Admission to undergraduate standing at Benedictine College as a freshman or transfer student is based on an applicant’s academic record, evidence of the ability to do college work, character, and interest in the mission of the College. Benedictine College admits qualified students of any religion, race and color, national and ethnic origin, and of either sex. Benedictine College does not discriminate based on religion, race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability (or any other criteria protected by applicable law) for admission purposes.  

First-Year Application Periods

1. Early Action: The Early Action period is for students who have a strong interest in attending Benedictine College and believe they can present a complete application during the first semester of their senior year. The deadline to apply Early Action is November 15. The key benefit to applying Early Action is to receive the earliest possible admission decision and scholarship notification. Early Action is a non-binding application process; students are free to apply to other institutions.
2. Regular Admission: The Regular Admission Deadline is December 1. Regular Admission is similar to Early Action but offers a slightly later time frame. Regular Admission is a non-binding application process.
3. Rolling Admission: Any application received after December 1 falls into our rolling admission cycle. This application process allows students to apply within a larger window of time and add seventh semester grades to their admission record.

First-Year Application Plans

Standard Application Plan: To be considered for admission under the standard application plan, prospective students must submit the following documents to the Office of Admission, Benedictine College, 1020 North Second Street, Atchison, Kansas 66002-1499:

1. A completed application (www.benedictine.edu or commonapp.org) for undergraduate admission;
2. A $50.00 non-refundable application fee (waived for online application);
3. An ACT, CLT, or SAT score report. Score reports may be sent directly from the testing agency, on an official transcript, or sent from a school counselor. Benedictine College accepts the highest composite score from a single examination; superscores are not accepted. 
    

   ACT procedure: Submit an ACT score report to Benedictine College (code 1444) from your MyACT account. Science portion not required; however, the science portion is strongly encouraged for anyone wanting to major in a STEM field. 
   
   SAT procedure: Submit an SAT score report to Benedictine College (code 6056) from your College Board account.  

   CLT procedure: Submit a CLT score report to Benedictine College directly from your CLT account.

4. A high school transcript(s) that includes a minimum of six semesters of high school. The highest grade point average reported on the transcript is used for admission and scholarship purposes. Benedictine College will accept unofficial transcripts for admission purposes. Applicants may submit an emailed copy of the transcript to ravenmail@benedictine.edu or to their admission counselor.
   
   All applicants who matriculate to Benedictine College must submit an official final high school transcript that includes the month and year of graduation, along with a signature of validation.
   
   Student athletes may use this option for acceptance to Benedictine College. However, student athletes must complete the NAIA eligibility forms, which require an official high school transcript.

Upon receipt of a completed application, $50.00 application fee, all official transcripts, and an ACT, CLT, or SAT score report, an applicant will be notified of his or her admission status within two weeks. The admission of a high school senior assumes that the student will maintain a satisfactory record and complete high school graduation requirements.

Test Optional Application Plan: Benedictine College offers a test optional application plan. Select this plan on your application for admission.

Applicants with above a 3.0 GPA will be eligible to apply as a test optional candidate. The highest-grade point average reported on the high school transcript is used. Test optional candidates may be asked to interview with an Admission Officer.

Applicants with a 2.99 or below are eligible to apply as a test optional candidate. In addition to the high school transcript, these candidates will be required to interview with an Admission Officer.

Applicants admitted through either application plan will be required to submit a $350.00 enrollment fee prior to May 1 in order to enroll in classes and be placed in a residence hall. This fee is refundable through May 1 for fall semester applicants, and October 1 for spring semester applicants.

Benedictine College reserves the right to rescind a favorable admission decision for any reason.

In addition to the enrollment fee, all on-campus students are required to place a $100 housing deposit with the College. This fee will be held in escrow until the room is vacated with a satisfactory clearance report from the residence hall director. Any assessments for damage will be deducted from the deposit. Should such assessments exceed the amount of the deposit, the assessments must be paid in full within ten days.

Admission to Freshman Standing

Applicants for admission to Benedictine are best prepared if they have a grade of ‘C’ or better in each of the following college preparatory core courses:

• English (4 units)
• Mathematics (3–4 units)
• Foreign Language (2–4 units)
• Natural Science (2–4 units)
• Social Science (2 units)
• History (1 unit)

Other traditional college preparatory courses should complement the above list. Students planning to major in computer science, engineering, mathematics, nursing, or science should take as many units of mathematics and science as possible.

