General Admission Information
In addition to academic requirements for admission to any program, an applicant’s personal qualifications, references, etc. will be considered in the admission procedure. For a student to be admitted to St. Andrew’s College, the College must be satisfied of their academic, vocational and psychological fitness, and that their financial means are adequate. The College may place a student on probation or, if warranted, may discontinue a student for any of these reasons. In the case of students in the candidacy process for ministry, such actions will be taken only in full consultation with appropriate courts of the church.
Application Fee: $75 (non-refundable)
Application Due Date: Applications are accepted on an on-going basis, but in order to begin studies at the beginning of the academic year in September, the application and all supporting documents must be received by St. Andrew’s College by April 1. If the application and supporting documents arrive after April, there is not a guarantee that the application will be reviewed in time to admit the student for the fall term.
Transcripts: Official transcripts must be sent directly from the institution to St. Andrew’s College. They cannot be copies of the official transcripts.
Withdrawl Penalties and Tuition Refund Policy
Course Withdrawal
Upon deciding to withdraw from a class, students are responsible for the following:
- awareness of the academic and financial consequences of the withdrawal (see below)
- notification of the Registrar
- notification of the course instructor
- notification of the Faculty
Program students must obtain the approval of their Faculty Advisor in order to drop a class. Distance students may e-mail the Registrar to make the necessary contacts. Students should ensure that they keep a copy of the e-mail. Occasional students should contact the Registrar’s Office at St. Andrew’s College directly. Students choosing to withdraw from courses must notify the Registrar before the end dates specified below to be eligible for refunds. If a course is cancelled due to insufficient registration, course payment is refunded in full. This policy also applies for students wishing to withdraw from one course and enrol in a different course.
Intensive courses (week-long): refundable up to the end of the first day of course ($150 withdrawal fee), after this date the transcript will show “Withdraw-Fail”
Learning Circles (10-day): refundable up to the end of the second day (for shorter length courses the time frame will change for the refund) ($150 withdrawal fee), after this date the transcript will show “Withdraw- Fail”
Internet courses and face-to-face courses that take place over a period longer than a week:
- up to the end of the second week of the course – full refund – no W on transcript
- up to the end of the third week of the course – 75% refund – W on transcript
- up to the end of the fifth week of the course – 50% refund – W on transcript
- up to end of the sixth week of the course – 25% refund – W on transcript
- after the sixth week of the course – no refund, Withdraw-Fail on transcript.
Audit courses: Non-refundable after the second week
Switching from credit to audit:
- up to the end of the second week of the course – 50% refund
- up to the end of the sixth week of the course – 25% refund
- after the sixth week – no refund
Note: For PA380 Ministry Practicum there will be no tuition refund for withdrawal.
Intensive Courses/Learning Circles
End of the first day of an intensive course – Deadline to withdraw from course with 100% tuition refund (minus $150 withdrawal fee); after this date the transcript will show “Withdraw-Fail”
End of the second day of a learning circle – Deadline to withdraw with 100% tuition refund (minus $150 withdrawal fee); after this date the transcript will show “Withdraw-Fail”
Late payment
A student will not be permitted to register for a new semester until all fees for the previous semester have been paid. Degrees will not be conferred and transcripts will not be released until all outstanding fees have been paid to the college.
Program Withdrawal
tudent Initiated Withdrawal: To withdraw from a program a student must indicate their intention in writing to their Faculty Advisor.
Automatic Withdrawal: If a student has not paid their annual program fee for two years, a lock will placed on their Populi student account. The registrar will then contact the student directly by registered letter to notify them of the subsequent withdrawal. If a student wishes to stay in their program they must pay the outstanding annual program fee to keep their student status current.
Occasional Students
Some students may want to take courses for credit without registering in a degree program. Such students may register as “occasional students” and take up to a maximum of 12 credit hours of course work. There are three different options to meet the requirement to register as an occasional student. Occasional students must provide evidence that they have successfully completed a minimum of one year of study (ten one-semester courses) at a university level before registering in a St. Andrew’s College course. Such students are encouraged to apply for the Diploma in Theology program. Students are also eligible to register as an occasional student with St. Andrew’s if they are currently in a different program of study at a post-secondary institution or if they complete a ‘skills assessment’ which is evaluated by faculty to determine whether the student is capable of studying at St. Andrew’s College.
Pre-Theological Education
At St. Andrew’s we affirm the guidelines as they appear in Section 721 of The Manual of The United Church of Canada.
In selecting their undergraduate courses, candidates should have in mind the acquiring of knowledge of the world in which we live; that is, the world of people and ideas, the world of nature, and the world of human affairs. This could best be done by including such subjects as English literature, philosophy, history, political science, psychology, sociology, a modern language, a biblical language, and one of the physical sciences.
Students expecting to enter theology would, therefore, be wise not to choose a religious studies major but to major in one of the other recommended areas
Bachelor’s degrees of a vocational nature such as nursing, forestry, or education will be accepted if they contain a reasonable proportion of courses in the subjects recommended. Failing that, each case will be assessed on its merits. Allowance may be made for relevant experience and training and for late career decisions. Students on course at the college whose degrees are deficient in certain of the recommended subjects may be advised to take appropriate university courses if the deficiency proves a serious impediment to their theological studies.
Students admitted with a major in religious studies may be required to substitute university arts courses for those core courses in theology which would duplicate work already done.
Applications from students whose first degree is more than 15 years old and who have not undertaken further academic studies since then will be assessed on their merits. Relevant experience, professional training, and personal circumstances may be taken into account.
Prior Learning Assessment
Students may apply for academic credit for learning which was acquired prior to enroling in St. Andrew’s College. Students in the Master of Divinity program may apply for up to four (4) semester courses (12 credits); they may also apply for an assessment of learning equivalent to internship. Students in the Master of Theological Studies program may apply for up to two (2) semester courses (6 credits). Students in the Bachelor of Theology program are not eligible. Please contact the registrar’s office for a copy of the policy.