Financial Aid Eligibility (Earlham School of Religion)

This policy applies to students in the Earlham School of Religion, a program of Earlham College.

All students receiving institutional aid and/or participating in Federal Student Aid programs must be degree-seeking students pursuing the Master of Divinity (MDiv) or Master of Arts (MA) degrees. Students who enroll in certificate programs, and who are not simultaneously pursuing a master’s degree at Earlham School of Religion, are not eligible for institutional aid or Title IV federal financial aid.

Earlham School of Religion employs a Credit/No Credit system, with ongoing feedback from the instructor for the duration of the course. This approach to student evaluation is grounded in ESR’s commitment to an educational philosophy suited for adult education. Optimal learning occurs when teacher and students are engaged and motivated, rather than responding to pressures to achieve certain pre-set standards.

To receive Credit, the student’s performance must be at a level that would be equivalent to a B- in another graduate institution. This descriptive method of academic evaluation focuses attention on specific qualities of an individual student’s academic work in specific courses. The aim is to provide assessments that the serious student can use to maximize his or her learning and to provide content descriptions about areas of excellence and needed improvement.

Upon course completion, each student receives Credit or No Credit for a course, along with the instructor a final Course Rubric. This Rubric assesses students based on the overall objectives of their degree/certificate program. The students’ advisor and the Join Seminaries Registrar receive copies of these rubrics

A student who fails two or more courses will automatically be placed on Academic Probation and must complete nine credit hours successfully to be removed from probation.

If the student’s work fails to improve sufficiently during the designated time, the student will not be eligible for further financial aid until probation is removed. Furthermore, additional failure of course work can be considered grounds for dismissal.

Detailed academic policies are published in the Student Handbook. Visit the Joint Seminaries Registrar’s webpage.

This policy is approved annually with the publication of the Earlham School of Religion Student Handbook.