Students who meet the following criteria and who demonstrate promise of college success are generally admitted to freshman standing:

1. Earn a 2.5 average in high school academic/core studies;
2. Receive a composite score of twenty or above on the ACT, 1030 or above on the SAT, 63 or above on the CLT.
3. Graduate in the upper half of one’s high school senior class.

Applicants who do not meet the above criteria, particularly criteria one and two, may receive admission or conditional admission if they provide evidence of the promise of college success. Such applicants may require review by the Admission Committee.

Conditional Acceptance

The Admission Committee may allow a limited number of students to be admitted conditionally. These students do not meet the normal standards for admission to the college. Students admitted conditionally may be required to enroll in developmental courses to enhance their ability to succeed in college studies.

Admission to a Major Area of Study 

Acceptance to undergraduate study at Benedictine College does not automatically qualify a student for admission to a major area of study. All majors require the approval of the department chair. Some majors require a more detailed application process. Students should consult this Catalog (under Academic Regulations and Procedures)  and their advisor for details.

Credit by Examination or Experience

Advanced Placement (AP)

To aid in the identification of able college students and to foster greater intellectual development, Benedictine College participates in the Advanced Placement Program, which is administered by the College Entrance Examination Board. Students who receive a rating of 3 to 5 on the Advanced Placement Examinations will be considered for college credit and/or advanced placement. For Calculus credit at 4 or 5 rating must be obtained. For Physics credit, a score of 4 or 5 rating must be obtained for credit in College Physics. Policies vary with the student’s desire to use such credits in a major or in an elective area. For a guide to how AP credit will transfer to Benedictine College, check out the Advanced Placement Equivalency Chart on the Benedictine College website.

Advanced College Credit

Students who took advanced college credit classes in high school will need to have the college transcripts sent to the Office of Academic Records for evaluation. The exception to this policy is any coursework taken at a high school in which the credit was offered by Benedictine College.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Applicants may request advance credit for courses in the college catalog by providing proof that the material described has already been mastered. The normal way in which this can be done is by examination. The College will accept many of the General Examination and many of the Subject Matter Examinations of the College Level Examination Program. If you are interested in taking a subject that is not listed here, check with the Registrar BEFORE taking the exam to find out if there is a possibility that it may transfer. All CLEP examinations must be taken prior to the start of the student’s third semester at Benedictine College. (Note: These need to be taken prior to or during the first two semesters as a degree-seeking student, which may or may not have been consecutive.) A maximum of 28 hours will be accepted through CLEP examination.

Subject level examinations of CLEP acceptable are American Government, American History I and II, American Literature, Analysis and Interpretation of Literature, Calculus, College Composition, College French (levels 1 and 2), College German (levels 1 and 2), College Spanish (levels 1 and 2), English Literature, General Biology, Chemistry, General Psychology, Human Growth and Development, Introductory Macroeconomics, Introductory Microeconomics, Physics, Introductory Sociology, and Western Civilization I and II.

Benedictine College will use institutional norms to determine the amount of credit to be granted. Credit will be given for CLEP scores at or above the 50th percentile.

Interested candidates should contact their high school counselor or the College Level Examination Program, Box 6600, Princeton, NJ 08541-6600; phone: 800-257-9558; fax: 609-771-7088; web site: clep.collegeboard.org.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

Benedictine College recognizes the rigor of the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum and offers credit for the following subject exams.

All areas require a score of 4 or above on the Higher Level Exam or a score of 5 or above on the Standard Level Exam. Official scores must be sent directly from the IB office to the Office of Academic Records and Registration in order to award credit. Website: ibo.org.

International Baccalaureate

Course	Hours	Course Equivalent
Biology HL in English	4	BIOL-1107
Chemistry SL in English	4	CHEM elective
English A Literature	3	ENGL-1020
Environ in Sys & Societies	3	SOCI elective
French B	4	FREN-1000
History 1 Route 1	3	HIST-1100
History 2 Route 2	3	HIST elective
History Americas HL	6	HIST elective
History Europe	3	HIST elective
History World	6	HIST-1100; HIST-1101
Mathematics SL	3	MATH elective
Psychology SL	3	PSYC-1000
Spanish A Literature	4	SPAN-2010
Spanish B	4	SPAN-1000
Theater	3	THTR elective
Visual Arts	3	ART elective

Other areas will be evaluated if requested. See www.transferology.com for the latest list of exams that have been evaluated and how they will transfer to Benedictine College.

