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

On occasion, it may become necessary for a student to leave school for a semester for a variety of reasons. Students who find it necessary to discontinue their studies for only one semester, with the intent to return to Bethel after that semester, may be eligible for a stop-out status rather than officially withdrawing from the university. A student interested in receiving a stop-out status should inquire about eligibility with a dean in the Office of Student Life. To be granted a stop-out, a student must be in good standing academically and financially, must have been at Bethel at least one full semester, and must plan to be away no more than one full semester.

A stop-out status allows a student to return to Bethel after one semester away without reapplying for admission. Students also retain their class-level status for housing sign-up and academic registration. The stop-out procedure may only be utilized once by students during the course of their academic studies, unless special approval is granted by the university.

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Students who have officially withdrawn from the university must apply to be readmitted if more than one semester has passed since their last enrollment.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.