Southwestern Assemblies of God University

If you are looking for an education with a Christian foundation, you might consider Southwestern Assemblies of God University. The school, located in Waxahachie, Texas, is a private university founded in 1927 as Southwestern Bible School. It is ranked with the second tier of Regional Universities, West, by the U.S. News and World Report. Waxahachie is in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area, so the school has an urban atmosphere and there is access to metropolitan dining, cultural and recreational activities. The freshman retention rate, which is one measure of student satisfaction, is 66 percent. The university is divided into two colleges: The College of Bible and Church Ministries and The College of Arts and Professions. There is also a graduate school. SAGU has an undergraduate student population of 1,666.

Southwestern Assemblies of God University Accreditation Details

• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
• Texas Education Agency
• International Association for Collegiate Business Education

Southwestern Assemblies of God University Application Requirements

Undergraduate admission, first time freshman applicants must complete the application form and submit it, along with the $35 application fee and all required documents. If you apply at SAGU, you will need your official high school transcripts showing a minimum GPA of 2.0. You will need to have your ACT or SAT scores sent to SAGU. The minimum acceptable score on the ACT is 19 and on the SAT is 1350. Because this is a private church-affiliated university, you will also need to submit a statement of faith and a recommendation of your Christian character. You must be a Christian to be admitted.
Undergraduate transfer students should also submit the application and fee as well as their high school transcripts and transcripts from any colleges they may have attended. They may also have to take a placement exam if they have not taken 21 hours of approved curriculum from their high school or college.

If you are planning to earn your degree online, you must submit the application and your transcripts from high school and any college work. As in the case of transfer students, you may waive the placement test if you have 21 hours of preparatory high school curriculum.

Graduate students complete the application and submit it with the $50 application fee, their undergraduate transcript and a letter of professional recommendation.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition at Southwestern Assemblies of God University is based on credit hours. On campus undergraduate tuition is $655 per credit hour. There is an enrollment deposit of $150 and other fees, including those for special degree requirements. Room rates vary from $1,295 to $1,970 and meal plans run from $1,680 plus Texas sales tax to $1,955 and Texas tax. Graduate and doctoral tuition is $575 per credit hour. If you are planning to earn you degree online, your tuition is $565 per credit hour. You may also take a class for audit only and pay $50.

Financing your education is a problem you share with almost all students. There are options in different forms of financial aid that will help you. First, you should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form. The information from this application will determine how much you and your family will be expected to contribute toward your education at SAGU. This is your financial need amount. The federal government will send you an awards letter informing you of the governmental grants and loans for which you are approved. You may receive a loan offer even if you did not apply for one. After you get this letter, you should begin to apply for other grants and scholarships. You will have to apply separately for most of them. At Southwestern Assemblies of God University, there is a Presidential Scholarship valued at $16,000, a Vice Presidential Scholarship worth $10,000 and other lesser merit-based scholarships. Merit-based means they are awarded on the basis of your academic achievements. Other scholarships are based on your financial need or on your enrollment in a particular program. There are also faith-based scholarships given to students who are Assemblies of God members. In addition to a host of scholarships there are grants that are awarded for tuition reductions or waivers, or for other expenses. Another option you may consider for financial aid is taking out a student loan. These special, loans are low-interest and have deferred payback schedules to allow you to graduate and find employment before assuming the responsibility of a monthly payment.

Online Degrees Available

Earning your degree online from Southwestern Assemblies of God is a great option because you can transfer in as many as 94 credits toward your program. Southwestern also has a “tuition sale” going on right now; if you start your bachelor’s program by spring of 2016, you can receive a 20 percent tuition grant that will apply as long as you stay continuously enrolled. As a SAGU online student, you can also enroll in a three credit course through which you demonstrate the knowledge and skills you have obtained through life experience and earn as many as thirty credit-hours for it. Average online tuition is $16,950 a year but with the maximum life experience credit your bill may be $13,137. That means you can save up to $18,000 on your degree. The savings over traditional on-campus tuition is even greater.

One of the best online programs is the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Counseling. The 127-credit program consists of 58 hours of general education studies, 57 hours of study in the major and another 12 hours of electives. You will take courses such as Counseling Children and Adolescents, Behavioral Science Research, Crisis Intervention and Management, Human Sexuality and the Psychology of Religion. Again, because this is a private, Christian university, all courses are viewed through the lens of faith. Students in the online degree program are required to take one Bible or theology course each semester until the requirements for the degree are met. You must also take a physical education course each of the first two semesters. This major also includes field practicum. One of the best features of the online programs is that students at Southwestern Assemblies of God University have access to all the resources that are available to students in traditional programs.