Policies

Students who cancel their enrollment within 5 days of signing the enrollment agreement will receive a full refund of any assessment fees paid to the Seminary. If a student must withdraw for any reason during Week 1 (up to 11:59pm ET on Day 7 of the term), the student will be refunded 100% of the assessment fees paid, not including the application fee and book costs incurred by the student. 

Students are responsible for the full amount of their assessment fees for the courses in which they enrolled. The refund of fees is determined by the date of the student’s withdrawal or termination in relation to the cancellation and/or withdrawal policies. 

As a time-based refund policy, students who never begin or cancel enrollment before the course begins will receive a full refund. Refunds will be made within 30 days.

If a student withdraws before or during the first week of the course, all assessment fees the student has paid will be fully refunded. If the leave or withdrawal date is after the first week of the course, refunds to the student will be prorated in accord with the chart below. The Application Fee and the cost of books are not refundable.

Effective Date of Withdrawal            Refund Percentage
Withdraw prior to or during week #1 (until day 7)  100%
Withdraw during week #2 (day 8-14)        90%
Withdraw during week #3 (day 15-21)       75%
Withdraw during week #4 (day 22-28)     50%
Withdraw during week #5 (day 29-35)     25%
Withdraw after week #5    (day 36+)          0%

Sample Calculations

Sample #1 – 100% refund

Student A enrolled in a 3-credit course. In accord with our assessment fee structure the student was billed for $450 (3 credits x $150 per credit hour). Student A cancels enrollment prior to the end of the first Friday of the term. For this student, 100% of the fees are refunded.

Sample #2 – 75% refund

Student B enrolled in a 3-credit course. In accord with our assessment fee structure the student was billed for$450 (3 credits x $150 per credit hour). Student B paid the full balance upon receipt of the invoice. Student B notified the registrar she withdrew from the course during week #3. Since Student B paid the full balance, this student receives a 75% refund ($450 x .75 = $337.50).

Sample #3 – no refund

Student C signed up for a 2-credit course. In accord with our assessment fee structure, the student was billed for $300 (2 credits x $150 per credit hour). Student C paid the full balance of $300 upon receipt of the invoice. However, Student C notified the registrar on day 30 (Week 5) of the term that he was withdrawing from the course. Because Student C completed more than 50% of the course, he will not receive a refund and is responsible for the full amount of the assessment fees for the course.

Students, staff and faculty have the right to express any concerns they might have with any aspect of their educational experience. Adhere to the following steps when addressing these concerns: 

• If anyone in the Seminary community has a misunderstanding or dispute with another person in our learning community, they first must address their concern directly with that person as misunderstandings can often be cleared up best at their source. 

• Faculty members encourage students to ask them any questions about a course syllabus, grade, assignments in the course or any communications which remain unclear. 

• Likewise, staff or faculty address their concerns to their direct supervisor for clarification. 

• If a matter remains unresolved, community members may address academic matters to the Dean of their program and administrative matters to the Director of Administration. 

An item is only considered as a formal complaint if a community member indicates in their communication to our President, Academic Deans or Director of Administration that they believe Thirdmill Seminary is not following its own policies, the standards of its accreditors, US state or federal laws. 

• The Academic Dean or Director of Administration will confirm receipt of a complaint and copy the President of the Seminary within two business days. The complaint will be brought to the next scheduled meeting of the appropriate faculty committee (Curriculum Committee or Student Services). 

• Once the Committee of the faculty meets and acts, the community member will be informed of their decision by the person who received their formal complaint within two business days of the committee’s action. 

• If the matter remains unresolved, the community member may appeal in writing to the President of the Seminary by email to gperry@thirdmillseminary.org. The President will confirm receipt of the appeal within two business days and inform the community member that their appeal will be considered at the next meeting of the Executive Committee of the faculty. Once a final decision is reached, the President will inform the community member within two business days. 

• If a student or other community member remains unsatisfied with the response of Seminary to the matter, they may file an appeal as follows. 

Distance education students who have completed the internal institution complaint process may appeal non-instructional complaints to the Florida SARA PRDEC Council at FLSARAinfo@fldoe.org. 

Seminary for the Third Millennium (DBA Thirdmill Seminary) is required to provide all current and prospective out-of-state students with the contact information of the state agency that handles complaints against institutions of higher education within that state. All students have a right to lodge a complaint or grievance at any time. Students are encouraged to review the complaint policy (shown above) and first seek to resolve their complaints through informal discussion. 

​

Accreditation 

Seminary for the Third Millennium (Thirdmill Seminary) is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency (listing here). DEAC is a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). As such, our programs and administrative policies are frequently reviewed to ensure that we continue to meet the DEAC’s exacting standards of excellence. The DEAC office is located at 1101 17th Street NW, Suite 808, Washington, D.C. 20036. Their phone number is (202) 234-5100.

