Part Two: Admissions, Finances, and General Academic Information Admission of Students

Social Events

The College senses a responsibility to provide the most wholesome, enriching social life possible and provides both formal and informal occasions for this purpose.

Formal social and cultural occasions include banquets, student and faculty recitals, concerts, dramatic presentations, and the Sarah Lacey Nicholas Artist Series.

Informal activities include opportunities for dating, casual contacts, various programs, coffee house/student center activities, outings, and other special events.

The Lumen

Each year a staff of students, chosen by the faculty and supervised by a College adviser, produces the College’s yearbook, Lumen. The title means “light” and matches the College verse, Psalm 43:3. Advertisements and tuition underwrite the cost.

Every full-time student who attends both semesters of a given school year will receive the Lumen when it is published. Part-time students and those who attend just one semester can receive a yearbook by paying a total of $85.

Student Wellness Activities

The Student Wellness Committee sponsors several activities each semester that promote physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Group activities such as walking and jogging, seminars, and campus-wide emphases are designed to provide opportunities for all students to be actively involved in the development of healthy, positive, biblical thinking and living.

Also, Welch College offers counseling services to its students. Those interested in enrolling should see the Campus Counselor.

Peer Mentoring, Peer Tutoring, and Freshman Coordinator

The College's Access to Success (A2S) program is designed to welcome and support new students as they transition to Welch College. Each new student is assigned a peer mentor who is prepared to provide an immediate, positive link to campus life. The College also offers academic support through paid peer tutors.

The A2S program is managed by the Freshman Coordinator, also a faculty member. The Coordinator works with peer mentors, student tutors, Student Services, and faculty peers to know and address academic, social, and spiritual needs of new students. The A2S program features five campus-wide initiatives that comprise the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). A QEP is required for all SACSCOC-accredited colleges.

Admission of Students

Entrance Requirements

Welch College is owned and operated by the National Association of Free Will Baptists. As such, it exists primarily to meet the educational needs of Free Will Baptist churches. The College’s primary mission is to educate leaders for those churches who will take seriously a life of service to Christ, His church, and His world. The College also opens its doors to students who share its commitment to the Christian faith in its historic, evangelical Protestant expression.

Character–Each applicant must have experienced a genuine Christian conversion marked by Christian discipleship and high moral character. Applicants must also exhibit a commitment to Christian higher education as outlined in the College's Mission and Institutional Purpose, sign a statement of Christian faith, and provide references to confirm their Christian character. Students should always behave in a manner consistent with their Christian testimony. Any student who fails to do so forfeits the right to remain at the College.

High School Graduation–Applicants must present evidence of graduation from a standard high school or the equivalent. This may be a high school equivalency certificate, satisfactory scores on the General Education Development Tests (GED), or satisfactory completion of an approved homeschool program.

In exceptional cases, a person non-high school graduate may enroll as a special student, but will not be admitted to candidacy for a degree without achieving high school equivalence. This includes current high school students who register for courses.

As required by the Tennessee State Department of Education, graduates of high schools that are neither state-approved nor regionally-accredited may be admitted on a provisional basis, and will remain so until they have earned a C average in at least twenty-four credit hours.

The College does not specify an exact list of units that must be earned in the applicant’s high school program. We advise that the student take as many solid, academic units as possible, including English (four years), history, social studies, science, mathematics (two or more years), and a foreign language (if possible). The high school counselor can advise the student concerning available college preparatory courses. Students are advised to develop computer literacy before college enrollment.

Pre-college Tests–Applicants must take the ACT, SAT, or CLT. High school students must take the test(s) before admission to the College. Students receiving grades below the 50th percentile should consider retaking such tests to increase the composite grade. Information concerning the time and place these tests are administered can be obtained from high school counselors or by writing American College Testing Program, P.O. Box 414, Iowa City, Iowa 52243-0414. Applicants who do not take the ACT, SAT, or CLT before admission or who transfer 12 hours or less must come to campus early to take the ACT at their own expense during New Student Orientation.

While standardized scores are not used as a basis for admission or rejection, they are used to determine whether students are ready for college-level mathematics. Those with scores lower than 18/36 on the ACT (SAT: 960:1600; CLT: 61/120) will be admitted with some restrictions, such as taking a math lab. For students who take only the CLT, some degrees, such as those in the sciences or teacher education, may require additional testing.

