Parent FAQs

Grants and scholarships may be available for your student. Federal, state and BJU aid are all possible sources. The average financial aid package is $12,000. A Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required for all federal, all BJU and most South Carolina state financial aid.

The program fee covers various aspects of the student experience including the use of the library, athletic facilities and events, computer network access and other technology services, mail services, registration expenses, and supply fees associated with courses. The program fee will vary according to the student’s major as expenses for each major may differ greatly. The fee also covers Concert, Opera & Drama Series tickets for students who are enrolled with at least six credits. All privileges covered by the program fee are forfeited for the remainder of the year if a student withdraws from school for any reason.

Please visit the Student Employment page for more information.

The payroll is run every 2 weeks, and there is a 2-week delay between the last day of the pay period and the “check” date. The after-tax earnings will be posted to the student’s account or directly deposited in his or her checking account.

The W-2 forms are sent to the student’s post office box on campus before Jan. 31. If you have questions regarding a W-2, please contact Payroll Services.

The 1098-T is available from ECSI. (Note that when you put in the ZIP code, it must be the home ZIP code that is currently in our system.)

BJU students must grant financial rights to anyone they wish to view their account online. This can be done on the Student Account page in StudentCentral on the Financial Rights tab. After you receive your login credentials, you can access the billing statement through our billpay website.

• Students may call the Student Health Services office at (864) 241-1685 or email them. The office is located in the bottom of Reveal Residence Hall at the end near the parking garage. Office hours are 8 a.m.—5 p.m., Mon.—Fri.
• Students may consult a nurse after 5 p.m. and on the weekends by calling the Student Medical Advice Line (864) 455-9327
• Students may make an appointment to see a medical provider of their choice.
• Students may obtain healthcare at a local urgent care center
• Students may go to an emergency room

The Student Medical Advice Line provides access to qualified nursing advice by phone 24 hours a day. This service is provided at no charge to the student by Prisma Health under contract with BJU. The sole purpose of this service is to help students identify the appropriate medical treatment option for their illness or injury during the hours that Student Health Services is closed.

If your student is sick or injured and desires a medical opinion concerning condition and treatment options, especially if any of the following apply.

• Flu-like symptoms
• Unusual abdominal pain/GI upset
• Possible broken bones
• Headaches
• Common colds/fever greater than 100°
• Other health issues that could be taken care of with a routine visit to a medical office, clinic or urgent care center
• You (their parent) or residence hall leaders advise them to be evaluated by a medical professional

Students are not required to use the Student Medical Advice Line or to see a physician. However, if your student is unsure what to do, they can call for advice.

Students should call 911 instead of the Student Medical Advice Line if they are experiencing symptoms such as the following:

• Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath
• Chest pain or pressure
• Fainting or loss of consciousness
• Unresponsiveness
• Sudden dizziness, weakness or change in vision
• Unexplained severe headache
• Bleeding that won’t stop
• Choking
• Severe burns
• Trauma

The nurse will ask the student questions regarding their illness or injury, evaluate them and recommend an immediate plan of care. The nurse may give them basic advice based on their condition and clinical protocol and release them to return to their residence hall or class. The nurse may suggest they make an appointment to see a physician, go to an urgent care center or go to an emergency room. If the nurse determines that they need advanced emergency care, your student or someone with them who can clearly communicate the nature and location of the medical emergency should call EMS for transport. Your student or the other person should also immediately notify BJU Public Safety of their location so that they are aware EMS is coming and they can help guide EMS to them.

Yes. Anyone going to a doctor’s office, urgent care center or local hospital is expected to present his or her insurance card at the time of service. Students should have their own card and carry it with them at all times.

If your student does not have or is unable to use their own means of transportation and cannot find assistance from others, they should contact a resident supervisor or mentor or ask for help at their residence hall RA desk to help coordinate transportation. Seeking assistance is especially important if their condition impairs their ability to operate a vehicle or to walk safely.

Students who are unable to go to chapel due to an illness are to contact their resident supervisor or mentor before missing chapel. Students who are unable to attend local church services due to illness should contact a resident supervisor or mentor.

