ACCREDITATION
Accreditation Status
Eternity Bible College is accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education Commission on Accreditation (5850 T. G. Lee Blvd., Ste. 130, Orlando, FL 32822, 407.207.0808) to grant certificates and degrees at the Associate and Baccalaureate levels.
You can verify this through the Department of Education website or the Council on Higher Education (CHEA) website. You may also verify it directly from ABHE through the ABHE website or with this letter from the Commission on Accreditation of ABHE.
The Value of Accreditation
Every effective institution is made up of people working together with a guiding mission. Whether or not you have a process to evaluate and self-examine, every institution is destined to change over time. People transition in and out, while structure and culture change in ways reflective of the people who guide and develop different areas of the organization.
The goal of the assessment and accreditation process is to provide an accurate picture of what, how and why things happen. We also examine how Eternity Bible College may be proactive in guiding changes based on evidence which demonstrates what is actually happening, rather than making decisions based mainly on perceptions or assumptions. We can remain focused on faithfulness to God and the mission he’s given us, instead of reacting to circumstances or every new idea that comes along.
We believe that an assessment process built on a value for mutual accountability among staff, faculty and students promotes an environment of healthy inquiry and honest self examination, which should lead to definitive improvements of all areas. This process takes into account the other groups or people who contribute to the work of Eternity. Donors, supporters, and other advocates will all need to receive accurate and updated information about the institution, which will help them make informed decisions about giving and communicating to others about the mission and purpose of Eternity.
The accreditation process is not so much about following a set of standards provided by some other external organization as it is about establishing our own internal process to ensure that we remain faithful to the work God has called us to do, and allowing others to give us their perspective of our work. Seeking accreditation makes us accountable to others who want to help us remain loving, truthful and humble as we grow.
Commonly Asked Questions
Yes, Eternity Bible College is accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education Commission on Accreditation (5850 T. G. Lee Blvd., Ste. 130, Orlando, FL 32822, 407.207.0808) to grant certificates and degrees at the Associate and Baccalaureate levels.
The concept of “grandfathering” a degree does not apply since accreditation applies to the school and not to a degree.
It takes some time for the Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education (CHEA) to update their lists. In the meantime, you may verify our accreditation either through the ABHE website.
We are accredited through by the Association for Biblical Higher Education Commission on Accreditation (5850 T. G. Lee Blvd., Orlando, FL 32822; 407.207.0808). ABHE is a North American agency that is an officially recognized “national accrediting association” by the U.S. Department of Education and is an officially recognized “faith‐based” accrediting agency by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.* For more information about ABHE visit their website at www.abhe.org. We chose ABHE because we believe they provide the best option for helping us to maintain high academic standards while also sharing our Christian faith.
Even though people often use the phrase “fully” accredited, it actually is a misleading term. A school is either accredited or not. There is no partial accreditation. You may have heard that Eternity received “initial accreditation” – this means that it was the first time that Eternity has received accreditation. It is not partial.
When it comes to decisions made by other schools (such as admission), it is important to recognize that these types of decisions are completely up to the staff of the other school, so no school can promise anything (including admission and transfer of units). To this point we have had graduates accepted to Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, Talbot School of Theology, The Master’s Seminary, The Bethlehem Seminary, Azusa Pacific University, A.W. Tozer Seminary, Duke Divinity School, Fuller Seminary, and others. We also work to build relationships with any graduate school that a student is interested in, and provide any information that a Graduate School may need to be able to accurately assess a graduate of Eternity.
If a student is applying for another school, the registrar will ask or look to see if the school is accredited. If it is accredited at that time, then the conversation will usually end there. Sometimes they may look further to see the actual date of accreditation and compare that date to when the student was taking classes. However, since accreditation is a long process that requires continual improvement rather than just meeting a set of requirements, they should realize that the education offered in the years prior to receiving accredited status was comparable to that received after.
Eternity is eligible to apply for Title IV funding (the Federal loan and grant program). However, at this point our board of trustees have decided not to participate in this program because it enables and often promotes student indebtedness.
VA funding (GI Bill) is separate from Title IV. Since we have reached initial accreditation, we are submitting the appropriate paperwork to become eligible to receive VA funding. We view this funding differently than Title IV because it is a benefit that was earned rather than a loan. In the meantime, our tuition is already very affordable without financial aid due to our many donors that subsidize it.
I signed up for an education, what I received was so much more. I was mentored and discipled by fellow students and staff who had been transformed by God’s incredible love and lived every aspect of their lives as a response to that love. The more I learned to study God’s Word, the more I grew in my relationship with Jesus. And the more I learned about God’s love for the world, the more I felt called to take up my part in making this great love known.