Immunization Record–As required by the Tennessee State Health Department, each applicant must provide an immunization record signed by a physician or certified health professional before admission is complete. Students will not be permitted to stay in the dormitory unless they are already on the recommended track for completion of all inoculations as required for completion of the health form.

Application Procedure

Freshman (First-time college student) Steps required for admission: (1) Complete the Application for Admission. As part of the completed applica tion, the student must submit a personal testimony of faith in Christ and state their desire to attend Welch College. This should be in essay form, and attention should be given to proper English composition. (2) Submit the names and contact information of two non-family personal refer ences and a pastoral reference (pastor, youth pastor, or spiritual mentor). (3) Submit a $35 application fee. Contact the office of Enrollment Services for details. (4) Submit a transcript of high school credits. Students applying during their senior year may submit credits completed through their junior year. (5) Submit your ACT (institutional code: 3961), SAT (institutional code: 1232), or CLT test score to the College.

If acceptance is granted, the following additional items must be submitted: (1) final transcript (high school or college), (2) health record, (3) immunization record, (4) medical authorization form, and (5) Student Consent to Release Academic Information Form (FERPA). All records must be filed with Enrollment Services and approved before a student can enroll.

Homeschool Students Admission for homeschooler requires the same documentation as any other Welch freshman applicant. In lieu of a high school transcript, a homeschooling record or transcript is required. Welch recognizes homeschool transcripts under appropriate authorization. Umbrella school and correspondence school transcripts are also accepted.

Transfer Students Welch College also accepts applications for admissions from transfer students, defined as high school graduates with more than 12 transferrable semester hours, who have attended other accredited institutions. Transfer students must complete steps 1-5, unless they are transferring 20 hours or more, in which case they must complete only steps 1-4, and request that colleges attended previously send official transcripts of academic work directly to Welch.

Graduate Students See Welch College Graduate School Catalog for applications requirements and procedures.

Transfer Credit

Transfer credit for courses taken in residence at another college may be granted, providing the student remains in good standing at that college and subject to the following limitations. Generally, courses approved for transfer carry letter grades and contribute to the student’s Welch grade-point average (g.p.a.). In the event that the transferring college utilizes a quality point system differing from Welch's, all quality points awarded will be converted to the Welch system. (1) Courses must be essentially equal in content and level to Welch courses. (2) Courses must meet Welch-defined program requirements or electives. (3) Courses must have received a final grade of C or better. (4) Courses from an unaccredited college must be validated by examination; or satisfactory, probationary residence, which means the completion of the student’s first 24 attempted hours at Welch with at least a 2.00 g.p.a. In gen eral, no more than 24 hours credit is transferrable. Upon written appeal, the Registrar, chair of the major (and minor) department, and the Provost may award additional credit. Courses from unaccredited, nonresidential programs will not be recognized. (5) A group of courses in a single field, acceptable to Welch, may be recognized as a minor for a degree with a major in Biblical Studies. (6) Once the student has enrolled at Welch, no courses toward Welch degree requirements can be taken elsewhere without prior approval by the depart ment chair or program coordinator overseeing the student’s program, exp ressed in writing to the Registrar. Contact the Registrar’s Office for the app- ropriate forms. (Students who take a course without approval risk not hav ing that course approved for transfer credit.) (7) No more than 12 of the final 60 hours of a baccalaureate, or 6 of the final 30 hours of an associates, degree program can be earned through transfer. Any portion of those 12, or 6, hours approved to be taken after the student’s fin al semester in residence must be completed within 24 months for the degree to be awarded on that basis. (8) Students may transfer courses for credit to Welch to substitute for courses already taken at Welch in which the student made a D or F. However, to eli minate the D or F course from g.p.a. computation, the same course must be repeated at Welch.

International Students

International students who wish to enter Welch College must file their applications and complete certified copies of official transcripts, certificates, diplomas, and degrees translated to English well in advance of the semester for which they seek admission. All regular admission requirements must be completed before final acceptance will be granted, including evidence of financial resources sufficient enough to pay expenses while the student is at the College. The College's Certification of Financial Support must be on file at the time that the I-20 is issued. International students will have the

same financial policy applied to them as any other student. In addition, an advance deposit of $1,000 USD is held in escrow for the total period of enrollment. The deposit must be received prior to the issuance of the letter of acceptance. At the time of enrollment, the student must present an I-94, a visa, and a passport.