Students should email teachers as needed regarding assignments missed, especially if the illness is extended. It is the student’s responsibility to contact a work supervisor if they are unable to work. Students can contact the Student Health Services for assistance.

The BJU class absence policy makes allowance for a defined number of personal absences for contagious or debilitating illness. In order to conserve personal absences, students should work with doctor’s or dentist’s offices whenever possible to schedule appointments during times when they do not have classes or chapel. More information regarding the class absence policy is available in the Student Handbook.

Their physician will confer with them about their ability to return to normal activities. To assist both your student and various campus student service departments concerning your situation, contact Student Health Services about the details of their surgery and recuperation period.

Student Life staff will assist students in emergency situations. Students or parents should contact their resident supervisor or mentor to help coordinate ongoing assistance.

Students or parents should contact the resident supervisor or mentor to help coordinate temporary housing and meals.

The Academic Resource Center offers transition advising. Students who are contemplating a major change should meet with the transition advisor. The transition advisor can:

• Review current academic progress and course completion in connection with a proposed intended program.
• Discuss the major requested and/or provide other major available options.
• Obtain additional resources and/or schedule meetings with select faculty, alumni or deans.

The transition advisor seeks to ensure that the student is selecting an appropriate major for completion of a degree in a timely manner.

The Academic Resource Center seeks to assist students in achieving academic excellence by providing a variety of services and resources to support students' academic goals.

• Academic advisors help students to develop their academic plan and to strengthen their specific academic skills, such as time management, study and test-taking skills, note taking and goal setting.
• Study groups provide a forum for students to work together to reinforce their understanding of specific course content.
• Tutor Referral assists students who are seeking individualized tutoring sessions for specific college courses.
• The Writing Center supports students in the development of writing skills by guiding them through the writing process.
• Academic Accommodations provide a personalized support system to students with documented learning disabilities by establishing reasonable academic accommodations and offering individualized academic assistance.
• Transition Advising guides students through the decision-making process of selecting or changing their degree program.
• Technology Resources assists students and faculty by providing technical support for personal computing devices and by offering advice and guidance related to the selection and use of instructional technology equipment and applications.

First, encourage your student to see the professor of the class in which help is needed. The professor is the person best qualified to help a student understand the subject. The student should also be encouraged to maintain continued contact with the professor throughout the semester in order to stay informed about their academic status in the course and to receive additional help as needed.

Yes. The name of the student's advisor and academic dean and his or her campus contact information can be obtained by contacting the Records Office. The advisor provides assistance both with studies in general and the academic major, and the academic dean is also available for consultation.

An electronic 4-week grade assessment and midterm progress report of a student’s grades are available on his or her StudentCentral record. Final grades are also available at the end of the semester on StudentCentral. Students are responsible for providing information on their academic progress to their parents and others needing this information. Parents are encouraged to contact their student concerning their progress.

All coursework taken in residence or by distance learning at another institution must be approved in advance by the Registrar’s Office. In order to ensure that courses will transfer, the student must complete a Transfer Work Request form to be evaluated by the Registrar. Once the coursework is evaluated, the Registrar’s Office will notify the student of the results. If the coursework is approved, the student should request the other institution to send an official transcript to BJU at the conclusion of the course(s).

Students in good standing are eligible to take BJU courses online during any semester they are not enrolled in residence. In addition, any coursework taken in residence or by distance learning at another institution must be approved in advance by the Registrar’s Office. In order to ensure that courses will transfer, the student must complete a Transfer Work Request form to be evaluated by the Registrar. Once the coursework is evaluated, the Registrar’s Office will notify the student of the results. If the coursework is approved, the student should request the other institution to send an official transcript to BJU at the conclusion of the course(s).

When a student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA) is below the 2.0 degree requirement (C average) having lost quality points, the student is placed on an academic restriction. The student remains on an academic restriction until they are able to regain sufficient quality points to raise their cumulative average to the minimum 2.0 degree requirement. Quality points are regained by earning grades of B or A.

Academic restrictions include limited load, academic probation or strict academic probation. Based upon the restriction, the student is limited in the number of credits they may take during the semester, including not being eligible to take online classes, and/or extracurricular activities in which they may participate, including planned class absences. These restrictions are intended to help the student achieve academic success and raise their GPA to the requirement for graduation.

