Policies and Procedures

Academic Advising

SCC regards Academic Advising as a critical component of a student’s collegiate experience. Therefore, students are encouraged to meet with their Faculty Advisor at least once per semester. The student is responsible for making the appointment to meet with the Faculty Advisor. If a face to face meeting is not possible, the advising session may take place over the phone during the semester. Students who face academic probation are encouraged to see their advisor more than once per semester.

Academic Mentoring

What happens in the Academic Advising Meeting?
A typical Academic Advising meeting at Somerset Christian College may contain the following elements:
A review of the student’s progress toward a degree.
Guidance toward course selection of the student’s schedule.
Discussion of courses that best support the student’s desired career path.
Addressing issues and roadblocks to the student’s successful degree completion.
Discussion of future plans following graduation.
Appropriate referrals for further assistance as needed.

All meetings with the student’s Faculty Advisor are conducted in a professional manner with confidentiality.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Somerset Christian College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities to ensure that its educational programs and activities do not discriminate or have the effect of discriminating against persons with disabilities in accordance with Federal and State law and College policy. Academic requirements that are justifiably essential to a student’s program of instruction are not considered discriminatory. Students with documented disabilities are entitled to receive reasonable modifications, accommodations, or auxiliary aids which will enable them to participate in and benefit from all educational programs and activities at Somerset Christian College

Prior to receiving this assistance, documentation verifying a student’s disability from a qualified professional source must be submitted to the Registrar's Office, whose disability specialists will determine the nature of accommodations in instruction and testing that will be required by the student.

Delivery Systems

Students enjoy the flexibility of classes meeting once a week at convenient times during the day and evening. Course delivery format varies in length as follows:

Fall and Spring Semester classes meet for 2 ½ hours per session for 15 weeks. Fast Track Session classes meet for 3 ¾ hours per session for 10 weeks during the summer for traditional students and throughout the academic year for LEAD students. Online Classes are delivered asynchronously during the Fall, Spring and Summer sessions. Week-long Intensives - courses are offered in a one-week intensive format, whereby a student can attend a full three-credit course in just one week of class time. Pre and post course work will also be a part of the course requirements. Accelerated Courses - available only to LEAD students in a four-hour, five-week cohort system. SCC Issued Student E-mail Addresses E-mail is an official means for communication within SCC. Therefore, SCC has the right to send communications to students via e-mail and the right to expect that those communications will be received and read in a timely fashion.

Assignment of student e-mail addresses

The Media and Technology Department (MTD) will assign all students an official SCC e-mail address. It is to this official address that SCC will send e-mail communications; this official address will be the address listed in SCC's student database for that student.

Redirecting of e-mail

A student may have e-mail electronically redirected to another e-mail address. If a student wishes to have e-mail redirected from his or her official address to another e-mail address (e.g., @aol.com, @hotmail.com, or an address on a departmental server), they may do so, but at his or her own risk. SCC will not be responsible for the handling of e-mail by outside vendors or by departmental servers. Having e-mail redirected does not absolve a student from the responsibilities associated with communication sent to his or her official e-mail address.

Expectations regarding student use of e-mail

Students are expected to check their official e-mail address on a frequent and consistent basis in order to stay current with SCC communications. The campus recommends checking e-mail once a week at a minimum and preferably more frequently in recognition that certain communications may be time-critical.

Educational uses of e-mail

Faculty may determine how e-mail will be used in their classes. It is highly recommended that if faculty have e-mail requirements and expectations they specify these requirements in their course syllabus. Faculty may expect that students' official e-mail addresses are being accessed, and faculty may use e-mail for their courses accordingly.

Appropriate use of student e-mail

In general, e-mail is not appropriate for transmitting sensitive or confidential information unless its use for such purposes is matched by an appropriate level of security.
Confidentiality regarding student records is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). All use of e-mail, including use for sensitive or confidential information, will be consistent with FERPA.
E-mail shall not be the sole method for notification of any legal action.

Procedures

The Coordinator of Media and Technology, along with other appropriate officials within Pillar of Fire International, will review this policy as needed. Changes will be authorized by the approval of the Coordinator of Media and Technology and the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Students with questions or comments about this policy should contact the Coordinator of Media and Technology.

