Spiritual Emphasis

requirement or standard.)

Welch College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Association for Biblical Higher Education to grant degrees at the associate, bachelor, and master levels. Contact the Commission on Accreditation of the Association for Biblical Higher Education at 5850 T.G. Lee Blvd., Suite 130, Orlando, Florida 37822 or call 407-207-0808 for questions about the accreditation of Welch College.

The College is also approved by the: • State of Tennessee, which provides for its students to participate in grants and loans provided by Tennessee; • Tennessee State Approving Agency for the training of veterans and their eligible dependents; and • Tennessee State Department of Education for teacher education (graduates of the teacher education programs and with approved majors and degrees may be recommended for professional license to teach in the public schools of Tennessee).

Welch College also maintains membership in a number of organizations, including the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association, Tennessee College Association, Association of Christian Schools International, Council for Independent Colleges, and Evangelical Training Association.

Denominational Affiliation

As implied in the statement of Institutional Purpose above, Welch College is owned and operated by the National Association of Free Will Baptists and is governed by a board of trustees elected by that association. Doctrinally, Welch College subscribes to the beliefs and practices set forth in the Free Will Baptist Treatise.

History

The National Association of Free Will Baptists founded Welch College in 1942 as a two-year institution. Eight students comprised the original student body. The College added a third year of study in 1949 and a fourth year in 1950, and awarded its first bachelor’s degrees to five seniors in 1951. In 2016, it began offering a Master of Arts in Theology and Ministry, in 2018 it began offering a Master of Arts in Teaching, and in 2021 it began offering a Master of Divinity.

Today the College enrolls nearly 450 students annually from approximately 25 states and several countries. In addition to the required Theological Studies Major, various majors and minors are available in Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Music Education, as well as a Master of Arts in Theology and Ministry, Master of Arts in Teaching, and Master of Divinity degree programs. Two-year associate degree programs are also offered.

Location

Welch College is located about twenty miles northeast of Nashville in Gallatin, Tennessee. Gallatin is a beautiful town with abundant trees, rolling hills, and sweeping green pastures. At the same time, it boasts local businesses, retail, restaurants, and Old Hickory Lake for students to work, to shop, and to play.

Gallatin is just thirty miles from Nashville, which offers excellent access to ground transportation and worldwide air travel via three interstates, rail traffic, and an international airport. Nashville is a very cosmopolitan city with at least twenty major language groups represented in the Metropolitan area. This accounts for nearly fifteen percent of the city's residents being from non-English-speaking backgrounds. Training is available for learning some 141 languages through a local language institute. This offers a unique perspective from which our students can prepare themselves for diverse local church and foreign ministries.

The greater Nashville area includes over 1.5 million inhabitants, and offers expansive shopping centers, fine arts and museum exhibits, a variety of sporting teams and events, including NFL, NHL, NSL, and PGA/LPGA venues. Nashville has an abundance of good, clean, family entertainment, including beautiful nature sites. Nashville was chosen to be the College's home because its founders believed that this location was most central within the denomination.

Report to Students and Prospective Students

Welch College is pleased to provide the following information regarding our institution's graduation/completion rates. The information is provided in compliance with the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The rates reflect the graduation/ completion status of students who enrolled during the 2013-14 school year and for whom 150% of the normal time-to-completion has elapsed.

As required by the Student Right-To-Know Act, colleges must report graduation/ completion rates to all enrolled and prospective students: • During the fall semester of 2014, fifty-nine first-time, full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students entered Welch. After six years, 72% of these students had graduated from Welch. The transfer-out rate was at least 4%, bringing the combined rate to at least 76%. • The current retention rate between fall of 2019 and fall of 2020 from the freshman to sophomore years is 78.25%. Further inquiries may be directed to the Vice Provost for Academic Administration.

Student Consumer Information

• According to the Campus Security Act, a Campus Security Report is available to prospective students and employees by request from the Student Services

Office. • According to the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act, the most recent report is available to anyone by request from the Student Financial Aid Office. • Students and parents should note that the requirements to return federal Title

IV funds may result in a balance due to the College subsequent to withdrawal. • For more information, visit: http://welch.edu/academics/academic-offices/ office-of-planning-and-assessment/.