Academic Catalog 2026-2027

Calendar and Student Load

Calendar 

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

Credit Load

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.