Accreditation Requirements
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary generally accepts all credits earned at institutions accredited by applicable accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
- Regional Accrediting agencies:
- Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., Commission on Institutions of Higher Learning (NEASC-CIHE)
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC)
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges, and Universities (WASC-SCUC)
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Community Colleges, and Junior Colleges (WASC-ACCJC)
- Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE)
- Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Search a list of ATS member schools.
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS)
Non-Accredited Institutions: Credits from institutions not accredited by one of the agencies mentioned above will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
SBTS reserves the right to deny transfer credit if the course content is found to be not in keeping with the academic integrity and/or biblical principles of the institution.
Transfer Credit Requirements
Transfer Credit must be:
- from a recognized accreditation agency (see “Accreditation” above)
- appropriate for Southern Seminary’s curriculum and academic content
- grade of a “C-“ or higher
- completed within 10 years of transfer
Transfer Credit Restrictions
Maximum Transfer Hours
Students may transfer up to 3/4 of their credits towards their Bachelor or Associates degree program. 1/4 of the Boyce degree MUST BE completed at Boyce College.
- Bachelor’s degrees maximum transfer ranges from 87-90 hours based on the total credit hours required for the degree. The majority of the degrees are 129 hours with 87 hours being the maximum transfer hours allowed.
- Associate’s degrees maximum transfer is 45 credit hours.
- Certificates do not accept transfer credit. Exceptions may be requested from the program coordinator.
- No more than 50% of the major studies hours for the Business Administration and Communications programs will be transferred (27 and 21 respectively.)
Pass/Fail Courses
SBTS does not grant transfer credit for courses that received a grade of pass/fail.
Non-Degree/Undecided Students
Transfer Credit is not applied to Non-Degree seeking students or Undecided students. Once a student claims a degree, the transfer credit will be applied.