A, B, C, and D are passing grades; F is a failing grade. The general standing for the year of every regular student is ascertained by the use of a grade point system. Grade points are assigned to grades as noted on the chart below. A student’s general standing is the result of the total number of grade points earned, divided by the total number of semester hours taken.

The faculty has adopted a four-point grading system with 12 levels as follows:

Points

• A 4.0
• A- 3.67
• B+ 3.33
• B 3.0
• B- 2.67
• C+ 2.33
• C 2.0
• C- 1.67
• D+ 1.33
• D 1.0
• D- .67
• F 0

In addition to the student meeting due dates and using correct English, the following table will serve as general criteria for grade levels for the M.Div., M.A.R., and M.A. programs. Final grades for each course are awarded at the discretion of the member of faculty responsible for that course.

Grade / Description

A

An outstanding and thoughtful piece of work which shows evidence of reading and research beyond that which was assigned. The student has shown mastery of the subject and offers new insights which are well-supported by cogent and profound arguments.

B

A standard, good piece of work which fulfills the assignment and shows a good grasp of the basic principles. There is substantial evidence of ability to analyze and utilize course content.

C

This work is satisfactory but is lacking in a significant area and does not show a grasp of some basic principles.

D

There are serious problems with this work, though it is still passable. It represents a poor performance in comprehending the course content and only meets the minimal standard of the professor.

F

This work is unacceptable and fails to meet the requirements of the assignment.

The grade for a course in which the work is reported as Incomplete must become a final grade within three months from the close of the semester or term in which the work should have been completed. It is then included in the grade point average. Incompletes that are not completed within 3 months are converted to an F grade.

When a student fails a course, the F is recorded and becomes a part of the semester and the cumulative grade point averages. If the course is a required course, the student must repeat the course and obtain a passing grade. The higher grade will then replace the F in the calculation of the cumulative grade point average.

Students whose cumulative academic average at the completion of 24 semester hours in the M.Div., M.A.R., or M.A. program is 1.75 or lower are not permitted to continue in the institution. However, if the faculty considers it probable that, in the future, the student will be able to make satisfactory progress, it may readmit him or her to the institution, upon petition, and grant whatever credit for work completed it deems appropriate. To be eligible to graduate, students in these programs must have a cumulative academic average of 1.80 or higher. Requests for a transcript should be in writing from the student to the Registrar’s Office, accompanied by the appropriate fee. Transcript Request Forms are available from the receptionist or on the Redeemer website (www.redeemerseminary.org). Altering a record is an act of fraud.

The following provisions describe academic probation for the M.Div., M.A.R., M.A., and Certificate programs:

1. A student with a GPA of 1.75 or lower, after completion of his or her first semester (including at least two courses taken and with less than 24 hours completed), will be on academic probation. A student placed on probation must raise his or her GPA by the semester that he or she meets or exceeds 24 hours of course work in an official program or be withdrawn from his or her program.
2. A student whose cumulative GPA is between 1.76 and 1.80 after the completion of 24 credit hours will be on academic probation. The student is required to raise his or her GPA to 1.80 or above to be approved to graduate.
3. A student on academic probation will be required to meet with the Dean of Students before the beginning of the following semester or withdrawal will result.
4. A student on academic probation will be required to take a reduced course load.

A limited number of auditors are permitted in most courses. Persons desiring to audit are required to secure the permission of the Registrar, complete the necessary registration, and pay a non-refundable fee for each course audited. Class attendance is subject to the approval of the instructor.

Persons desiring to audit an unlimited number of classes for a week are required to secure the permission of the Registrar, complete the necessary registration, and pay a non-refundable fee. This special fee does not apply to modular, short-term (less than one-month) courses.

Full-time students and their spouses, full-time members of the faculty and staff and their spouses and children, and part-time employees may audit courses without charge. All others pay one-half the tuition rate they would be charged to take a course for credit. Students who have previously earned a Redeemer degree pay one-fourth the tuition they would be charged to take a course for credit. If the course is at or below the level of the degree they received from Redeemer, there is no charge to audit. An M.A. degree is considered as a lower degree than the M.Div. and M.A.R. degrees. A Certificate is not considered a degree program. The spouses of full-time students are permitted to audit only up to the number of credit hours for which the spouse is currently enrolled. Persons desiring to audit should complete the necessary registration forms with the Registrar’s Office.

Auditing privileges include regular class attendance, copies of all printed material distributed to the class, the opportunity to ask occasional questions in class, and full library privileges. Normally, auditors will not be permitted to participate in classroom exercises or recitations or to make seminar presentations, nor will assignments or examinations be reviewed or graded by the instructor.

Occasional visitors must seek permission of the instructor for each class they wish to attend and will not have the privilege of participation in class discussion.

The Church Leader Audit offers an opportunity for people in positions of church leadership to audit courses. Redeemer offers one free course audit per semester for those in official ministry positions in the church. This is available for four people per church per semester. An Application Form from the auditor and a Letter of Recommendation from the sending church is required. Eligible courses are from the M.A., M.A.R. and M.Div. degree programs of study only. All language classes are excluded for audit. Please be sure to apply as early as possible so classes may be planned for space availability; some courses may be closed due to high enrollment. Email the registrar at registrar@redeemerseminary.org for further information and application forms.

Final examinations are given during an announced period at the conclusion of each academic term. In all M.Div., M.A.R., and M.A. courses in which theses, reports on assigned readings, or other special assignments are required, either in place of or in addition to a final examination, these theses and reports must be handed in on or before the date set by the professor in charge, which date shall not be later than the last day of classes for the term.

