Three Term Semester Institutions

NAIA regulations clearly indicate credit-hour requirements for institutions that use basic semester (two terms per academic year) or quarter (three terms per academic) credit systems.   There are a growing number of schools, including NAIA institutions, which use a three-term semester model.  As the number of institutions which use this system grows, you are increasingly likely to encounter a student who transfers to your institution from such an institution.  As current NAIA regulations do not provide guidance to you in evaluating such transcripts, the NEC has reviewed these academic systems as they relate to NAIA academic eligibility rules.

Three-Term Semester Model

Minimum hours for identification (Article V, Section B, Item 8) – Eight (8) semester hours

Minimum hours for participation (Article V, Section C, Item 3) – Eight (8) semester hours

Minimum hours to participate in a second term (Article V, Section C, Item 5) – Six (6) semester hours

Minimum hours to participate in a third term (Article V, Section C, Item 6) – 16 semester hours

Minimum hours to meet the 24/36 hour rule (Article V, Section C, Item 6)

Continuing student - successfully completing 24 hours during the previous three (3) academic terms

 

Transfer student (first term at a “traditional” quarter/semester institution) – If the student’s previous three terms of attendance were at a three-term semester model institution, the student must have earned 24 hours during the previous three terms

 

If the student’s previous three terms of attendance include both a three-term semester model institution and a traditional semester or quarter institution, the student must have earned:

 

            Two (2) “traditional” quarters/semesters and one “three-term” semester – 32 total hours

           

            One (1) “traditional” quarter/semester and two “three-term” semester – 28 total hours

 

Transfer student (after one term at a “traditional” quarter/semester institution) – 20 hours during the previous two terms.

           

Minimum hours to meet progress towards degree requirements (Article V, Section C, Item 9) – No change from bylaws.

Maximum number of terms – 15 terms - Calculated in the same fashion as terms at quarter institutions.

Indian Hills Community College

Some of you may be familiar with the Indian Hills Community College

letter, which was released in the early 1990’s.  Indian Hills uses the three-term semester model.  The interpretation in today’s memorandum applies to Indian Hills as well as to others using this academic model.  Therefore, the standards in the Indian Hills letter are no longer valid.  Please use the standards listed above when evaluating students from Indian Hills Community College.

 

Comments

[Nancy Trillow]

I assume this is not to be interpreted as a trimester situation, correct?

Also, as an educational tool, would you post the procedure you would like to be used in working with trimester schools? In our conversation, you indicated that there is an increast in trimeter institutions. There are those, like Johnson and Wales, that are listed as a trimester institution which grade on a quarter system.

Thank you.
Nancy Trillow