Policies - Mount Liberty College

Honor Code

“Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be anything virtuous, and if there be anything praiseworthy; we seek after these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

The Mount Liberty College honor code follows the principles set forth in the teachings of Paul in the New Testament. We expect all students to be honest and truthful in every endeavor, including their education. Because we embrace the principles of these teachings as a private institution we expect students to also abstain from the use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. Dress is business casual while on campus and includes following modest and clean dress and grooming standards because it does affect how we work and interact with others. As students and faculty follow these guidelines, it will create a wholesome and welcoming environment which will help to inspire learning for all.

Admissions Policy

Minimum Requirements

Mount Liberty College will consider applicants who:

Have received either a high school diploma or satisfactorily passed the General Educational Development Test, and/or taken a national standardized test (ACT/SAT/CLT), or
Are planning on early enrollment as a high school senior, and
Have satisfactorily passed the Mount Liberty College entrance interview
Exceptions to this policy will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Application

Applicants to our undergraduate program must submit an official application, SAT, ACT, and/or CLT scores if they have taken one of these exams, transcript(s), two short essay questions, and one letter of recommendation. Within 2 weeks after receiving the completed application, we will be in contact with students to arrange for an academic interview.

We accept SAT, ACT, and/or CLT and transcripts for placement purposes, but will work with students on an individual basis if these are not available. Also, an in-depth personal interview will be conducted to evaluate placement.

Students who are accepted into the degree program and who at any time thereafter fail to enroll in classes for three or more consecutive years by their own choice, for any reason, must reapply. Readmitted students do not lose previously earned course credit, but they are subject to the current graduation requirements of their program which may have changed and may not include all of the courses a student has previously taken.

Students who have been accepted can defer their enrollment for humanitarian or religious purposes, i.e. an LDS mission.

Please visit our Admissions page for complete details about our admissions requirements.

Dual Enrollment

Most often in a regular college receiving government funding, dual enrollment is much less expensive than regular college attendance because of that government financing. We, at Mount Liberty College, receive no government funding but rely on donations and tuition. We have made our tuition as reasonable as we can to facilitate everyone who would like to attend. Because of this, anyone accepted into our dual enrollment program will be paying the same tuition as other students. We do have a few, small needs-based and merit-based scholarships which will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

Policies Governing Academic and Administrative Probation and Dismissal

Each student agrees to comply with Mount Liberty College rules and regulations as outlined on this policies page.

Academic Policy

Attendance

Students are expected to attend all classes and prescribed meetings. Individual mentoring, group tutorials, and study sessions are all integral to gaining a classical liberal arts education at MLC.

Student attendance throughout the semester is considered when assigning a grade for each seminar, because a classical education requires interaction with mentors and fellow students and because mastery of a subject matter cannot be measured by a standardized test.

Grading of Assignments

All assignments, projects, and examinations are graded by the instructor using the scale below. This scale is then converted into a point system for the purpose of establishing course grades.

Students with fewer than 26 credit hours are classified as freshmen. Students with at least 26 credit hours but fewer than 56 credit hours are classified as sophomores. Students with at least 56 credit hours but fewer than 88 credit hours are classified as juniors. Students with 88 credit hours or more are classified as seniors.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

All credit recorded on the transcript will adhere to the following format (all are on the standard four-point scale):

	A		Worth 4.0
	A-		Worth 3.7
	B+		Worth 3.3
	B		Worth 3.0
	B-		Worth 2.7
	C+		Worth 2.3
	C		Worth 2.0
	C-		Worth 1.7
	D+		Worth 1.3
	D		Worth 1.0
	F		Worth 0.0
	P		The class did not require a final examination and was graded as Pass/Fail. This credit applies toward graduation but does not affect GPA.
	W		The student withdrew from the class with permission. No credit is awarded and GPA is not affected.
	UW		The student withdrew from the class without permission or after the deadline. No credit is awarded, but GPA is affected. The UW is worth 0.0 on the standard four-point scale unless and until the student retakes the class.
	I		Incomplete. An incomplete grade may be given for nonacademic extenuating circumstances (serious illness, personal injury, death in the immediate family, etc.) This option requires a written agreement with the instructor to complete the course as soon as possible, but not to exceed one year. This must be fulfilled before credit is awarded. Incomplete grades will be changed to an F at the end of the one year period if left unresolved.
	*Credits with a grade of C- or lower cannot be applied toward graduation requirements. Retaking such classes will allow a new grade to replace the lower one when calculating GPA and graduation credits, but will not remove the record of the original grade from a student’s transcript.