Any student who requests to take a final examination at a time different from the published schedule, but within the examination period, must complete a request form ten days prior to the beginning of the examination period. Request forms are available from the Machen receptionist and require the approval of both the professor and the Dean of Students. The Academic Affairs Office will process the requests. The student must take the examination at the time approved; the time limit stated on the examination paper must be observed.

An Incomplete must be requested for an examination to be taken after the end of the examination period.

Incomplete Requests (Extension for Completion of Course Requirements)

If extenuating circumstances (unusual and unavoidable circumstances which hinder completion of assigned work) prohibit the student from completing a course on time, a grade of Incomplete may be given. To receive a grade of Incomplete, a student must 1) obtain an Incomplete form from the Registrar’s Office, 2) secure written approval on the form from the professor, and 3) return the form to the Registrar who will seek the appropriate faculty committee approval. Petition for the Incomplete must be made by November 30 for the fall semester and by April 30 for the spring semester. At the professor’s discretion the grade will or will not be reduced. If approval is granted, the work must be completed within four weeks from the close of examinations; otherwise a grade of Inc/F will be received. No Incompletes will be granted for graduating students for classes taken in the spring semester of their last year.

Any student who encounters unusual career or family circumstances that cause interruption in participation in his or her program may write to request one leave of absence, for a period up to three years. The letter should specify the reasons for the request and the amount of extra time desired. This letter should reach the Registrar two months before the student’s next registration. If the leave of absence is approved, the student does not pay fees or use faculty, staff, or Redeemer facilities during the leave.

A student who is a member of a military reserve unit and whose studies are interrupted by a call to active duty must inform the Registrar of his or her call to active duty and the duration of the call. The student shall then be granted a leave of absence from his or her academic program. A student who returns to his or her academic program within one year of his or her release from active duty shall be reinstated and allowed to repeat, without charge, those courses in which he or she was enrolled when called to active duty, provided he or she enrolls in those courses the first time the courses are offered after his or her return. A student who fails to return within one year of his or her release from active duty shall be administratively withdrawn

The student will notify the Registrar of any change of address while on leave and will confirm by letter to the Registrar, one month before the expiration date of the leave, that he or she will resume the program.

Once a student has registered for a semester or term, if he or she wants to add or drop a course(s), he or she should complete and file an Add/Drop form with the Registrar’s Office. There is a charge per course. The Last Day to Add and the Last Day to Drop are listed in the Academic Calendar.

Students who drop a course(s) after the last day to add will be assigned a W (Withdrawn from course) grade on their transcript record.

Students who drop a course(s) after the last day to drop will be assigned an F grade for the course(s).

If a student drops all of his or her courses for any semester, he or she will be withdrawn from the Seminary. Exceptions will apply if approved by the Registrar’s Office. A student may apply for reinstatement if he or she desires to return to the Seminary at a later time.

Refunds for dropped courses (or withdrawal from the Seminary) on or after the first day of the semester will result in a partial tuition refund to the student. The refund amount will correspond to the percentage of the enrollment period that remains in the semester or term in which the course(s) is being dropped.

Certain courses have prerequisites that are required to be completed in order for a student to register for those courses. Other courses require that the prerequisites be taken concurrently. All prerequisites are listed in the Course Description section under the individual courses. With compelling reason, students may request a waiver of these prerequisites. All requests must be approved by the faculty member who teaches the course. Forms are available through the Registrar’s Office. Waiver approvals should be acquired prior to a student’s registration.

A student planning to withdraw from the Seminary, whether during the academic term or at its close, should report that fact to the Registrar in writing. A student is withdrawn if he or she does not enroll in any semester of the academic year or if he or she drops all of his or her classes during the progress of any semester. A student will be withdrawn administratively if he or she has a grade point average too low to continue, has a bill outstanding, or has violated the honor system.

A student who withdraws from the Seminary following the final date to drop a course (see the Academic Calendar), will receive a grade of F for each course not completed.

Should such a student desire to return to the Seminary, he or she should submit a written request to the Registrar, stating desired date of entrance and program and enclosing the fee. If a student has been withdrawn for longer than four years, has not been in a degree program, or wishes to change to a program other than the one of his or her previous enrollment, he or she should send a new application form and fee to the Director of Admissions.

A student readmitted will be subject to all program requirements, as well as all financial and academic policies current at the time of return, and will pay the same tuition as new students entering that program at the same time.

Redeemer accords to all students all the rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) as amended. The policy is available in the Registrar’s Office, and is summarized below. In addition, announcements concerning this are distributed to students at each registration.

General information, which the Seminary may give out at its discretion, includes the student’s name, spouse’s name, address, telephone number, program and year of study, dates of attendance, degree(s) awarded, most recent school attended, citizenship, and church affiliation. If a student wishes any of this information withheld, he or she may write to the Registrar within two weeks after the first day of classes for the fall or spring semester and the request will be honored during the academic year in which the letter was received. A student may authorize release of certain additional information by writing to the Registrar.

Other information from the student’s educational record is confidential and available only for appropriate use by faculty, administrative officers, and personnel in the offices of the Registrar, Director of Admissions, and Dean of Students, as well as by persons from accrediting agencies, persons with a judicial order, and persons requesting information in an emergency to protect the health or safety of students or others. Under FERPA, these persons are permitted access to particular information as needed.

By writing a request to the Registrar, a student may review his or her record to the extent provided by FERPA. Redeemer is not required to permit students to inspect confidential letters and recommendations received prior to January 1, 1975. If a student has signed a waiver, information from a recommendation is not available to him or her. Application materials, once submitted, become the property of Redeemer. Under no circumstances will a student be permitted to copy or have returned to him or her any recommendation.

Transcripts received from other schools will not be returned to a student.