National Examination in World Language (NEWL)

Endorsed by the College Board, NEWL® is administered by American Councils for International Education (American Councils) in four languages considered critical by the U.S. government: Arabic, Korean, Portuguese, and Russian. Modeled after the College Board’s AP® foreign language exams, NEWL is proficiency-based and intended for secondary school foreign language learners, both heritage and non-heritage. Benedictine College awards one semester of credit for a score of 3 and two semesters of credit for a score of 4 or 5.

Locally Administered Placement Examinations

Foreign Language Placement (Spanish and French)

During fall orientation, freshmen and eligible transfer students will be given the opportunity to test out of the college requirements in French and Spanish. Those who score high enough on the language tests may have satisfied the college’s general education requirement for one or two semesters of language and will be eligible to continue with sophomore-level courses or higher. Students who have completed three or more years of French or Spanish are required to take the placement exam before taking a course in the same language. If the student does not intend to continue studying the same language, the exam is optional. Students who received credit for any BC language cataloged courses (Ex SPAN-1000 Beginning Spanish, FREN-1000 Beginning French, SPAN-1020 Second Semester Spanish, FREN-1020 Second Semester French, etc.) through dual credit, AP test, CLEP test, or transfer credit are not required to take the exam. Students who received credit recorded as "elective credit" (e.g. SPAN-ELE, FREN-ELE) must take the exam to continue in the same language. Students who are planning to complete the language requirement in Italy do not need to take the exam; however, if they have three years previous experience in a language other than Italian, they are encouraged to take the placement exam in case their plans to complete the requirement in Italy change. It is highly recommended that students take the placement exam within one year of enrolling at Benedictine College, as this is when their previous language experience will be strongest. Students may not take the placement exam more than once. The placement exam is regularly scheduled at the beginning of the semester. See the Academic Calendar for dates. For more information, contact the Department of World Languages and Cultures.

Native speakers of Spanish or French do not take the placement exam. They satisfy the Foreign Language General Education Requirement by testing out of ESL or by completing the ESL program.

A non-native speaker of a language other than French or Spanish may take a proficiency exam to determine if his or her skills and knowledge are at an appropriate level (Intermediate Low / B1) to waive the foreign language requirement. It is normally taken before the beginning of one’s junior year and costs $250. Students who are non-native speakers of a language other than French or Spanish should contact the Chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures to schedule the proficiency exam. 

Students do not receive academic credit for any placement exam results. 

Calculus Placement

Any student planning to take a course in the Calculus sequence including MATH-1250 Pre-Calculus, MATH-1300 Calculus I, MATH-1350 Calculus II, and MATH-2300 Calculus III must be properly placed. Those with college credit at Benedictine College taken locally, accepted for transfer credit, or obtained via an AP Calculus score of 4–5 or an AP Precalculus score of 3–5 may determine correct placement by consulting the prerequisites listed in the course description. Note, in the special case of MATH-1300 Calculus I, one may qualify to take this course by either passing a placement exam or earning a “C” or higher in MATH-1250 Pre-Calculus locally, via accepted transfer credit, or via non-course equivalency (AP).

Beginning freshmen will be given an opportunity to take the placement exam at SOAR, from home over the summer, or during ROC week. Students may take this placement exam only once. Normally, students without Pre-Calculus credit would have to pass this exam before enrolling in Calculus I. However, beginning freshmen are placed before the exam is available, so they take the exam to verify or correct their placement and are then moved accordingly. Students with questions should contact the Director of Calculus Placement.

Mathematical Reasoning Foundation (MR) Placement

Many students will have degree plans that require courses that satisfy the general education Mathematical Reasoning Foundation (MR) requirement. Those who do not should choose the proper mathematics course to optimize their success and educational benefit of the course. (Note that College Algebra does not satisfy the MR requirement.) Students who are well prepared to pass College Algebra are likely well prepared to take MATH-1220 Introductory Statistics as their MR course. This is the best choice for most students whose major does not already require an MR course. Students who currently lack the computational skills to succeed in Introductory Statistics should consider taking MATH-1020 Mathematics As a Liberal Art, which de-emphasizes rote computation in favor of surveying a wider array of mathematical topics and applications and providing thoughtful written reflection on those topics and applications. Students with questions should contact the Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

Students do not receive academic credit for any placement exam results.

Credit for U.S Armed Forces Basic Training

Students who have successfully completed U.S. Armed Forces Basic training and can produce documentation of such, receive credit for EXSC-2210 First Aid & Personal Safety , a 2-credit Exercise Science elective, and a 2-credit Military Science elective upon matriculation or after returning to Benedictine College.