Grade point averages are calculated by assigning numeric values called “quality points” to letter grades. One credit hour of A earns four quality points, one credit hour of B earns three quality points, one credit hour of C earns two quality points, one credit hour of D earns one quality point, and one credit hour of F or I (Incomplete) earns no quality points. Plus and minus (+/-) grades earn increments of quality points as shown in the above table.

A student’s GPA is calculated by dividing the sum of earned quality points by the sum of attempted credit hours for all courses receiving a grade used in calculating the GPA. Grades A through F and the grade of I are used in calculating a student’s GPA. Other grades such as AU (Audit), NC (No Credit), P (Pass), SP (Satisfactory Progress), T (Transfer), W (Withdrawal), WA (Administrative Withdrawal), and WIP (Work in Progress) carry no quality points and are not used in calculating the GPA. A grade with an asterisk (*) has been forgiven in the GPA because the course has been repeated. Only work taken at MLC is used in the GPA.

The student is responsible for studying hard and maintaining satisfactory academic performance. Any freshman or sophomore who, at the end of any semester, has a cumulative grade-point average below 2.00 is not in good academic standing. Any junior or senior who, at the end of any semester, has a cumulative grade-point average below 2.5 is not in good academic standing. Those without good academic standing are placed on academic probation for a semester and will need to raise their GPA to remain at MLC. Faculty and administration are here to help but the student is ultimately responsible to study hard and get the extra help he/she might need.

Academic Honors

To be eligible for Graduation Honors, an undergraduate student must earn a minimum of 60 credits hours in residence at Mount Liberty College. The three levels of Graduation Honors conferred with a degree are earned by attaining the following:

Cum Laude:	3.90 GPA
Magna Cum Laude:	3.90 GPA and Honors on either the Oral Defense or the Thesis
Summa Cum Laude:	3.90 GPA and Honors on both the Oral Defense and the Thesis

Graduation Committee

The Graduation Committee is made up of assigned faculty members. This Committee is the authority in determining if a student has satisfied all graduation requirements.

Job Placement

No formal job placement system is provided by Mount Liberty College.

Life Experience Credit

Mount Liberty College does not offer credit based on life experience.

Transfer Credit

Upon request, Mount Liberty College will evaluate credit earned toward degree programs at other colleges and universities to see if it meets graduation requirements for a Mount Liberty College degree program.

Evaluation of transfer credit is on a case-by-case basis and is subject to the following policies:

Transferrable credit may be evaluated only after a prospective student has begun the application process and has requested their previously earned credits be considered for transfer.
Students interested in having credit evaluated must request official transcripts from the other institutions to be sent directly to Mount Liberty College as well as a course catalog or syllabi showing the course description and readings.
In order to satisfy Mount Liberty College degree program requirements, a transferred course must be materially equivalent to the Mount Liberty College required course it is satisfying.
Institutional names, credit categories and credit amounts that are transferred to Mount Liberty College are notated under the heading of Transfer Credit on the student transcript.

Credit for Foreign Language Experience

Students who come to Mount Liberty College with substantial previous experience in a foreign language (whether through classroom experience or contact with the language by living in a foreign language culture) may receive up to twelve hours of foreign language course credit after a language skill assessment (requiring a nominal fee if not a full-time student). The assessment exam should be taken in the student’s first semester at MLC, or in the first semester after having lived in a foreign-language culture. Link to more information.

Degree Program and Graduation Requirements

Credit units are determined by semester hours. A semester hour is forty hours of class and study time, equal to roughly three hours per week for the duration of a semester. Credit requirements for graduation within the undergraduate program are outlined below. Length of program assumes full-time, on-campus enrollment.

Four Year Undergraduate Degree in Classical Liberal Arts – 124 credits in the following areas:

Core Curriculum: 108 credits
Foreign Language 12 credits
Practicums (2) 4 credits
Final oral examination 0 credits

Credit Agreement

Tuition and applicable fees, assessed in accordance with Mount Liberty College’s published financial policies, are the student’s responsibility and due upon enrollment.

