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Academic Catalog
   
    Jul 07, 2024  
Academic Catalog - Fall 2024 
    
Academic Catalog - Fall 2024

Certificate Admissions Policies


Applicants for Certificate admission are Christians whose academic credentials, reputation of character, and personal goals exhibit a strong likelihood of graduating from Southeastern. Not all applicants who meet the minimum requirements can be accepted. GO Certificate applicants will agree biblical moral standards, as defined by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Administration.

All questions about admission policies or requirements should be directed to the Certificate Services Office, The College at Southeastern, P.O. Box 1889, Wake Forest, NC 27588-1889; phone: (919) 761-2356 or e-mail: cert@sebts.edu.

Apply for an Undergraduate or Graduate Certificate.

Apply for a GO Certificate.

Certificate Admission Procedures

Application for admission is made through the Certificate Services Office. The following items are needed before an application is considered, unless one is applying for the GO Certificates. In that case they will apply online and need no items prior to application being considered. (Note: Original forms are required. Faxed copies will be accepted only in certain situations.)

1.        A completed application form 

a.        A completed Medical Information Form

b.        A completed Immunization History Form (North Carolina State Health Department standards require that a completed immunization record be received by Southeastern)

c.        A completed Southeastern Covenant

2.        Two completed Character Reference Forms 

3.        A non-refundable application fee of $40 (Unless a Biblical Women’s Institute (BWI) student)

4.        A completed Church Recommendation Form and Pastor Reference Form

5.        Spouse’s Personal Statement (if married)

6.        A completed criminal background check (Unless a Biblical Women’s Institute (BWI) student)

In some cases, additional documents may be required. The Admissions Office can provide more details.

Applicants to Southeastern waive all rights to privileged knowledge of the decision-making process leading toward admission. All references and other evaluative documents will be confidential. The decision of the Admissions Committee acting officially on behalf of the faculty is final. However, an applicant who fails to be admitted may reapply with the same application materials for the following term year only if materials have not passed the 1 year expiration policy.

Background Checks

In order to facilitate student admission to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and The College at Southeastern, it is necessary to conduct background checks for all applicants. 

Each applicant must authorize Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and The College at Southeastern to obtain a background check in order to satisfy the admission requirements as set by the institution. The information provided through the background check will be used in making admissions determination by the Admissions Committee of the institution. The only exclusions to the background check will be special exemptions made for Distance Learning students, namely students admitted through a short application for one course off-campus, college applicants under age 18, or certain international applicants. These exemptions are monitored by the Admissions Office, which has the right to administer the exemptions as necessary.

The information to be obtained from the report can also be used by other officers of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and The College at Southeastern if authorized by the student. This would include employment, missions travel, and other services as required by the institution. A separate release form will be needed for the release of information from the student’s applicant file. Further, the requests for release cannot exceed two years from the initial provision of the report. If the period of two years has passed, another report may be required.

Criminal background check
Students must clear a criminal background check before admission. Failure to undergo the background check will result in exclusion from admission consideration. If the background check indicates criminal behavior the student may not be awarded admission to the institution. Students may appeal the decision and will have the opportunity to present information to dispute the background check.

What if there is a conviction on the report?
The student is allowed by law to examine the report and will be allowed to dispute any findings contained in it if they are turned down for admission because of negative information found in the background report. If a conviction was wrongly reported, the student may request that the report be amended to change this mistake. However, the occurrence of such errors is very infrequent. In some cases, one conviction may not be a permanent barrier to admission. Simply being honest about one’s past can potentially answer questions about character that arise based on the report.

Certificate Application Deadlines

Prospective students are invited to submit an application for admission up to one year in advance of anticipated enrollment. Once all of the supplemental documents arrive (references, immunization records, background check, etc.) and an application is completed, it will be sent for review and the prospective student will be notified of his/her admission decision within 30 days.

The application deadline is the first day of classes. No application will be considered past that date. Thus, it is highly encouraged that all applications be submitted and completed no later than one month in advance of anticipated enrollment.  Applications that are submitted or completed within the final 30 days leading up to the semester may still be considered, but we will be unable to guarantee the release of an admissions decision prior to the start of classes.

Students planning to live in campus housing should note that space is limited.  Students can apply for housing once they are approved for admission.  Housing applications are processed by the Housing Office in the order they are received.

Certificate Admission Process

When application materials are complete, they are reviewed by the appropriate staff members. Applications for non-credit certificates (i.e., GO Certificates, BWI Certificates) are reviewed by the Director of Certificate Services, while applications for credit bearing graduate and undergraduate certificates are reviewed by the Admissions Committee.

Provisional Acceptance

Under certain circumstances, applicants may receive a conditional or a restricted admission. Details of any condition or restriction upon enrollment will be provided with the official letter of admission.

International Student Admissions

The admissions procedure for international students requires additional information and processing time due to college policies and the requirements of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

  • Score 77-79: Require Theological English + Academic English Courses
  • Score 80-82: Require one English course (Theological or Academic)
  • Score 83+: No English course required

International applicants are required to complete all the forms and documentation outlined in the International Student Application Packet to insure their financial security while studying at The College at Southeastern. This packet is available from the Admissions Office. This packet must be completed in its entirety with the previously stated application requirements, prior to the application review and issuance of an I-20 form.