A student is removed from an academic restriction at the end of any academic period when their cumulative GPA is 2.0 or above.

A student on an academic restriction or academic probation may only miss classes due to illness or a family emergency and is not eligible for planned absences from classes. A residence hall student may take overnights according to the policy outlined in the Student Handbook. An overnight pass does not exempt a student from class attendance or any academic penalty for missing a class.

If students cannot be reached on their cell phone, contact the Student Development & Discipleship office at (864) 241-1646 (men) or (864) 241-1647 (women), Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. After office hours, call the BJU switchboard at (864) 242-5100, and Public Safety will contact the proper person to assist you.

You should use the following format to mail things to a student:

Student’s Name
Box Number
Bob Jones University
1700 Wade Hampton Blvd.
Greenville, SC 29614

Students may move into the residence halls during the published move-in times at the beginning of each semester. Students who are expected to arrive earlier due to work responsibilities or training will be notified by their work manager and are to submit a request for summer housing in Student Central. Students who arrive before published move-in days (or more than 48 hours prior to their first required activity or meeting) will be charged a $50 per day early arrival fee.

Yes, find several helpful suggestions here.

During the regular school year, a student may go overnight to the home of an immediate relative or a member of BJU’s faculty or staff. Students may stay overnight with friends during academic breaks, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring breaks.

Residence hall students may spend up to 30 overnights with close relatives (including up to 6 overnights with BJU faulty or staff) per semester. The residence hall experience is designed to help students grow through the accountability and responsibility of living on campus. Many students are involved in social events, sports competitions, job opportunities and outreach ministries. Because most of these activities take place on the weekends, it is important that residence hall students be on campus most of the time.

Students may go off campus in mixed groups of three or more. Students in the group need to stay together. On and off campus, physical contact between unmarried men and women is not allowed.

Details on student breaks or holiday travel

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal statute passed into law in 1974 that provides the basis for dealing with student information.

FERPA affords parents the right to have access to their children’s education records, the right to seek to have the records amended and the right to have some control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information from the education records.

When a student turns 18 years old or enters a postsecondary institution at any age, the rights under FERPA transfer from the parents to the student.

Directory information—items in education records of a students that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Typical items include name, address, date and place of birth, major field(s) of study, enrollment status, awards and honors received, or degrees conferred. Directory information about a student may be released unless the student has submitted a written request that we not do so.

Non-directory information—items related specifically to the student and their academics (e.g., grades, GPA, etc.), financial information (e.g., account, aid, etc.) or student life (e.g., disciplinary issues) at a postsecondary institution. With a few exceptions, non-directory information may only be released to a third party if the student has given written permission.

The rights under FERPA transfer from the parents to the student once the student turns 18 years old or enters a postsecondary institution at any age.

Bob Jones University may share select information about a student beyond what is considered directory information with the student’s parents if we have permission from the student or if the parents provide proof that either parent has claimed the student as a dependent on the parent’s most recent year’s income tax return.

If the student is a dependent for income tax purposes, the institution may disclose any education records—including financial records—to the student’s parents. If the student is not a dependent, then the student must provide consent for the institution to disclose the information to the parents.

If the student has declared their parents or another party as the guarantor of their account, the student must provide the guarantor access to the student account in StudentCentral, BJU’s student Internet portal. Access to a student’s account does not provide access to academic information in StudentCentral.

If a student is enrolled in a postsecondary institution at any age, the rights under FERPA have transferred to the student. If the student is under 18, the parents still retain the rights under FERPA at the high school and may inspect and review any records sent by the postsecondary institution to the high school.

Health service records are subject to even more restrictions than are educational records, including keeping it confidential that a child has even used those services. BJU recognizes that confidentiality in this area is critical to encouraging a student to talk openly and candidly with a physician or other health professional without fear that this information will be shared with others.

In the event of a potentially life-threatening emergency, FERPA does allow parents or guardians to be notified without prior consent from the student. BJU has an emergency notification policy for this type of situation. Further, if a hospital or police agency is involved, those agencies have their own protocols for notifying parents.