Expectations regarding Online Courses

Students who sign up for an online course are expected to have the technology and skill-set to succeed in an online learning environment. While technical glitches may happen from time to time, technical problems and lack of computer skill are not valid excuses for missed or poorly completed work. Do not wait until the last minute to complete your work – if your work is turned in late due to a technical problem, your work will still be considered late.

In addition, the professor of an online course is only responsible for teaching course material. Professors are not responsible for helping students understand how to use computers or perform online tasks.

Somerset Christian College now provides computer/technology tutoring. Students who need assistance should contact the technology tutor or the IRC. (Call the front desk for details.) Online courses may prove to be an invaluable learning experience for students by immersing students in the online world. Keep in mind, however, that students, not professors, are responsible for this learning and for the successful achievement of these skills.

System Requirements for Online Courses:

Some online courses will depend on multimedia to a much greater degree than the online components of traditional courses. Students who do not have this equipment may use the Media Center at Somerset Christian College (room 206). In cases of temporary technical problems, students may also try a local library, work computer, or internet café. Students of online courses are, therefore, expected to meet the following system requirements:

High-speed Internet Connection (Cable/DSL or better)
Although it may be possible to complete some courses with only a dial-up connection, students in most classes will have a difficult time downloading multimedia and large files without a high-speed connection.
Software:

Internet Explorer or Firefox (other browsers may work but are not recommended).
Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Audio/Video player (Windows Media Player, Quicktime, iTunes, and Real Audio are the most common options).
Flash Viewer.
Microsoft PowerPoint or PowerPoint Viewer.
Microsoft Word or compatible word processor. (Students must not turn in assignments using Microsoft Works format, as these documents cannot be opened in Word. OpenOffice is an acceptable free solution.)
Email client (such as Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Mail or at least access to sccstudent.com webmail) configured to send and receive using your sccstudent email account.

Hardware:

Macintosh or PC capable of using the above software.
PC must be running either Windows XP or Vista.
Macintosh must be running OS X version 10.3 or higher.

Registration

Registration begins once the course schedule is published and concludes on the last Add/Drop Day of that semester. Returning students are expected to register early to avoid course closures. Students who wish to make a change to their registration before classes begin should contact the Registrar’s Office.

Student wishing to add or drop a course past the Add/Drop date must complete an academic petition/change form located in the Registrar’s Office. Refer to the financial information section of the catalog for refund schedules.

Attendance

SCC expects student attendance in all classes believing it provides the best and most effective educational experience for all. While unforeseeable circumstances (such as severe illness or a death in the family) may cause a student to miss a class on occasion, it is expected that students will not miss more than one block session per semester. A block session constitutes one class meeting (2 ½, 3 ¾ or 4 hour session) per week. Any penalties associated with absences, lateness, and class participation will be clearly indicated in each course syllabus.

Regardless of situation, all absences are recorded on the Campus Portal. Students may appeal any penalty imposed for absences by submitting an academic petition to the instructor and/or to the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College.

Withdrawal

Occasionally, a student may find it necessary to withdraw from classes for extenuating reasons. A student who wishes to drop a course after the second week of classes and before mid-term must secure and complete the Academic Petition/Change form located in the Registrar's office.

Students who withdraw from a course between the second week of classes and mid-term receive a grade of "W" (withdraw). Students who drop a course after mid-term will receive a grade of "WP" (withdraw passing) or "WF" (withdraw failing). Students are not permitted to withdraw from a course past the withdrawal deadline.

No credit or quality points will be assigned. Students who fail to notify the Registrar of their intentions to withdraw will receive a grade of "F" for the course. See Financial Information section for refund policy.

Automatic Drop Students who fail to show up for classes or contact SCC regarding initial absences within the first two weeks of the semester and make no attempt to contact the College, will be automatically dropped from all coursework.

Leave of Absence

Students who have circumstances that require them to be absent from SCC for up to-2 semesters may file for a leave of absence. This will allow the student to return to SCC under his or her original degree requirements. Students who do not return to SCC for the following semester specified are considered to have left the college and must apply for readmission under degree requirements in effect at the time of their reentry.

