married students
engaged couples
If you’re engaged and wish to enroll prior to getting married, there are several things you’ll want to keep in mind:
For all incoming students:
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We strongly encourage both parties to attend Bethany if at all possible. Even if you are planning to complete the Certificate only, you and your fiancée/fiancé will benefit greatly as a couple to have this year of training as a foundation for your future ministry and life as a married couple.
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If you plan to get married prior to enrolling at Bethany, please note that our standard policy is that newlyweds should not enroll until close to their first wedding anniversary. This policy reflects the principal of taking an appropriate amount of time to attend fully to personal affairs and the adjustment of marriage, without the additional stresses of college-level work and ministry training. You may, however, submit your applications during your engagement, indicating an enrollment date closest to your first anniversary.
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If you feel that there is a compelling reason for you to enroll prior to your first wedding anniversary, you are welcome to submit a statement explaining your unique situation to the Admissions Office when you send in your applications. Exceptions to our standard policy are considered on a case-by-case basis.
For those wishing to complete the B.A. Degree in Intercultural Studies:
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If you plan to complete the B.A. program, you will be spending 16 months on an overseas internship. If you intend to go on internship with your new spouse, your spouse will be required to enroll as a part-time student for 2 years as a minimum requirement to join you on internship, even if he/she will not be a B.A. student, but a team member only. See the “Program Options for Married Couples” document for details.
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Bethany International Ministries (our sending arm, which fields interns doing the B.A. program overseas) also has a standard policy that newlyweds be married for approximately one year before going to a field learning site. Please keep this in mind as you make wedding plans.
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If you wish to get married sometime during your first two years of enrollment and then plan to go on internship, arrangements can be made for you to withdraw from the college for a one year leave of absence following your marriage. You would then re-enroll and go on internship with the next incoming class.
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Contact the Admissions Office if you have further questions about the policies and recommendations regarding engagement and the setting of wedding dates.
single parents
Single parents participate fully in all components of their chosen program, just as a single student without children would. Since childcare is not provided on campus, children must be old enough to care for themselves when their parent is fulfilling school requirements. Therefore, no single parent with children under the age of 14 will be considered for enrollment.
Please review the information for families throughout this page, as much of it will apply to you as a parent regardless of your marital status.
separation of spouses
Bethany promotes the Biblical concepts of marriage and family, and therefore will not under any circumstances enroll a student who wishes to separate from their family in order to attend BCOM.
residency
Certain programs require residency on campus for the entire family. Other programs allow for flexibility in this. Please see the Program Options for Married Couples document to learn more about the choices available to couples.
the college schedule
Classes, chapel times, and cell groups take place each morning from 8:00 am - noon. Full-time students attend at least 12 hours of class during the week and participate in a practical training assignment with a department on campus for 20 hours per week on average. Full-time students are also involved in a weekly Outreach Practicum (4 – 6 hours per week) and generally have one or two hours of homework each evening. All students attend a weekly evening service on campus of approximately 2 hours as well. A number of breaks and special events are planned throughout each term.
married couples without children
We strongly recommend that married couples without children both enroll as full-time students in order to take advantage of the opportunity to receive comprehensive life and missions training as a couple before starting a family. However, married couples make choose from among any of the program options available to couples regardless of whether they have children.
married couples with children
We welcome families! However, we do not recommend that both spouses enroll as full-time students unless exceptional circumstances exist.
Instead, there are several other program options that are more conducive for students with children. The document, Program Options for Married Couples, goes into detail about the requirements and benefits of all options.
childcare
Bethany International does not provide childcare for students. It is the responsibility of the parents to make all childcare arrangements and to manage their family scheduling around college requirements.
Therefore, parents should think realistically about the needs of their children and the demands of college life when selecting their program of enrollment. We ask each family to schedule an interview with one of our Student Deans before enrolling, for this purpose.
Student families enroll at Bethany every year, and we’ve seen that a little ingenuity in scheduling and cooperation with others families on campus usually allows couples to manage childcare and schoolwork with minimal disruption to the family. The college is usually able to provide facilities for co-operative childcare among students and staff, upon request.
School-aged children can attend any one of a number of both private and public schools in the Bloomington school district. More information on school and daycare options is available upon request from the Admissions Office.
homeschooling
Families who choose to home-school their children are welcome to arrange for use of facilities and resources on campus. It is up to each family to work within their college schedule when home-schooling.
living conditions
Resident married students live in on-campus living quarters. Each couple is given one bedroom, with the option of renting additional bedrooms as available. Younger children can share a bedroom with you, if desired, thus keeping the cost of housing a little lower.
Couples generally share a bathroom, a living room, and kitchen facilities with one other couple or family. Unless you have a large family it is likely that you will share these spaces. In some buildings the living room and kitchen facilities may be shared between several couples. While our students find married student housing to be sufficient, you will probably be more “cozy” than in your present situation.
We currently provide meals in the campus dining rooms. The cost of meals for full and part-time college students is included in your school fees; the cost of meals for children is based upon age and is a monthly fee. You may want to do some of your own cooking in your dorm as well. The dorm kitchens are equipped with very basic appliances (refrigerator, oven, dish washer), so if you like to cook items that require special equipment, be sure to bring it with you.
