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. Courses taken at the remedial level are not eligible for transfer.

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 except when exempted by specific programs. 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 to meet Bethel requirements 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.  

Prior Learning: Credits by Examination - Undergraduate

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

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 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) 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 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. To initiate this formal evaluation, a verified certificate of completion or official transcript must first be submitted to Bethel's Registrar's Office. Students can be awarded credits based upon the successful completion of training courses, examinations, or certifications.