To qualify for a leave of absence, a student must be in good academic standing and have successfully completed at least 24 cumulative credits prior to taking leave. A student who wishes to apply for a leave of absence should obtain the Academic Petition/Change form from the Registrar's office.

A Leave of Absence is granted only once during the student’s entire academic program at SCC and will not be extended or approved retroactively. In the event of a qualified documented medical leave of absence, tuition will be prorated based on the amount of the semester the student completed before their withdrawal. Any other type of leave of absence does not release a student from full financial obligations to SCC.

Rejoining Student

SCC Students in a Leave of Absence status (having not enrolled for one or two consecutive semesters) who wish to reenroll must complete a Returning Student form which can be obtained from the Registrar’s Office. Official academic transcript(s) of all college work completed during the interim may be requested. All financial obligations and academic requirements must be met for reenrollment.

Credit Load

A minimum full-time course load is 12 credits per semester. Conditionally, students on academic probation are limited to 9 credits per semester. To take more than 18 credits in a semester, approval is needed from the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College.

Classification of Students

Freshmen	0-29 credits
Sophomore	30-59 credits
Junior	60-89 credits
Senior	90 or more credits

Grading

The grading scale is listed below with the respective grade point values. The unit of credit is defined per semester as one 2½ hour session per week for 15 weeks, one 3¾ hour session per week for 10 weeks, one 4-hour session per week in an accelerated format, or the equivalent. Academic standing is defined as the ratio of total grade point values to the total semester hour credits. The 4.0 point system is used to compute the grade point standing. The grading system is as follows:

Grade Points

Percentage	Letter	GPA
95-100	A	4.0
90-94	A-	3.7
87-89	B+	3.3
83-86	B	3.0
80-82	B-	2.7
77-79	C+	2.3
73-76	C	2.0
70-72	C-	1.7
67-69	D+	1.3
63-66	D	1.0
60-62	D-	0.7
0-59	F	0.0

The following grades are not counted in the calculation of the GPA (grade point average):

AU	Audit
CDC	Credit by Demonstrated Competency
TC	Transfer Credit
W	Withdrawn
WP	Withdrawn Passing
WF	Withdrawn Failing

To remain in good academic standing, a student must maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. Transfer credit hours are not counted in calculating academic standing. To graduate, a student must complete at least 60 hours of academic credit for the ABS and 120 hours of academic credit with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 on all credits attempted at Somerset Christian College.

Incomplete Grade

The Incomplete Grade “I” option will not be listed as a choice for instructors on the course syllabus. The student assumes the responsibility for requesting an incomplete grade.

If the student has not officially requested and received approval for an incomplete grade before the deadline (the last day of final exams for the semester), the instructor enters a final grade for the work completed up to the point of the grading deadline for the semester. If the instructor does not enter a grade, the Registrar’s Office will assign an “F” grade. The student applies for an incomplete by submitting an Incomplete Request Form to the instructor. The instructor will inform the student as to whether the request has been approved or not approved and will then submit the Incomplete Request Form with his/her signature to the Registrar’s Office to be filed in student’s records.

The length of an Incomplete Grade “I” will be no later than six weeks from the last day of final exams for the semester. An extension beyond the six weeks must be filed by the student by Academic Petition. If the work has not been completed and submitted to the instructor by the six-week deadline, the instructor will submit a final grade to the Registrar’s Office based on the work completed. An Incomplete Grade “I” makes the student ineligible for the Dean’s List.

Grade Reports and Adjustments

The Somerset Christian College Registrar reports grades directly to students. In the event of a misunderstanding or error, the student should consult with the Registrar's Office immediately. Grade adjustments may be made within six weeks of the last day of classes.

Course Distinctions

Courses numbered 299 and below are generally considered lower-level courses, primarily for freshmen and sophomores. Courses numbered 300 and above are considered upper level courses. Somerset Christian College reserves the right to withdraw any course for which there is not sufficient demand and to adjust academic offerings without notice.

Independent Study

Independent Study is a regular course taken by special arrangements under the supervision of an instructor. A student enrolled as a degree candidate may apply for the Independent Study. Academic Petition/Change forms are available from the Registrar’s Office. Independent Study must be approved by the supervising instructor, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, and Registrar prior to registration.