Students for whom English is not the first language must take the TOEFL or provide appropriate documentation of competency from a recognized college or university or other reputable agency, and attain a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based assessment, and a minimum score of 82 on the Internet-based assessment (with at least these individual scores: Writing – 22; Speaking – 22; Reading – 21; and Listening – 17).

All applicants whose academic records are from schools, colleges, and universities located outside the United Sates must provide a course-by-course report, as well as appropriate accrediting recognition of the college or university that issues the document. Based on recommendations from approval groups and the American Association of College Registrars and Academic offices, we do not engage in initial analysis of international transcripts.

Original transcripts from international colleges and universities are generally forwarded to a recognized agency engaged in transcript analysis. These agencies usually require a contract fee in advance. The student is responsible for contacting the group he or she chooses to review the transcript and to furnish any information the agency may require.

To be deemed official, a report should be sent directly to the Welch Registrar from the evaluating agency. Under no circumstances should the student hand-deliver these, as this would compromise the integrity of the document.

Failure to complete admission requirements or unresolved issues with the Business Office or Financial Aid may result in suspension of a student’s privileges.

Re-Enrollment

Any student who has not been enrolled in residential courses for one semester or more is classified as a re-enrollee. Students who intend to re-enroll at Welch College follow a different procedure than do students who are continuously enrolled. Students will not be officially re-enrolled at the College, until the following have been observed. (1) Complete the Application for Readmission, along with a $15 application fee. The Admissions Committee must approve all readmission applications. (2) A re-admit applicant who has attended other institutions since leaving Welch must have an official academic transcript forward from each institution. Enrollment Services must receive these documents at least ninety days before the semester begins. No readmission will be processed for a student during a term of academic suspension since leaving Welch or any other school. (3) Re-enrollees wishing to return after a suspension, whether academic or dis ciplinary, must also meet (a) completely observe all terms of the suspension; and (b) submit for approval a written plan for improvement either to the e egistrar, in the event of academic suspension; or to the Student Dean, in the event of disciplinary suspension. Additionally, coursework taken during te ms of suspension will not be transferred to Welch. (4) Re-enrollees may be required to meet any changes in the program or curri culum under which they were originally enrolled (re-enrolless should con sult the Catalog requirements under which they re-enroll).

Dual Enrollment Students

Superior high school students may be admitted for regular college work. To do so, minimum requirements must be fulfilled. Dual enrollment (DE) students may enroll in selected courses at Welch College either on or off of campus. Requirements include the following: (1) Students who apply for off-campus courses must complete Welch College's DE application, and be approved for course admission by the Registrar. Students who apply for on-campus courses must complete steps 1-5 for freshman appl icants, and be approved by the Admissions Committee. (2) Be at least 15 years of age or classified as a junior or senior in a secondary school. (3) Possess a grade-point average (g.p.a.) of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 scale. (4) Be students who have a reasonable expectation for successfully completing the course(s). (5) Submit at least one recommendation from a Christian leader and a written testimony of personal salvation. (6) May not accrue more than 12 semester hours of credit in this manner and before receipt of an official high school diploma or its equivalent. (7) Submit a recommendation from either a high school teacher, principal, or equivalent supervisor. (8) All such students will be expected to fulfill all regular course requirements for those courses designated for credit. (9) Dual enrollment students may only enroll in courses designated by the Provost.

Welch is regionally and nationally accredited. It cannot guarantee that credits earned by taking early admission courses will automatically transfer to any other institution. Each college/university reserves the right to determine transfer credit.

Residency Requirements

The following requirements apply to all programs of study. Residence means courses taken for credit at Welch College. (1) Two-thirds of any major must be completed in residence. (2) No more than 12 of the final 60 hours of a baccalaureate degree program may be taken other than in residence. (Equivalency to this standard is required for all associate degrees.) (3) The application of non-residency courses to a student's degree requirements is subject to his or her program coordinator, subject to the Registrar’s appro val. (4) When a student’s residence at Welch has been interrupted for 12 months, the department faculty administering the student’s program must determine what program requirements must be met, subject to review by the Registrar.

Credit-By-Examination

Welch College does not give examinations of its own design as a basis for awarding credit. It does recognize generally accepted, standardized examinations designed for this purpose as follows. Credits recognized by these methods do not carry letter grades and are not included in the student’s grade-point average.