DEAC has an “Online Complaint System” that enables individuals to file a complaint directly from the DEAC website. The complaint form may be found at https://www.deac.org/student-center/complaint-process/.  All complaints should be submitted using the website. 

Written complaints must contain the following: 

• the basis of any allegation of noncompliance with DEAC standards and policies; 
• all relevant names and dates and brief description of the actions forming the basis of the complaint;
• copies of any available documents or materials that support the allegations; 
• a release authorizing the Commission to forward a copy of the complaint, including identification of the complaint(s) to the institution. 

In cases of anonymous complaints or where the complainant requests for his/her name to be kept confidential, the Commission considers how to proceed and whether the anonymous complaint sets forth reasonable and credible information that an institution may be in violation of the Commission’s standards and whether the identity of the complainant is not necessary to investigate. Students may also file a complaint with the state office which oversees the operation of institutions of higher learning in the state in which they reside. Contact information is provided below.

Alabama

• Status: Exempt, received private school certificate of exemption
• Commission on Higher Education
• Department of Postsecondary Education, Office of Private School Licensing Division
• PO Box 302000 Montgomery, AL 36130-2000 
• Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill Seminary’s Complaint Policy and/or DEAC

California

• Status: approval or exemption not required without physical presence, subject to periodic review
• Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education 
  P.O. Box 980818, West Sacramento, CA 95798-0818
• Email: bppe@dca.ca.gov    Phone: (888) 370-7589
• Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill Seminary’s Complaint Policy and/or DEAC

Florida

• Status: Exempt, religious school exemption
• Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill Seminary’s Complaint Policy and/or DEAC

Georgia

• Status: Exempt, religious school exemption
• Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission
• 2082 E. Exchange Pl. #220, Tucker, GA 30084-5305
• Phone: 770.414.3300 
• Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill Seminary’s Complaint Policy and/or DEAC

Kentucky

• Status: licensure not required for online distance education
• Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
  1024 Capital Center Dr #320
  Frankfort, KY 40601-7512
• Phone: 502.573.1555 
• Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill Seminary’s Complaint Policy and/or DEAC

Mississippi

• Status: authorization not required for online distance education, subject to periodic review
• Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation
• 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS 39211-6453
• Phone: 601.432.6198
• Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill Seminary’s Complaint Policy and/or DEAC

​New Mexico

• Status: exempt due to nonprofit religious institution
• New Mexico Higher Education Department
• 2044 Galisteo Street, Suite 4, Santa Fe, NM 87505-2100
• Phone: 505-476-8400
• Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill Seminary’s Complaint Policy and/or DEAC

Ohio 

• Status: authorization not required for online nonprofit distance education
• Ohio Department of Higher Education
• 25 South Front Street, Columbus, OH 43215-4183
• Phone: 614.728.3095
• Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill Seminary’s Complaint Policy and/or DEAC

Oklahoma

• Status: authorization not required, subject to periodic review
• Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
• 655 Research Parkway, Suite 200, Oklahoma City, OK 73104 
• Phone: 405.225.9100
• Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill Seminary’s Complaint Policy and/or DEAC

South Carolina 

• Status: exempt from licensure requirements due to course offerings limited to Bible or theological credentials
• South Carolina Commission on Higher Education
• Academic Affairs, Postsecondary Institution Licensing 
• 1122 Lady Street, Suite 400, Columbia, SC 29201 
• Phone 803.737-2260 
• Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill Seminary’s Complaint Policy and/or DEAC

Tennessee

• Status: authorization not required without physical presence, subject to periodic review
• Tennessee Higher Education Commission
• 404 James Robertson Parkway, Suite 1900, Nashville, TN 37243
• Phone: 615.253.7458
• Student Complaints – Follow Thirdmill Seminary’s Complaint Policy and/or DEAC

Each student submits a current government ID with photo as part of the application. Our Admissions team reviews the ID to be current and matches the student’s name on the application and other supporting documents. Their correct email address is matched to their application, and these must be verified in order to be issued credentials for their online accounts.

Each new student has a profile created in Moodle. The profile includes name, personal email, city and country. Each student has a personal ID number. For security in the classroom and student information system, the student is required to customize their own login credentials.

The classroom and exam can only be accessed with online credentials and identification requirement that match the student’s application information. Cameras record all Faculty tutorials and activities.

According to the Federal Education Rights to Privacy Act (FERPA) students have the right to review their educational records. They have the right to request changes to those records if they can prove they are currently in error. Information about a student’s records will not be released to third parties without the expressed, written consent of the student (including transcripts and financial records). However, Thirdmill Seminary reserves the right to release such records to its contractors and government agencies as necessary to conduct the ordinary operations of Thirdmill Seminary, including tax reporting, compliance with federal and state laws and court orders, and financial complications or audits. We will request such third parties maintain the confidentiality of student records.