The following apply to Independent Study registration:

Students may earn a maximum of 6 hours through Independent Study.
Students must have at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA and at least 30 earned credit hours (second year status).
Independent Study courses must be completed within one semester. Extensions must be requested and approved in the same manner established for classroom based courses (see College policy on incompletes).
The regular grading scale applies to courses completed by Independent Study.
The following conditions must be met for independent study requested in a Fall or Spring semester:
The course is required for the student’s degree program.
The student has an unavoidable scheduling conflict.
The course will not be offered again before the student’s scheduled graduation date.

Auditing Courses

Any person enrolled as an auditor has two weeks from the first day of class for the traditional track and one week for the fast track to declare the intention to convert to credit and pay the adjusted tuition rate. Such a decision is considered final. Also, a person enrolled for credit may convert to audit only within the same time period.

Individual course instructors reserve the right to prohibit a class from audit options. It is recommended that students obtain instructor approval prior to admittance.

Returning students desiring to attend courses as auditors may be admitted by permission of the Registrar and payment of the appropriate tuition and fees. Full time students are permitted to audit one class per semester at no additional charge.

Non-matriculated or part-time students are permitted to audit one class per semester upon payment of audit and other fees. No credit is given for auditing a course.

Concurrent Student Courses

High School Juniors and/or Seniors will be allowed to register for 100 level courses at SCC, provided there is no English 101 pre-requisite:

English 101
Any 100 level biology course
Any 100 level mathematics course
Psychology 101
Old Testament Survey
New Testament Survey
Media, Technology & Society
Dynamics of the Christian Life

High School Seniors may be allowed to register for certain 100 - 200 level courses, provided they have outstanding scholastic achievement (as determined by the Registrar) and permission from the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College:

Survey of World Views
World Civilization
Church History
Principles of Public Speaking
Certain biblical and theological electives

Repeat Course

A student may repeat once any course in which a grade of "D" or "F" was received at Somerset Christian College. The course must be repeated at Somerset Christian College. The higher earned grade in any repeated course will count in the computation of the cumulative point standing. Credit hours in repeated courses will count only once.

Academic Probation Policy

A student may be placed on academic probation at any point when a student’s cumulative grade point average for total hours falls below a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. The probationary status permits the student to continue in college while working with the Instructional Resource Center to address deficiencies and take corrective action for improvement. If the standard of satisfactory progress is not met by the end of the semester of probation, the student will be placed on academic suspension. The academic probation will be removed when the student raises his/her cumulative GPA to 2.0 or higher.

Academic Suspension

A student will be dismissed from SCC and placed on academic suspension for a minimum of one semester when his or her cumulative grade point average for total hours attempted falls below 2.0 for more than one semester. The Registrar will issue a Letter of Notification to the student, and a permanent entry will be recorded on the student’s transcript. After one semester of academic suspension, a student may reapply for provisional acceptance and will have to meet standards outlined above for academic probation.

Appeal for Readmission under Academic Suspension

A student may appeal an academic suspension to the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College if there are valid extenuating circumstances that contributed to the poor academic performance. The student must submit a written appeal with supporting documentation for review. A readmitted student must agree to a set of conditions that must be met for continued enrollment. If the student fails to meet one or more of the conditions, a dismissal notice will be issued.

Academic Appeals Procedure

Students who have complaints about grades, class assignments, class materials, class procedures or faculty should follow the procedure outlined below. The process of appeal must be initiated within 30 days of the occurrence of the matter in question. The procedure is as follows:

The student should first speak privately with the professor. Most problems can be solved when both parties have the opportunity to discuss an issue.
If no satisfactory resolution is found after speaking with the faculty member, the student should then see the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College. The Vice President will attempt to bring about a satisfactory resolution of the matter.
If the matter is of sufficient gravity and no satisfactory solution is yet found, the student may appeal in writing to the Academic Vice President & Dean of the College. An Academic Appeals Committee consisting of department heads will review the grievance and recommend steps necessary for resolving the situation.

Academic Evaluation

For degree-seeking students, the Registrar evaluates satisfactory academic progress at the conclusion of the Fall and Spring semester.

