NCIU's Admission & Course Prerequisites

The minimum entrance requirement is a general high school diploma (GED) or equivalent award recognition and a basic knowledge of the Bible.

NCIU reserves the right to include general education subjects in the nominated degree program, if the faculty determine by the assessment that the student would benefit from some remedial assistance. Students may be required to undertake a general Bible knowledge survey as well as English language and grammar review on admission to the college to assist in their personal development. 

All students must demonstrate a broad general knowledge of the world and common subjects such as history, literature, art, social science, geography, etc.

NCIU reserves the right to require the student to complete a General Equivalency Entrance Examination, if the assessment information reveals major learning inadequacy.

There is no maximum age limit or male/female discrimination regarding enrollment.

All course prerequisites are detailed in each individual degree program outline. As a general rule, however, the applicant should seek to gain the maximum possible RPL credit units through the application process. 

Therefore it is imperative when lodging the application for enrollment that the student supply full documentation and details of prior learning experiences as stipulated.

NCIU will consider all documented Recognized Prior Learning (RPL) in the application of distance-learning, degree program students that has application or relevancy to the degree program being applied for at NCIU. 

RPL is a recognized assessment process that assesses the individual’s informal and non-institutional learning from all sources and the experiences of life. 

This process is to determine the extent to which the individual has achieved measureable learning and competency outcomes or equivalent standards with an NCIU qualification or learning objective. 

RPL is frequently used by many higher learning institutions to determine that the applicant has achieved the necessary standards for admittance to a higher level of learning being offered.

Students can only receive Advanced Standing status by submitting all valid prior learning experiences in accordance with NCIU guidelines as detailed in the full application form. This enables NCIU to complete a full assessment for non-institutional learning.

These may include-

• Practical Ministry and Missions field experience may be considered as equivalent credit hour units for applicants who have completed at least five years of authenticated Christian service as a pastor, missionary, evangelist, social worker, church worker or similar.
• Please note, these equivalency credit hour units cannot exceed 25% of the total credit hour requirements of any degree program as specified in the catalog.
• Contact hours and Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) earned at seminars, short-term training modules and non-institutional courses may also be evaluated with supporting documentary evidence.
•  Self-directed study programs, non-accredited seminars and mentoring programs for personal development can be included in the evaluation.
• Field internships, directed library research programs, term paper and teaching papers, course manuals and supplementary research activity, published manuscripts and texts, etc., may also be evaluated with correct documentary evidence.

Further credit is available via several methods, including general and customized subject-matter tests, tailored directed study courses, and traditional courses.

Transfer of Credit

Automatic semester credit hour transfer approvals of the same or similar concentrations and degree programs are extended to the following organizations, institutions, and credit granting mechanisms:

• ·       Appropriately chartered, nationally accredited college or university

• ·       US Regionally accredited college or university,

• ·       American Council on Education (ACE) approved courses

• ·       AP test results

• ·       CLEP test results

• ·       DANTES test results

**NCIU will accept a maximum of 70 transferable semester credit hour units from community colleges and other 2- year colleges meeting the above specifications and standards, with a maximum limit of 98 transferable semester credit hour units from 4-year colleges and universities.

Articulation Agreements

From time to time, NCIU enters into articulation agreements with other colleges, universities, or course providers.

 These agreements define the terms under which NCIU will accept another provider’s course credit “as if” the course had been completed at NCIU and vice-versa.

 NCI University & Theological Seminary reserves the right to modify or subordinate its admissions policies as needed to accommodate these articulation agreements, and does so only after careful consideration.

Transfer of NCI University & Theological Seminary Credit

Acceptance of credit for transfer is always at the discretion of the receiving institution. With the exception of articulation agreements in place currently or in the future, NCIU makes no guarantee as to the transferability of its credits to any other college or university.

Testing

Learners may complete NCIU degree requirements by successfully taking standardized and customized subject-matter tests.

Standardized Tests

NCI University & Theological Seminary accepts the credit recommendations for subject-matter tests offered by recognized organizations that are acknowledged as professional experts in test development and evaluation for credit. Examples of such organizations include the College Board, the American Council on Education, and their international counterparts.

