Special Student Status
Ministers in active service, missionaries on furlough, persons in training for mission service, and other qualified persons who desire to enroll in a nondegree program may be admitted as special students.
Students may be admitted to Candler as special students rather than as degree candidates for various reasons, including the opportunity to strengthen the academic background necessary for admission to a degree program. Classification as a special student applies only to the semester for which admission is approved. For continuation beyond one semester, the student must submit a Request for Readmission form 
[PDF 550K] and statement of request to the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid , by May 1 for the summer term, July 1 for the fall semester, or November 1 for the spring semester. Special students may not remain in this status for more than one calendar year nor receive more than thirty semester hours credit without permission from the director of admissions. Institutional and federal scholarships and loans are not available to special students.
Students wanting to complete the Basic Graduate Theological Studies (BGTS), a UMC program of prescribed theological education, must apply as a special student.
Admission
Admission as a special student normally requires a bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, or equivalent degree from a regionally accredited college or university; a well-balanced program in the liberal arts; and a grade point average of 2.50 or better out of 4.0.
Application Deadline
Offers of admission are made on a rolling admissions basis. When an application is complete, it will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee. Normally, a decision will be reached within two weeks. Applications for admission must be submitted by May 1 for the summer term, July 1 for the fall semester, and November 1 for the spring semester.