Dallas Christian College

Dallas Christian College celebrates its 65th year in 2015, having served the city of Dallas and the state of Texas since 1950. After being imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp, missionary Vernon Newland and 40 like-minded individuals founded the school in an effort to restore New Testament Christianity to America, and they proceeded to plant additional schools as well as churches to realize this goal. Today, the school continues to offer faith-based educational programs to students via traditional, on-campus instruction and an online format. The university's stated mission is "to educate and mentor students to be people of influence, under God's influence, for a life of influence."

At Dallas Christian College, students can study a wide range of programs. Since the 1990s, the school has expanded its offerings to include degrees in business, education and the social sciences. The school realized that preparing students for a broader range of occupations would help further its primary mission of spreading Christian principles throughout the world. There are five departments: Arts & Sciences, Bible, Business, Education and Psychology. Students can also enroll in the FLEXCampus program, an accelerated system designed specifically for adult, postsecondary students or those who need greater flexibility in scheduling.

As a Christian college, Dallas Christian develops its curriculum in conjunction with biblical teachings. The school does not discriminate based on federally protected designations such as sex and race, but it does require all representatives of the school to subscribe to a statement of faith as outlined on its website. Students who attend here will receive an education with profoundly religious influence.

Dallas Christian College Accreditation Details

Dallas Christian College holds institutional accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of the Association for Biblical Higher Education, which was formerly known as the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges. This Christian college accrediting organization has been recognized as a legitimate accrediting body by several agencies, including the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the United States Office of Education.

Dallas Christian College Application Requirements

According to the university's admissions webpage, the school seeks students who demonstrate strong "academic history and character evaluation" as well as those who "have a background of scholastic ability and spiritual mindedness." The admissions staff looks at a student's application holistically, taking into account the total picture of a student's background rather than eliminating applicants based on particulars. For traditional freshman seeking undergraduate enrollment, the application requirements include:

• A minimum GPA of 2.5
• A minimum SAT score of 900 or ACT score of 19
• Completion of the online application form
• A non-refundable fee of $30
• An in-person interview with an admissions representative
• All official transcripts

Dallas Christian also offers adult learners the opportunity to study in the evenings and online via its FLEXCampus program. The application process is similar, but for online students, the university also needs a letter of recommendation from a pastor, an essay outlining why the student needs distance education, an updated shot record for students younger than 30, and official college transcripts. The FLEXCampus program requires that students have graduated from an accredited college or earned their GED.

To apply for a traditional or online program, students need to submit all documentation via mail or using the online application portal available on the school's website.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Cost of attendance at Dallas Christian College will depend on factors such as program of study, whether or not the student lives on campus, and how many supplies a student needs to purchase. The university offers a net calculator on its website to help students determine how much they can expect to pay. In general, tuition and fees are as follows for an undergraduate freshman student:

• Tuition: $488 per credit hour
• Student service fee: $430
• Orientation for new students: $150

The school estimates that students might spend about $1,000 for books and supplies, and the cost for room and board is approximately $3,690. All of these cost estimates have been determined on a per-year basis starting in academic year 2015-2016. The student service fee is just $270 for students who enroll in fewer than eight credit hours. In addition to the standard tuition and fees, students who enroll in an online program will pay an additional $90 per course as of the 2014-2015 guidelines. The university offers a complete breakdown in fees on its tuition webpage.

At a rate of $488 per credit hour, an undergraduate student at Dallas Christian can expect to pay more than $11,000 for a standard academic year based on 12 credits per semester. To help offset these costs, students can take advantage of financial aid opportunities. Grants, federal and private loans, and work-study programs are available to those who qualify. The school encourages students to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA as early as possible to determine eligibility.

In addition to loans, grants and work-study options, Dallas Christian offers 22 institutional scholarships, including four awards for transfer students, the President's Scholarship and the Developing Christian Influence Scholarship. Details about these and other scholarship opportunities can be found in the university's catalog, which is hosted online.

Online Degree(s) Available

Dallas Christian College offers six degree programs via its online portal, FLEXCampus, including a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Bible. The program is designed to "equips students with the foundational tools in psychology and counseling from a biblical perspective," and those who earn the degree can go on to complete graduate-level coursework. The FLEXCampus program allows students to:

• Earn a bachelor's degree in about 24 months depending on prior education
• Complete classes in six-week increments instead of 16-week increments
• Take classes from established practitioners in the field via a seminar format
• Enjoy one-on-one instruction and small class sizes

For the Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Bible, students need to complete 129 credit hours broken down into the following categories: Bible core, general education, major requirements and open electives.

Major courses cover topics such as statistics for psychological studies, psychology readings, psychology and Christian thought, and theories of personality. Bible core classes teach subjects such as Johannine literature and Paul's letters in the New Testament. Students can transfer credits into the online program from an accredited school, but they'll need to check with the academic advisement team at Dallas Christian College to determine which credits transfer.