 Standardized tests for which NCIU accepts credit recommendations include but are not limited to: AP, CLEP, Dante’s, and International Baccalaureate (IB)

 An official notification of result from the sanctioning agency is required to receive NCI University & Theological Seminary replacement credit for a standardized test.

 Every possible effort is made by NCIU to transfer as many semester credit hour units from other institutions as possible to avoid loss of academic credit hours where applicable.

 Credit transfer assesses the initial courses and subjects that the individual is claiming to have completed, whether partial or impartial award programs, and is verifiable by official academic transcript documentation or award authorization. 

 NCIU seeks to consider three important criteria in evaluating all formalized transfer credit learning:

• The educational quality of the sending institution

• The comparability of credit being transferred

• The appropriateness and applicability of the credits in relation to the programs being offered by NCIU

 However, under Florida State statute, NCIU reserves the right of sole discretion in assessment to determine what is transferable from other sources for Advanced Standing status.

 Florida Statutes allow for the following maximum credit transfer allowances to be granted solely at the discretion of NCIU in their assessment, subject to satisfactory verification and evidence of transcripts, challenge examinations and other relevant documents at all levels

• Bachelors Degree —transfer maximum (all sources): 75% limit. The student must earn at least 25% of the Bachelors degree award by course and/or thesis work with NCIU.
  

• Masters Degree —transfer maximum (all sources): 50% limit.  The candidate must earn at least 50% of the Masters Degree award by course and/or thesis work with NCIU.

• Doctoral Degree —transfer maximum (all sources): 25% limit. The candidate must earn at least 75% of the Doctoral award by course and/or thesis work with NCIU.

New Covenant International complies with the standard US semester credit hour system mandated by the Florida Statutes and the FCPC as follows:

One semester credit hour equals fifteen (15) classroom contact periods of fifty (50) minutes duration each, or,

Reading 225 pages of specified text, or,

Any percentage combination of the above methods of study which equal one semester credit hour.

For example: Three (3) semester credits can be earned by any of the following:

• 45 x 50 minute classroom contact periods, or

• Reading 675 pages from specified texts, or

• 30 x 50 minute classroom contact hours and 375 pages of specified reading, or

• Any combination of classroom contact hours, plus reading, plus field or research project, or supervised internship as prescribed which meet the above requirements as agreed by Florida Statute and FCPC.

NB: At graduate level the classroom contact is the same as the undergraduate level above but the specified reading increases to 450 pages per semester credit hour.

Grade PercentileRange GPA Ranking

A+      100 —96%              4.0 Summa cum Laude

A         95 — 92%             3.8 Magna cum Laude

A–       91 — 88%              3.6 Good

B+       87 — 84%              3.4 Good

B         83 — 80%              3.2 Good

B–       79 — 76%              3.0 Average

C+       75 — 72%              2.8 Average

C         71 — 68%              2.6 Average

C–       67 — 64%              2.4 Average

D+       63 — 60%              2.2 Poor

D         59 — 56%              2.0 Failure

I – Incomplete

P – Pass

F – Failure

T - Subject only audited

Certain courses may be graded on a pass/fail basis (e.g. practical fieldwork, etc.).

No GPA (Grade Point Average) value is given for these courses unless stipulated but a “pass” must be earned for credit hours.

An incomplete grade is temporarily given when extreme circumstances prevent completion of a course.

Failure to make up all outstanding assignments within eight weeks will result in automatic “F”.

 No student will be granted graduation and conferment privileges until all educational and contractual, financial obligations are satisfied.

As an institution specializing in distance learning, NCIU does not have fixed dates for either enrollment or for a centralized graduation and conclusion ceremony. However, special arrangements can be made for presentation ceremonies with appropriate academic wear by request, at the student’s cost.

NCIU also arranges graduations, by consultation, on the five continents in conjunction with “sister” colleges and cooperating learning centers, and this affords opportunity for regionally situated graduation services.

The student is requested to dialog with their assigned mentor and the faculty for any special requests, or alterations to stated terms and conditions as specified in the Letter of Assessment & Offer. All such variations must be approved in writing and form part of the student’s document history files.