Students accept responsibility for any unpaid balance resulting from a returned check or credit card. They are liable for all charges incurred after the date of this agreement. Failure to pay their debt as agreed may result in withdrawal from Mount Liberty College. If it becomes necessary to enforce payment of this account, attorney’s fees, court costs, and collection agency fees may be added to the amount owed.

Financial Policies

Mount Liberty College reserves the right to make changes to requirements, fees, course offerings, or other specified policies at any time. MLC neither gives final examinations, grants a degree, nor issues grade reports or transcripts of credits unless satisfactory arrangements have been made with Student Financial Services for payment of all fees. Should payment of any fee become delinquent (ten days overdue) the student may be excluded from classes, and future use of credit may be denied.

Students who fail to make financial arrangements by the appropriate deadline may incur a late fee and may be deregistered or required to register during a late registration period.

Mount Liberty College retains a security interest in all transcripts, diplomas, certificates, letters of recommendation or grade reports which may not be released until debts are paid in full. MLC may report to any credit bureau on credit granted, and/or any account delinquencies. Failure to pay for my classes or nonattendance in my classes does not constitute an official withdrawal from my classes or the College.

All fees are disclosed online.

Refund Policy

All enrollments are subject to a three business day cooling-off period, commencing with the day an initial deposit or payment toward tuition and fees of the institution is made, until midnight of the third business day following such date, during which time the contract may be rescinded and all monies paid refunded. Any student who is dismissed or withdraws after the cooling-off period may receive a partial refund according to the schedule below. In all cases, be they during or after the cooling-off period, refunds must be requested in writing and the postmark date or email date of the request shall be construed as the actual request date in determining the appropriate amount of the refund. It is the responsibility of the student to verify that a refund request has been received by the Office of the Registrar.

Tuition Refund Schedule

After the cooling-off period, tuition is partially refundable to students who request it in writing. MLC will observe the following schedule for refunding tuition/fees:

Week 1 100%
Week 2 100%
Week 3 75%
Week 4 50%
Week 5 25%
Week 6 No refund

Accreditation

Accreditation takes many years to achieve, and is very expensive. No new college receives accreditation until it has opened and operated for several years.

Far more importantly, there are only two situations in which accreditation is helpful. One is to make the college or its students eligible for financial aid. Since MLC is unwilling to subject itself to the regulation required for eligibility for government funds, we see no reason to seek accreditation for that reason.

The other reason is to facilitate transfer of credits between colleges. We are confident enough in the education we provide that we doubt that there would ever be enough of a demand for transfer to make accreditation worth the exorbitant costs and lengthy process it would require.

Students and parents sometimes think a degree from an accredited college is necessary for admission to a professional or graduate school. That does not seem to be the case. These institutions are interested in applicant scores on the Graduate Record Exams, or the aptitude tests (MCAT, LSAT, etc.) they require for admission. Since MLC is designed to help students score well on these tests, there is no reason to think that our alumni will be at a disadvantage in graduate admissions.

Degree Programs

The degree program offered by the college is described here.

Financial Aid

Detailed information about financial aid opportunities offered by the college is available on the college website here.

Non-discrimination Policy

Mount Liberty College prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, political belief or affiliation, veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law in any aspect of the access to, admission, or treatment of students in its programs and activities, or in employment and application for employment. Furthermore, MLC policy includes prohibitions of harassment of students and employees, i.e., racial harassment, sexual harassment, and retaliation for filing complaints of discrimination.

Mount Liberty College will be tracking graduation and employment rates.

REGISTERED UNDER THE UTAH POSTSECONDARY PROPRIETARY SCHOOL ACT (Title 13, Chapter 34, Utah Code).

Registration under the Utah Postsecondary Proprietary School Act does not mean that the State of Utah supervises, recommends, nor accredits the institution. It is the student’s responsibility to determine whether credits, degrees, or certificates from the institution will transfer to other institutions or meet employers’ training requirements. This may be done by calling the prospective school or employer.

The institution is not accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education.

Mount Liberty College maintains a form of surety as part of our registration with the state of Utah.

Student Agreement

I have read and understood all aspects of this agreement and do recognize my legal responsibilities in regard to this agreement.