Instructional Resource Center

The Instructional Resource Center (IRC) is designed as a support service to assist all students to achieve their full academic potential. The IRC offers a variety of learning opportunities to better meet diverse needs. It also ensures the availability of adequate resources to support quality learning opportunities. Finally, the IRC promotes a "community of learners" approach, where faculty come alongside students in a personal manner to identify needs and suggest appropriate solutions.

Areas of available support include the following: tutorials in writing, grammar, and basic math, life skills learning opportunities in time or money management, research skills in critical reading and documentation of sources, and test taking skills (essay and objective tests).

Final Examinations

Students must take final examinations within the official period designated on the school calendar. Students who for a valid reason wish to apply for a change of examination time during finals week must arrange an alternate time with the instructor prior to finals week.

If the change in time is granted, the student will be required to sit for the exam prior to the rest of the class during finals week. Only in exceptional circumstances (e.g., severe illness under the care of a physician, accident, illness or death in the family) will a student be permitted to take a final exam after finals week.

Credit Transfer Policies

In evaluating course credit for transfer from another institution, the Office of the Registrar follows policies set forth by the Faculty of Somerset Christian College. The Office of the Registrar is responsible for determining how credits transfer to SCC.

For transfer of credit

Course work must be completed at an accredited institution.
SCC must offer a similar course or program of study.
Only courses in which a grade of “C” (2.0) or higher is earned will be considered for transfer. Course work completed on a Pass/Fail or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis typically will not be transferred.
Courses transferred do not affect the SCC average and grades received for those courses do not appear on the SCC transcript.
Courses at SCC carry semester hours of credit. Courses evaluated for transfer from colleges and universities with different credit systems (quarter hours, units) are converted to semester hours of credit.
Course work can transfer either as a specific course (i.e. ENGL 101) or as elective credits in a subject area.

PLEASE NOTE: Evaluations for transfer of credit by the Office of the Registrar are based upon the best available information at the time. Revisions to a course evaluation may be made based on the receipt of new information and no evaluation is officially complete until credits appear on the student’s SCC transcript.

CLEP and Placement Examinations

Placement testing programs that are granted college credit include College Level Examination Program (CLEP) (minimum score of 50) and the Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board (minimum score of 3). In all cases, the subject material must be appropriate to the student's SCC Program. An official report of the scores must be sent directly to the College by the testing organization.

CDC (Credit by Demonstrated Competency

Adult students who enter Somerset Christian College may qualify to earn additional credit through the Credit by Demonstrated Competency (CDC) process.

CDC credit hours can come from a number of different sources including workshops, seminars, self-study, non-credit classes, training programs, and life/work and military experiences. LEAD students are encouraged to make an appointment to meet with the LEAD Office about potential CDC credit that can be applied towards graduation.

Student Records Request

In most cases, the College can provide student records information via telephone provided the student can identify their Student ID number and zip code of residence on file. In other cases, the student should use a Student Records Request form (available at the Registrar's Office) or submit a request in writing to the Registrar.

Official Transcripts

The first transcript issued is free. A fee of $10 is charged for each additional transcript requested. Official transcripts will be issued only after all financial obligations to Somerset Christian College are met. Telephone requests for transcripts will not be honored.
Written transcript requests must include the following:

student's name at time of enrollment
date of birth
social security number
graduation date or last semester attended
present home address
address of where the transcript is to be sent

The letter must be signed with the signature of the individual whose permanent record is involved. This policy is in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Buckley Amendment). Please send requests to:

Registrar
Somerset Christian College
10 College Way
Zarephath, NJ 08890

Or fax, with signature, to: 732-356-4846

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)

Somerset Christian College complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. This act was designed to protect the privacy of educational records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their educational records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings. FERPA affords every student the following rights with respect to his or her education records:

The right to inspect and review the student's education records within a reasonable period of time but in no case longer than 45 days once a student has submitted a request. A student should submit to the registrar, dean, department chairperson, or other appropriate official a written request that identifies the records he or she wishes to inspect. The College official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the College official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

Records exempt

The law exempts from student access some school records under specific conditions, which include:

Records of instructional, supervisory, and administrative personnel and educational personnel ancillary to those persons that are kept in the sole possession of the maker of the record and are not accessible or revealed to any other person except a temporary substitute for the maker of the record.
Records of a law enforcement unit of the College (Office of Campus Safety) created by the unit for a law enforcement purpose and maintained by the unit.
Records on a student who is 18 years old or older that are made or maintained by a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, or other recognized professional or paraprofessional acting in his or her professional capacity or assisting in a paraprofessional capacity and that are used only in connection with treatment of the student and disclosed only to individuals providing the treatment.
Financial information submitted by parents.
Records that contain only information about the student after he or she is no longer a student at the College.
If the education records of a student contain information on more than one student, the parent or eligible student may inspect, review, or be informed of only the specific information about the student.
Confidential letters and statements of recommendation placed in the records after January 1, 1975, to which the student has waived his or her rights to inspect and review and that are related to the student's admission, application for employment or job placement, or receipt of honors.

The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. FERPA permits disclosure without consent to school officials with legitimate interests. A school official is any person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including campus safety personnel and health services staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the board of trustees; or a student serving on an official committee (such as a disciplinary or grievance committee) or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.

FERPA also permits disclosures of personally identifiable information without consent to schools in which a student seeks or intends to enroll; to federal, state, and local authorities in connection with an audit or evaluation of compliance with education programs; in connection with financial aid; to organizations conducting studies for or on behalf of educational institutions; to accrediting organizations; and to comply with a judicial order or subpoena.

Directory Information

In accordance with the act, SCC policy limits disclosure of personally identifiable information from the educational records of students (with the exception of "directory information") to those instances authorized by the act. In accordance with FERPA, Somerset Christian College has designated the following list of student information as public or "directory information": name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, dates of attendance, full- or part-time status, and degrees conferred (including dates). Such information may be disclosed by the College for any purpose unless specifically requested not to do so by the student.

A currently enrolled student may withhold disclosure of directory information under FERPA by completing a request form available from the Office of the Registrar. Such notification is in effect for the full academic year. To continue the withholding of directory information, the student will file a new request each academic year.

The right to request amendment of the student's education record that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading. A student may ask the College to amend any part of his or her record that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading. The student should write to the College official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student upon notification of the right to a hearing.

Disclosure of education record information to parents

Somerset Christian College will disclose information (including grades) from a student's education records to the parents of an eligible student who claim that student as a dependent for income tax purposes unless there is a court order, state statute, or other legally binding document prohibiting such disclosure. If a student claims he or she is not a dependent, the parents will need to submit their most recent federal income tax form to the Office of the Registrar as evidence that the student is a dependent. If a student's status changes, he or she should notify the Office of the Registrar, immediately.

The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Somerset Christian College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The office that administers FERPA is the Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605.

A complete copy of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 is available in the Registrar’s Office. Questions concerning FERPA may be referred to the Office of Enrollment Management. Copies of this policy may be obtained in the Office of The Registrar.

Graduation Requirements

The following requirements must be met prior to Commencement participation:

120 Semester Credits: Bachelor Degree
At least 30 credits preceding graduation must be completed at Somerset Christian College
60 Semester Credits: Associate Degree
At least 15 credits preceding graduation must be completed at Somerset Christian College
A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0
Completion of all program degree requirements
Undergraduate assessment examinations as offered
All financial obligations must be met.

Commencement exercises are held in the spring and winter.

Academic Honors

Dean's List

At the end of each semester, a Dean's List is published which includes all students who have passed a minimum of 9 semester hours with a GPA of 3.50 or higher. A student with fewer than 9 hours of graded work for that semester is ineligible for the Dean's List.

Graduation Honors

Students in the Bachelor of Arts degree program are eligible for graduation honors if they have completed at least 60 credits at Somerset Christian College by the time honors are determined. Associate degree graduates will be eligible based upon completion of 30 credits at Somerset Christian College.

Graduation honors based on cumulative GPA:

Cum Laude (3.50 to 3.74), Magna Cum Laude (3.75 to 3.94), Summa Cum Laude (3.95+)

The honor of valedictorian is awarded to the candidate for graduation having earned the highest cumulative GPA in the BA degree program among his/her graduating class.