Privacy Policy
Protecting your privacy is important to us. We value the trust you have placed in us, and your continued confidence is important to us. We make safeguarding personal information gathered in electronic transactions a priority (i.e. IP addresses, cookies, etc.) We maintain security practices to keep all information safe and secure. We do not sell customer information. 

Security of Online Sessions Policy
We are committed to protecting the confidentiality of your information and online transactions. Our Services use the industry standard for online security — Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption — to secure your online sessions and any financial transactions. 

Information Collected
If you submit a request for information via the “contact us,” online “chat” option, or “request more information” forms on our website, we may save your e–mail address as well as any other information you may provide. This information may be used to contact you in the future by mail, e-mail, or phone to convey information about Thirdmill Seminary that we consider beneficial to you. Thirdmill Seminary collects various types of information from our site’s visitors to help us better plan our website to meet your needs. Some of this information is collected automatically through cookies and other information is collected when you register for any of our online services.

Your e–mail and other information you provide will not be sold, exchanged, or given to any other company for any reason whatsoever, without your consent, other than for the express purpose of delivering the service requested.

Information Processing
Thirdmill Seminary is based in the United States. Regardless of where you are located, you consent to the processing and transferring of information in and to the U.S. and other countries. The laws of the U.S. and other countries governing data collection and use may not be as comprehensive or protective as the laws of the country where you live.

Data Rights and Choices
You can unsubscribe from our communications by following the “opt-out” guidance within those communications. You are also able to “opt-out” from cookie-related processing by following the instructions on the Privacy page. Individuals in the European Economic Area, Canada, Costa Rica, and some other jurisdictions outside of the United States have certain legal rights to obtain confirmation of whether we hold personal data about them, to access personal data we hold about them (in some cases in portable form), and to obtain its correction, update, amendment, or deletion in appropriate circumstances. They may also object to our uses or disclosures of personal data, to request a restriction on its processing, or withdraw any consent. These requests will not affect our ability to continue processing data in lawful ways.

If you inform us that you wish your data erased, or that you no longer wish for us to communicate with you for marketing purposes, or to otherwise restrict processing of your personal data, we may retain some basic information in order to avoid sending you unwanted materials in the future, and to keep a record of your request and our response.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

​Students must maintain an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 to maintain their good standing and eligibility for graduation. Should students fall below a 3.0 GPA, they must meet with their Academic Advisor to develop a plan of study that provides the student with the best possibility of achieving academic success, which may include recommending a reduced course load, taking a term off, or a leave of absence. The faculty will review the student’s academic performance and the circumstances of their learning. This may result in a change of the student’s status to “academic probation,” which must be remediated before a student can graduate.  A student’s failure to restore their good standing by remaining on academic probation for two 8-week terms or more may result in their dismissal from their program by the faculty.

 Grade point average (GPA) is calculated by the total number of grade points earned on a 4.0 scale multiplied by the number of course credits to determine the total number of quality points.

Transferring Credit to another Institution

Transfer of credits is always determined by the receiving institution.

Transfer of credits to another institution cannot be guaranteed.

​Transferring Credit from another Institution

​No advance credit will be awarded prior to admission. Therefore, prospective students must apply and be admitted to Thirdmill Seminary, before a request for evaluation of transfer credit from another institution will be considered. 

A maximum of twenty (20) credit hours may qualify for transfer credit into the Master of Arts in Christian Studies program (52 credit hours).

A maximum of thirty-two (32) credit hours may qualify for transfer credit into the Master of Divinity program (84 credit hours).

​A student who completed a course on myThirdmill.org or at another academic institution, which uses Thirdmill curriculum may be eligible for graduate level credit through Thirdmill Seminary by transfer of credit or a credit upgrade. An award of upgraded or transfer course credit is limited to a maximum of twenty (20) credits into the Master of Arts in Christian Studies degree program or (32) credit hours may into the Master of Divinity program. After a student applies and is accepted will the Dean evaluate potential transfer credit.

​In order to have prior academic work considered for transfer or upgraded credit, students must provide official transcripts with the credit to be considered to the Registrar. The student must also fill out a transfer credit evaluation form and send it to the Academic Dean of their language program. The student must also provide any materials (such as syllabi, samples of work, quizzes, papers or other assessments, etc.) that the Dean requests in order to consider their request properly.

A response will be provided by the Dean to the student’s request within 30 days of the Dean’s receipt of the request form and all supporting documents have been received by the Dean. The Dean’s response will be copied to the Registrar and any approved credit will be recorded to the student’s record by the Registrar. Only credit is transferred. No grades will be recorded.