Categories of Students
1. Degree-seeking students
A student who has been admitted to a mater’s or doctoral program at Western Seminary. Specific admission requirements for each program are outlined in the Academic Programs section of this catalog.
2. Certificate students
A student who has been admitted to a certificate or diploma program at Western Seminary. Specific admission requirements for each are outlined in the Academic Programs section of this catalog.
3. Non-degree students
Non-degree students are allowed to take up to twelve credits. In general, non-degree students are completing classes that are needed as prerequisites for programs at Western Seminary or other schools. Applicants must apply and meet the general admissions requirements for Western Seminary.
4. Audit students
Audit students participate in class without getting credit for the class. Audit students are not required to do homework or complete any exams. Courses that are audited may not be converted to credit at a later date or applied to a degree or certificate program.
5. Visiting students
Students from other ATS accredited seminaries may wish to take a class at Western for credit at their institution. Students may apply to be visiting students, and thus be able to take one class at Western Seminary with the intention of transferring those credits to their institution. The transfer of credits is dependent on the non-Western student’s institution accepting the credits; it is not incumbent on Western Seminary to ensure the credits will transfer. The Visiting Student process, listed below, removes the reference and transcript requirements for students, and allows students to apply without having to answer all of the short answer questions.
For students at other ATS schools to take a class as visiting students they must provide the following:
- They must fill out specific sections of the application: biographical information, church information, and personal information. They must also answer the first application question: Discuss your personal spiritual life, including details of your conversion and your assessment of your present spiritual condition. The applicant may write “visiting student” in all other short answers. We do not need references from the applicants for visiting student status. In order to submit the application, the prospective visiting student must fill out the recommendation boxes with the name “visiting student.” They will also have to input a unique email address in each recommendation, and then mark “no” on the “Send via email” dropdown.
- Prospective visiting students must affirm that they agree without mental or spiritual reservation with Western Seminary’s Statement of Faith and agree to Western Seminary’s Standards of Character and Conduct (this happens when they submit their application).
Western Seminary will need an official letter from their school (on school letterhead) stating the following:
- That they are a student in good standing.
- That the school has copies of the student’s undergraduate transcripts.
- Students who apply through this process will be considered Visiting students and will be able to take one class from Western Seminary. If a visiting student decides they wish to take additional classes, they must apply to a program or as a non-degree student.
- Transfer eligibility is dependent on the visiting student’s primary institution and must be approved by them. Western Seminary is not responsible for ensuring the credit will transfer to the visiting student’s primary institution.