Veterans

Qualifications

Students eligible for benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs must follow these procedures:

1. Upon acceptance to SUM, veterans may apply for benefits through the Registrar's Office.

2. The veteran must submit to SUM a certified copy of his or her separation papers (Form DD-214).

3. If the veteran is currently in the Reserves or National Guard, he or she must submit Form DD-214 or Form 2384-1 (Notice of Basic Eligibility).

4. The veteran must obtain from SUM the Enrollment Certification (Form 22-1999) and request the certification official to complete and submit this form to SUM's Registrar.

Eligibility

In order for a SUM student to be eligible for benefits from Veterans Affairs, he or she must meet the following requirements:

1. Possess a certificate of Release From Active Duty (Form 33-214),

2. Complete the application procedures listed above,

3. Be enrolled in the Associate of Arts degree in Urban Missions as a full time student,

4. Matriculate each quarter with a minimum G.P.A. of 2.0 (on a four point scale).

Provisional Admittance

Students who have not completed high school or who have not finished the GED requirements are admitted provisionally and are considered to be on academic probation. These students have one quarter from the time of enrollment to complete the GED requirement.

Disqualification

A student at SUM can be disqualified from receiving benefits in the following ways:

1. A student who fails to earn a 2.0 G.P.A. for two consecutive quarters will be placed on academic probation.

2. After the second quarter of probation, if the student has not increased his G.P.A. above 2.0, he or she cannot continue in the degree program and will not be eligible for Veterans benefits.

3. There are no leaves of absence for veteran students. In such events the student must be dismissed from SUM. At a later date the student may re-enroll. The Veterans Administration only awards benefits for the actual time that a student matriculates in his or her degree program.

U.S. Armed Forces Institute

SUM grants credit for course work completed through the U.S. Armed Forces Institute. This usually applies to general education course work and is granted by the Registrar upon review of transcripts. The student is responsible to have a copy of the transcript sent to the Registrar's Office.

Full and Part-Time Student Requirements

The law permits benefits to be paid for half-time, three-quarter time, full-time or less than half-time training in approved educational training programs. A full time course load involves 16 classroom credit hours each quarter along with 4 practicum credits of field ministry.

Attendance Policy

VA students will be suspended from class when they have accumulated five absences for classes meeting less than 25 hours per term or suspended when a student reaches absences equal to 20% of the total clock hour requirement of any program. Instructors will notify students of the exact number of absences on the first day of class. If a student is dismissed, the VA will be notified by SUM within 30 days of the last date of attendance.

Degree Requirements

The Associate of Arts degree with a major in Urban Missions requires 94 classroom credits (1034 classroom hours) and 32 practicum credits (512 hours of field ministry and practicums). The academic year consists of three twelve week quarters. The requirements include: 67 credits in Bible and theology; 27 credits in general education; and 32 credits in field ministry. A student must maintain a 2.0 G.P.A. average (77%) to qualify for the Associate of Arts degree in Urban Missions.

Classroom Hours/Academic Credits Defined

Every 50 minutes of instruction in the classroom constitutes one credit hour. A four credit class, therefore, would mean four hours of classroom instruction per week.

Practicum Hours/Credits for Field Ministry Defined

Every two hours in practicum and field ministry constitutes one credit hour. A four hour field ministry therefore, would mean two hours of practicum credit.

Accreditation

In 2003 SUM was granted candidate status with the Association of Biblical Higher Education, ABHE [formerly - Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (AABC)]. Candidate status is granted to those colleges that meet the Association's Conditions of Eligibility and that possess such qualities as may provide the basis for the achievement of accreditation status within four years.

Association of Biblical Higher Education
P.O. Box 780339
Orlando, FL 32879
(407)207-0808
FAX (407)207-0840

The Association of Biblical Higher Education is recognized as an undergraduate institutional accrediting agency by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and also is listed by the United States Department of Education as the recognized accrediting agency for undergraduate Bible college education. This recognition extends as well to AABC's candidate institutions. In addition, it is so recognized by the Department of Justice, the Veterans Administration, and other relevant federal agencies in the United States.

Responsibilities to Veterans

The School of Urban Missions is to assist veteran students in the following manner:

1. SUM is to comply with the State of Louisiana or California and the Department of Veterans Affairs as an approved post-secondary school for Veteran Affairs.

2. SUM is to provide veteran students with the appropriate forms to apply for benefits.

3. SUM is to designate its Dean of Academic Affairs and its Business Manager as their two certifying officials authorized to enroll qualified students in the Veterans Affairs program for educational benefits.

4. SUM is to maintain all student Veteran Affairs records in the student's permanent file.

5. SUM is to inform the Veterans Administration when a veteran student leaves SUM, is dismissed from the degree program, or graduates.

6. SUM is to promptly submit the student's completed Enrollment Certification to Veteran Affairs of Louisiana after the student has registered and attended classes at SUM.

Withdrawals and Refunds

A refund for withdrawal from the college will be calculated from the exact proration of the number of days of instruction completed by the student to the number of instructional days in the course. Calculations begin from the date the withdrawal form is received in SUM's Business Administration Office. Not attending classes does not constitute a valid reason for a refund.

Refund for withdrawal will be mailed to the student within four weeks and official notification will be forwarded to Veterans Affairs.