Credit for Experiential Learning  

Benedictine College awards academic credit for knowledge gained outside of the traditional college/university classroom setting for nontraditional students enrolled at Benedictine College who present portfolios of experiential learning that receive favorable evaluation. A nontraditional student shall be defined as a student of at least 23 years of age who has not been enrolled as a full-time student in a degree program for at least two years. Application for experiential learning credit is normally done within the first semester of attendance at Benedictine College. Experiential learning credit cannot be applied to work experience to complete a degree after a student leaves the College.

The determination for the awarding of credit will be the responsibility of the chair of the academic department in which the credit is being earned, plus at least one other faculty member in the discipline in which the credit is being sought and the Senior Vice Provost. Experiential learning portfolio review for college credit will be assessed a fee. A maximum of 18 hours will be awarded for experiential learning.

Deferred Admission

Students accepted to Benedictine College may request that their enrollment be postponed for one year without repeating the admission process, as long another college or university has not been attended. Further, these candidates may defer their academic merit scholarship for one year.

Readmission

Any student who has been absent from Benedictine College must contact the Senior Vice Provost to seek readmittance. If the student left Benedictine College in good academic standing and has no outstanding holds on his or her account, the student will be given permission to start the readmission process. If this is the case, the student will need to 

1. Complete the form to update his or her personal information and academic plans. There is fee required for readmission applications.
2. Submit official transcripts of any coursework completed at another college. (Unofficial transcripts are acceptable if coursework is ongoing.)
3. Students readmitted to the College who have attended other colleges or universities must meet satisfactory academic progress requirements as described under the Transfer Admission section of the General Admission Policies.

If the student is readmitted, he or she will be requested to submit an enrollment and housing deposit as appropriate. This will be necessary only if the applicant’s original deposit was refunded when he or she withdrew. Students who leave Benedictine College temporarily due to military service requirements, either as active military or as reservists, will be readmitted to their program upon return. 

Multiple Undergraduate Degrees

An individual who has earned a bachelor’s degree may enroll in Benedictine College to pursue an additional undergraduate degree. He or she may not pursue the same degree with the same major(s) as previously earned at Benedictine College or elsewhere. Such students are required to earn a minimum of 30 new hours in residence even if fewer hours are needed to complete their new major. None of these 30 hours can be transferred from other colleges or universities, earned by CLEP, or through experiential learning.  

Students who have earned a bachelor’s degree from another institution will also need to complete the same general education requirements as do all students who transfer to Benedictine College with 60 or more hours (short form).

If the student is a graduate of Benedictine College, the cumulative GPA from all courses taken after graduation will be calculated separately because the student’s GPA is “frozen” at the time of graduation.

Students may not receive any gift aid from the college or via the FAFSA (Pell grant, for example). They may only make use of federal loan programs as long as they are degree-seeking with a realistic anticipated degree date. No internal scholarship funding is available and tuition-remission aid is available only if the student has not used this for his or her first bachelor’s degree. This should be clarified with the Office of Admission, Office of Financial Aid, and Human Resources Department before the student starts the additional degree.

International Students

Any international student applying to Benedictine College will be required to complete the following steps before being issued an I-20. 

International students are required to have health and accident insurance that covers them while in the United States. Benedictine College does not offer an insurance plan. Any insurance purchased from outside the United States must be approved by the International Student Service Team and the policy must be submitted in English.

International Freshman Admission

Benedictine College accepts applications all year. There is a $50 application fee on both the Common App application and Benedictine College application. A fee waiver can be provided to students recruited by an athletic coach.

To consider a student for freshman admission, we must receive the following documents:

1. Completed International Student Application or Common Application for admission.
2. Official transcripts from all high schools (secondary schools) attended, secondary school leaving certificates, exit exam results, and other academic credentials. All required credentials must be submitted to InCred for evaluation prior to being considered for admission to Benedictine College. Original documents from schools outside of the United States mailed directly to Benedictine College will not be considered. 
3. Submit all standardized scores taken: CLT, SAT, ACT, TOEFL, IELTS, and/or Duolingo. Students who do not have scores may be accepted conditionally. Those students with English not as their first language must show proof of English proficiency; years of English taken in high school, interview with admission office, other partnership exams accepted by the College. Benedictine College requires a minimum score of 7.0 on the IELTS, a minimum score of 90 on the TOEFL, or a minimal score of 110 on the Duolingo test.
4. Students who graduate from a high school in the United States or Canada are required to submit the ACT, CLT, or SAT.  
5. Copy of Passport
6. Proof of financial support showing sufficient funds to cover the cost of at least one year at Benedictine minus scholarship, including tuition, fees, housing, meals, books, and health insurance ($65,000).
   1. For example, John has a scholarship of $13,000 to attend Benedictine. He would need to show a bank statement of $52,000 to prove ability to pay. 
   2. Bank statements must be in English or provide an English translation, be less than three months old, must show account holder's name and bank name. 

