Admissions Standards
Lancaster Bible College exists to educate Christian students to think and live a biblical worldview and to proclaim Christ by serving him in the Church and society. Since the college is committed to educating the entire person, it has a distinctive set of admissions standards in the spiritual, personal, and academic areas.
Spiritual Standards: Applicants must confirm that they have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and be in essential agreement with the Statement of Faith of the college. Applicants must also demonstrate that they are living a consistent Christian life based on the principles of God's Word.
Personal Standards: Applicants must give evidence of sufficient spiritual, social, physical, and mental development and maturity for doing college-level work.
Academic Standards: Applicants must provide documentation through transcripts and other evaluative instruments that their educational preparation and academic achievements and potential are sufficient for being successful as a student at LBC.
Academic criteria for first-time freshmen include having a minimum of a "B" average (3.0 GPA) for previous academic work. Submitting SAT, ACT, or CLT scores is encouraged but not required for admission. Academic criteria for transfer students includes having a minimum of a “B” average (3.0 GPA) for previous academic work.
Applicants with a GPA lower than the benchmarks listed above will be considered for special admission by the Admissions Committee. The Admissions Committee will review the applicant's entire file and make a holistic decision on admission based on the applicant's spiritual, personal, and academic standards.
Degree/Certificate Students
In admitting students for degree or certificate programs, five categories are used. Each of the categories has slightly different academic criteria and the admissions procedures also may vary.
- High School Graduate: A student who has graduated from high school or has earned a high school equivalency diploma.
Academic criteria include having a "B" average (3.0 cumulative GPA). SAT, ACT or CLT scores are optional. The admissions team, by special consideration, accepts a limited number of students who do not fully meet the academic criteria. In some cases, these students have a restricted academic load (12 credits), are permitted a limited number of extracurricular activities, and are provided with special academic assistance.
Home-schooled students are also encouraged to apply. Please submit a transcript with grades of the courses you have studied during your high school education. Please also include copies of the evaluations prepared by your evaluator each year.
The application process begins by completing the Application for Undergraduate Admission.
- Early Admission: High school juniors can apply beginning in January of their junior year.
The application process begins by completing the Application for Undergraduate Admission.
- Transfer Student: A student who has attended and/or graduated from another institution of higher education prior to applying to LBC.
The academic criteria for transfer students is a GPA of 3.0 for all previous college work. ACT, SAT or CLT scores are not required for transfer students. The admissions team, by special consideration, accepts a limited number of students whose GPA is below 3.0. These students have a restricted academic load (12 credits), are permitted a limited number of extracurricular activities, and are provided with special academic assistance.
Transfer credit is granted for all courses having a minimum grade of "C-" and that find a parallel in course requirements in the student's LBC program of study.
The application process begins by completing the Application for Undergraduate Admission.
- Readmit Student: A student who has previously attended LBC but who has not been enrolled for one semester or more.
Former students wishing to be readmitted to LBC should be in good standing with the college in the academic, student services, and business areas. If difficulty existed in any area, resolution will need to be made before the student can be readmitted.
An abbreviated application is available from the admissions office. Students who have not been enrolled at LBC for an extended number of years may need to complete the full application process.
- International Student: This school is authorized under Federal law to enroll non-immigrant alien students.
Because of the difficulties that often arise from the difference in distance, language, culture, educational background, etc., most international students are individually guided through the admissions process. Therefore, early personal contact with the admissions office is encouraged. The following preliminary application procedures must be completed before being considered for admission to LBC:
- Complete the online application.
- Send proof of an educational background equivalent to an American high school education.
- Return reference forms completed by appropriate individuals to LBC.
- Provide proof of English proficiency. See the policy in the catalog.
- Submit a copy of passport and/or visa if studying in the US.
- Complete and return the LBC Educational and Financial Information Sheet. After a review of this information, and if everything is acceptable, the College will grant provisional acceptance. Then the student must send sufficient funds to cover the first year of education. This money will be held in escrow and will be immediately returned to the student should that student be unable to attend.
- After receiving the proper funds, final acceptance will be granted and the I-20 form issued. This form provides the government with the information necessary to issue a visa.
Non-Degree/Non-Certificate Students
There are numerous reasons why individuals take college-level courses at LBC with no intent of pursuing a degree or certificate. Included are reasons such as personal growth, limited time in the geographical area, inadequate educational preparation and achievement, and transfer credit to other colleges and universities.
Due to the varied reasons and diversity of college programs, individuals should contact the registrar's office for additional information.
If a non-degree/non-certificate student chooses at some later time to seek a degree or certificate, then the necessary admissions requirements for acceptance into that program must be completed.
Nondiscriminatory Policy
Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School is certified by Pennsylvania Department of Education, Maryland Higher Education Commission, and Florida Department of Education; and is approved by the appropriate states to operate at the site in their state: 901 Eden Road, Lancaster, PA 17601; 7852 Walker Drive, Suite 100, Greenbelt, MD 20770; 2400 Yamato Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431; and 2001 W. Lehigh Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19132. The college is approved by the U.S. Department of Justice for the training of nonimmigrant international students. Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School’s online courses/degrees are available to residents of all states and territories of the US under the terms and provisions of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA), of which LBC | Capital is an institutional participant, or through authorizations/exemptions in the following non-SARA state: California.
Lancaster Bible College/Capital Seminary & Graduate School is an equal opportunity institution that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex (except where sex is a bona fide occupational qualification), ancestry, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or genetic information. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, admission to and enrollment with the College.