Admissions Classifications and Non-Degree Students

1. Regular Student: A student who meets all entrance requirements and is pursuing a certificate or degree program.
2. Probationary Student: A student permitted to enroll who does not meet all the admissions criteria but whom the Admissions Committee identifies as being likely to succeed. Reasons for anticipated success are documented in the student’s file. A probationary student will be given two consecutive semesters to demonstrate academic success. A limited number of probationary students will be permitted to enroll each semester.
3. Visiting Student: A student not pursuing a certificate or degree program, but desiring to be admitted for part-time studies (a maximum of 6 credit hours per semester for two semesters). Visiting students who wish to continue must declare a program upon completing 12 hours.
4. Auditor: A student permitted to enroll in a course without being required to fulfill the normal course requirements in that course when it is taken for credit. No credit is granted. Abbreviated admissions credentials are required of those students who are only auditing courses. Husbands or wives of full-time students are permitted to audit one course free of charge per semester. Other auditors pay a reduced tuition cost for each course. Full-time Regular Students who have a 2.5 GPA or above may audit one course free of charge per semester; however, this course will not appear on the academic transcript.
5. Transfer Students: Students desiring to transfer to VBU from other Bible institutes, colleges, and universities must meet the Christian and academic requirements listed previously. They should also have official transcripts of their college-level work sent directly to the Director of Admissions of GRU. Faxed copies must be followed up by official copies for final acceptance. Transcripts will be evaluated in terms of GRU curriculum, and credit will be allowed whenever possible for equivalent courses taken elsewhere. Work completed with a grade below C (2.0) is not transferable. Students may be asked to provide a catalog from their previous institution for the purpose of credit evaluation.

A non-degree student is someone desiring to take only a limited number of courses for credit, without enrolling in an official degree program. Students wanting to use GRU course credits to transfer to another institution would fall into this category. A non-degree student is coded as Special Student in GRU computer database.

The process for acceptance as a non-degree student is as follows:

1. Submit a completed Special Student Application, along with the application fee, to the Admissions Office.
2. Submit an official letter from your current institution’s Registrar stating that you are a student in good standing and what program of study you are enrolled, or a copy of the transcript of the highest degree earned. If the student is not currently enrolled in another institution, the most recent post-secondary transcript must be submitted.
3. Submit a statement describing your conversion experience, including what a person must do to receive eternal life and when you personally took that step.
4. When all the required documents are received by GRU, the application file will be reviewed. The admission status will be notified by mail. A non-degree student is subject to all current institutional policies, including but not limited to financial, academic, and behavioral requirements.