International Transfer Admission

Benedictine College accepts applications all year. There is a $50 application fee on both the Common App application and Benedictine College application. A fee waiver can be provided to students recruited by an athletic coach.

To consider a student for transfer admission, we must receive the following documents:

1. Completed International Student Application or Common Application for admission.
2. Official transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended. If classes were taken outside the United States, all required credentials must be submitted to InCred for evaluation prior to being considered for admission to Benedictine College. Original documents from schools outside of the United States mailed directly to Benedictine College will not be considered. 
3. Submit all standardized scores taken: CLT, SAT, ACT, TOEFL, IELTS and/or Duolingo. Students who do not have scores may be accepted conditionally. Those students with English not as their first language must show proof of English proficiency; years of English taken in high school, interview with admission office, other partnership exams accepted by the College. Benedictine College requires a minimum score of 7.0 on the IELTS, a minimum score of 90 on the TOEFL, or a minimal score of 110 on the Duolingo test.
4. Copy of Passport
5. Proof of financial support showing sufficient funds to cover the cost of at least one year at Benedictine minus scholarship, including tuition, fees, housing, meals, books, and health insurance ($65,000). If student is over the age of 23 and/or plans to live off campus and is approved to do so by the Residence Life department, they will be required to show $10,000 to cover the costs of living expenses, meals, books, and health insurance.
   1. For example, John has a scholarship of $13,000 to attend Benedictine. He would need to show a bank statement of $52,000 to prove ability to pay if living on campus. If 23 and living off campus, he would need to show $35,750. 
   2. Bank statements must be in English or provide an English translation, be less than three months old, must show account holder's name and bank name. 

After being admitted and receiving an I-20 from Benedictine's DSO, the next steps will be: 

1. To complete the F-1 VISA Application (will need I-20 to complete)
2. Pay the SEVIS I-901 fee - keep the receipt for your visa interview.
   1. https://www.fmjfee.com/i901fee/index.html.  
3. Apply for F-1 student visa. Complete the visa application and pay accompanying fees: DS-160    
   1. https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/
4. Schedule your visa appointment at a US Embassy or Consulate. Make sure to bring all required documents with you to your visa appointment including your I-20, passport, I-901 receipt and any other government documents.
5. If you pass your interview, you will receive your student visa in the mail a few weeks after.
6. Book a flight to Atchison, Kansas and prepare for college! Congratulations!

Special Student Status

An applicant who desires to attend classes without following any prescribed course of study or becoming an immediate candidate for a degree may be admitted with the consent of the Registrar upon payment of an application fee. Special students will be expected to follow the usual conventions of class attendance. If an applicant later desires to apply the credits earned as a special student toward a degree, she or he must adhere to whatever conditions are set forth by the Admission Committee and/or the Senior Vice Provost. At present, a special student is defined as follows: “A special student is one who has not been admitted to a degree program, as distinct from a freshman, sophomore, etc., who has been fully accepted into such a program.”

High school juniors, seniors, or home-schooled high school students who wish to take individual courses at Benedictine College may be admitted as special students. Admission will normally be granted only to students who have sixteen academic units in academic/core studies or their equivalent at the high school level, plus an above-average academic and achievement record. Normally, high school students must be at least 15 years of age before requesting to take any college classes on campus. (See Advanced College Placement section in this catalog for information about high school students who wish to take dual credit high school/college courses.)  The student meets with the Senior Vice Provost who reviews the student’s proposed courses. (See the Senior Vice Provost for the appropriate form.) Request is granted based on availability in the class, noting that degree-seeking students have priority over students who have not been admitted to a degree program. 

High School Dual Credit

Benedictine College partners with a limited number of high schools to offer high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to take Benedictine College courses. At current, we partner with Maur Hill-Mount Academy, Bishop Miege, Homeschool Connections (online), and Oxrose Academy (online). These courses are offered through the student's school after rigorous vetting by Benedictine College to ensure that they meet the same standards as Benedictine College courses offered on campus. Completion of a course with a grade of C or better will be transcripted on the student's Benedictine College transcript. Courses with grades below C will not be listed on the transcript.