Bethany is a Christian Liberal Arts institution. Its fundamental purpose is Christian growth and the pursuit of knowledge. Consequently the principle of ethical academic integrity is an integral part of this community. Every student is expected to be honest. Academic plagiarism, cheating and other misrepresentations are not condoned.

In order to uphold the standards of collegiate academics and the integrity of Bethany Lutheran College, the Vice President for Academic Affairs may place a student on academic probation or dismiss a student from college for academic irresponsibility.

Class Attendance
Students are expected to attend classes regularly. The instructors reserve the right to lower student grades or drop students from class for excessive absences. Instructors will state their attendance policies at the beginning of each semester.

Class Cancellation
Classes with unacceptably small enrollments may be cancelled for that semester by the administration of the college.

Classification of Students
Students carrying at least 12 credits are designated as full-time students. Part-time students are those who carry fewer than 12 credits. Of these, a three-fourth-time student carries at least nine but fewer than 12 credits, a half-time student carries at least six but fewer than nine credits, and a less-than-half-time student carries fewer than six credits.

Students are classified according to the number of semester hours of college credit earned. A freshman has successfully completed fewer than 28 credit hours; a sophomore has successfully completed at least 28 but fewer than 65 credit hours; a junior has completed at least 65 but fewer than 95 credit hours; a senior has completed 95 or more credit hours. A credit hour is defined in the following section.

Credit Hours and Grading System
More information on credit hours and Bethany's grading system are available here.

Academic Honors
The Vice President for Academic Affairs publishes a Dean's List each semester. This gives recognition to students who have earned a minimum grade point average of 3.5 in at least 14 academic credits.

Repeating Courses
Courses may be repeated to improve the letter grade. All courses attempted remain a part of the permanent record but only the highest grade is computed into the GPA.