A C A D E M I C    P O L I C I E S

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Retention of course work
Course assignments and exams are important educational tools that help assess academic performance. Instructors should return work to students in a timely manner. Instructors have the option of allowing students to see graded work, but then collecting it again. When this is done, instructors are asked to keep the work for at least two terms before disposing of it to provide opportunity for review and discussion.

Students who wish to have assignments and exams returned to them after they have left campus are responsible to purchase an envelope from the receptionist, address it, and give it to the course instructor. One envelope is required for each course. The instructor is responsible to place graded course work in the addressed envelope and return it to the receptionist for mailing.




Admission Requirements
Rosedale Bible College admits students whom it believes will benefit from the spiritual and educational emphasis of the school and who will make a positive contribution to campus life.

The primary criteria for admission are a personal commitment to Christ and a willingness to cooperate with the guidelines of the school. A signed covenant from the student handbook must be returned to the admissions office before acceptance can be confirmed. High school graduation or a GED is required for normal admission. Others may be admitted on academic probation.
Home-schooled applicants
Rosedale Bible College affirms the values which lead some families to educate their children at home, and welcomes applications from students who have been home-schooled. Students who have completed the equivalent of four years of high school simply follow the normal application process.

RBC also welcomes students who are at least seventeen years old to study at RBC either part time or full time during their senior year of high school. In such cases, the admissions committee gives extra attention to personal references in an attempt to assess the student's maturity and preparedness to join the RBC community.



Students without a high school diploma
Rosedale Bible College will permit up to five percent of its program students in a given year to be admitted without a high school diploma. Students in this category will be admitted on a probationary basis for two terms. This limit does not apply to students enrolled as transfer and non-program students. For the purposes of this policy, a GED is considered a high school diploma. Students who do not have a high-school diploma or a GED will be encouraged to obtain one.

Additional consideration may be given to applicants who are involved in ministry or who are over age thirty. These applicants will be assessed on the basis of available academic records and\or other references which can affirm ability to perform adequately at a college level.




Late Applications
Normally applications for admissions should be received thirty days prior to the beginning of the term for which acceptance is requested. Late applications or readmissions received less than three weeks from the beginning of classes will be assessed a late fee of $75 in addition to the normal application fee of $30. Late applications for new admissions will be accepted up to three weeks before the beginning of term for non-U.S. Canadian citizens and up to two weeks before the beginning of term for U.S. citizens. Applications received after these deadlines will be processed for the following term. Late applications for previously admitted students will be accepted up to the Tuesday of the week preceding the beginning of the term for which acceptance is requested provided their application material is current and there is space in both the dorms and the classes. For application material to be considered current it must be dated no more than two years prior to the date of the beginning of the term and still be valid.

Any exceptions to these deadlines can be made only at the discretion of the Academic Assistant in consultation with the Admissions Committee.

Application for Degree Program
Every student enrolled at Rosedale Bible College will be initially enrolled, by default, in the one-year Certificate in Biblical studies program.

Students who desire to graduate with an Associate of Arts in Biblical Studies degree are required to fill out an application form available in the academic office. Students are encouraged to submit the application as early as possible.

The academic committee reviews and takes action regarding all applications.




Earning a second degree
Students may earn only one Associate of Arts in Biblical Studies degree at Rosedale Bible College. When a student desires to take additional courses following graduation from the AA program (e.g., fulfilling the requirements for an additional concentration), the additional coursework in noted on the official transcript, but no additional diploma or certificate is awarded.



Graduation Requirements
A diploma or certificate will be granted upon satisfactory completion of the required courses in one or more of the school's programs, and upon satisfactory completion of required ministry formation hours. At least a C average (i.e., a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.0 or higher) is required. Transfer students must attend a minimum of three terms to graduate.

A graduation fee is due at the beginning of term five.



Graduation with honors
Students who complete the two-year program with a grade point average of 3.75 or higher graduate "with honors." Students graduating with honors are recognized in the following ways: honors cords at graduation, an honors dinner planned by the academic dean, and recognition in the printed graduation program.



Academic eligibility for extra-curricular ministries
Students participating in extra-curricular ministries (Chorale, Salt and Light, etc.) are expected to maintain a grade point average of at least 2.0. Situations in which a student's G.P.A. falls below 2.0 will be handled on a case-by-case basis by the academic dean, in conjunction with the director of the extra-curricular ministry.



Academic credit for Salt and Light
Students receive one hour of credit for each term they participate in Salt and Light.



Academic credit for drama productions
Students may receive up to one hour of credit for each term they participate in a dramatic production. The academic dean, in consultation with the director of the dramatic production, determines who is eligible to receive credit and how much they should receive.



