evaluation that shows a cumulative GPA.
