Advanced standing credit is available to seminary students for certain undergraduate courses completed at regionally accredited institutions, institutions accredited by the Association of Biblical Higher Education and other institutions approved by Cornerstone University. In keeping with the professional accrediting standards of The Association of Theological Schools, CTS limits the use of advanced standing credits to a maximum of 1/3 of the graduate degree program.

Consideration for advanced standing credit is limited to 300/400 level undergraduate courses in which a grade of B (3.0) or better was achieved in an equivalent course. Evaluative judgment for advanced standing is made on the basis of examination in the content area or by assessment of a relevant sample of student work. New students have one calendar year from their original matriculation date at CTS to apply for advanced standing credit. Credits granted by advanced standing will appear on the student’s academic transcript and contribute to program completion but will not be included in the student’s cumulative GPA calculation.

At CTS, advanced standing is assessed and administered by two means. First, the granting of advanced standing credit is determined by way of examination. The CTS faculty has identified a select grouping of courses for which advanced standing by examination is permitted. Advanced standing exams will be offered at the beginning of each semester. Faculty member approval is required to sit for an advanced standing exam. New students are encouraged to work with an admissions representative to coordinate this process. A non-refundable $50.00 fee, payable to CTS prior to taking the advanced standing exam, is charged for each exam administered. All advanced standing exams will be graded on a pass/ fail basis. Students are limited to one attempt on any given exam.

Second, the granting of advanced standing credit is also determined by assessment of sample student work from the relevant undergraduate course. In these cases, students are responsible to provide the CTS professor with a copy of the undergraduate course syllabus and all course-related assignments, submitting an electronic copy of documents wherever these are available. In turn, the professor will review the sample student work to assess student knowledge and competency in the given content area based on parity in content and methods with the seminary course for which advanced standing is sought. Students are encouraged to work with an admissions representative to coordinate this process. A non-refundable $50.00 fee, payable to CTS prior to the completion of the advanced standing assessment, is charged for each assessment administered. All advanced standing assessments will be graded on a pass/fail basis.