Financial aid and grades
Students who are approved for financial aid will need to maintain a C grade average to qualify for aid for the next term.



Withdrawal from courses
Students who withdraw from a course after the normal deadline for finalizing course selection, and before the beginning of the fifth week of classes, will receive a "W" on their transcripts. After the beginning of the fifth week, students may withdraw from a class only with special permission from the academic office.



Refunds
Tuition — Students who terminate their time at RBC during the first two days of a term will receive 100 percent refund. An 8 percent reduction will be assessed for each day after that.

Room and Board — Students who terminate their time at RBC during the first week will receive an 80 percent refund. The refund will be reduced by 20 percent for each week after that.



Freshman Forgiveness
A student who earns a course grade of D or lower during his or her first three terms of study (i.e., the first 18 credit hours) may repeat it under the freshman forgiveness policy. The student has until the end of the second full year of study (i.e., prior to earning 60 hours of credit) to apply in writing for this provision. In the event that the course is not offered again within that time period, the student may retake the course the next time it is offered. The course grade earned in the first attempt remains on the student's record, but only the grade earned during the second attempt is used in calculating the grade point average.



Academic Probation
Students who have attended Rosedale Bible College for at least two terms and whose cumulative GPA has fallen below a 2.0 will be placed on academic probation. A student on academic probation must meet weekly with the academic dean or with an advisor appointed by him. The advisor may require that the student provide information about the student's study patterns and progress being made on class assignments. The academic dean, in consultation with the dean of students, may choose to limit the student's involvement in extra-curricular activities. A cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher will release a student from academic probation.

A student carrying a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0 for three consecutive terms may be dismissed from the college for a 6-month period. Students who seek re-admission after a dismissal period are required to meet with the academic dean who may impose special re-admission requirements. Students who have been dismissed for academic reasons for the second time may be denied admission to the college at the academic dean's discretion.



Full classes and academic probation
Students on academic probation will generally not be allowed to take courses for which there is a waiting list. There may be exceptions made for persons with a reasonable probability of graduating, who need a particular course for graduation. Otherwise, classes with waiting lists will be reserved for students in good academic standing.



Plagiarism
Plagiarism is using another person's ideas or thoughts without acknowledging that they are borrowed from someone else. It ranges from copying an entire work to copying a small portion of a work without indicating clearly the source. Plagiarism is intellectual dishonesty and is a serious academic offense.

Students can easily avoid plagiarism by indicating clearly where they obtained their information.

Instructors are expected to watch for plagiarism, to take it seriously when it occurs, and to notify the academic office. Depending on the seriousness of the offense, the consequences may range from giving no credit for the assignment to giving a failing grade for the course.



Independent study
A student may take a course as an independent study under the following circumstances:

• The student maintains a GPA of 2.0 or higher
• The course is a required course for graduation
• A student is unable to take the course because of a schedule conflict with another required course
• The instructor agrees to teach the course as an independent study
• The student masters essentially the same material he/she would in a normal class
• The student pays the normal tuition fee
• The student has obtained permission from the academic office

For courses outside the area of program concentration, instructors have the option of grading on a pass/nonpass basis.

Requests for exceptions to these general policies will be considered by the academic dean.



REACH Credit

1. Students who have completed the REACH program may request academic credit for their REACH experience from the Registrar=s office at RBC. The request for credit must be made within three years after the completion of the REACH program.
   
   
2. Students requesting credit should present written verification from the REACH office specifying the dates of participation and the location of the field experience.
   
   
3. Credit for participation in REACH is graded on a Pass/Non-pass basis. The REACH administrator assigns this grade. A passing grade is considered to be average or above average.
   
   
4. Students may request REACH credit from RBC only after being enrolled full time for at least two terms, either prior to or following participation in REACH. Tuition payment for REACH credit must be made to RBC at the time the credit is requested. The tuition rate is $25 per credit hour.
   
   
5. Up to 18 credit hours of REACH credit may be earned.. Students may choose to receive credit for the following courses:
   

Credit transfer
Credits may be transferred to RBC from colleges and institutions on a case-by-case basis as approved by the academic dean and as they apply toward completing a program of study at RBC. Transferred credit must be at or above a grade level of "C."



Transcripts
Requests for transcripts from RBC must be made to the academic office in writing. Students requesting that transcripts be sent elsewhere must include the name and address to which the transcript is to be sent. The first two transcripts are free. Additional transcripts are $3.00 each.

Transcripts will not be released for students who have unpaid fees or loans in default.



Course changes
Students must process course changes with the academic assistant by 4:00 p.m. of the second day of classes. The academic office must approve course changes.