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FAQ

Messiah Online FAQs

Messiah Online Policies

Courses

Messiah University is offering approximately 60 courses for Summer 2021 in six-week or compacted three-week terms. See Messiah's Summer 2021 Online Course Offerings for a full list of courses.

We have several terms for you to select from, based on your summer calendar. We have three-week or six-week terms.

May 16 – June 26: Summer Term I: six-week term

May 17 – August 6: 3-week International Business (IBI) courses

July 5 – August 14: Summer Term II: six-week term

Messiah University is accredited and credits earned at Messiah, including summer courses, will transfer to most other colleges and universities. The decision about transfer credits and their application to specific degree requirements, however, is the decision of the receiving institution. To be certain, it is advisable that you confirm this in advance with the institution to which you wish to transfer credit.

All of Messiah's online courses are developed and taught by current Messiah University faculty, who are dedicated, experienced educators known for integrating their Christian faith with their outstanding scholarship, teaching and expertise. Messiah's online course content is designed and delivered to meet the same high standards as courses offered in our traditional classroom-based format.

Yes, all of Messiah's summer online courses are credit-bearing. And because Messiah University is an accredited academic institution, all courses offered by Messiah, including online courses, fall under that accreditation.

As a current student, Messiah's summer course credit is applicable toward your Messiah University degree. However, you are encouraged to work with your academic advisor to ensure that the summer course(s) you wish to take will help you to meet your major's specific curriculum requirements.

Registration

In addition to our current students, Messiah University invites high school and homeschool juniors and seniors, Messiah employees, alumni, parents, and friends, or anyone who would like to further their post-secondary education at Messiah University to apply for summer course study.  Current Messiah students can register for summer courses through FalconLink at the same time they register for fall courses.  Current high school students must complete an application for dual enrollment; students from other colleges and universities and all others should complete the registration form found in the Registration tab on this website.  The last day to register for Summer 2021 depends upon the term for which you're registering.

Don't miss out -- registration closes soon!

  • Summer Term I: registration closes by May 12, 2021
  • Summer Term II: registration closes by June 30, 2021

Because the average person should expect to invest a minimum of 15 hours per week per 6 week course, taking two online courses is the rough equivalent of a full-time job. Therefore, it is the University's policy to limit registration to six credits per term during the summer semester.

Students may take up to six credits in each 6-week term, for a total of 12 credits for the summer semester.

 

 

Finances

Messiah summer online courses are an affordable option, discounted by nearly 60 percent as the same courses offered during the academic year. The cost for Summer 2021 is $570/credit*. There is no technology fee for summer online courses. The cost of textbooks and other course materials is incurred separately.

Students taking CHEM 106 may choose to stay on campus the week of July 5 - July 9.  Students taking BIOL 117 may choose to stay on campus the week of August 9-13. Additional fees for housing and meals will apply. 

*For costs and fees associated with Dual Enrollment, visit the Dual Enrollment page.

For students not currently enrolled at Messiah University, payment is due at the time of registration. For current Messiah University students, payment is due prior to the beginning of the class start date of June 1, 2021 (you will be billed through the Messiah University Student Financial Services).

Summer Session Refund Policy: Refunds for students who withdraw voluntarily or involuntarily are determined according to the following policy:
   

1) The portion of tuition to be refunded to students who withdraw prior to the end of the work day (5:00 pm EST) listed will be as follows. The dates and amounts depend upon which part-of-term the student is registered.

 
    6-week Summer Term I: May 16 - June 26
  Drop Date % refunded
  May 16 - 18 100%
  May 19 - 21 75%
  May 22 - 24 60%
  May 25 - 27 50%
  May 28 - 30 25%
  May 31 - June 26  0%
    6-week Summer Term II July 5 - August 14
  Drop Date % refunded
  July 5 - 7  100%
  July 8 - 9 75%
  July 10 - 12 60%
  July 13 - 15 50%
  July 16 - 18 25%
  July 19 - Aug 14  0%

2) All requests for drops or withdrawals must be in writing and emailed to the Registrar's Office at summersession@messiah.edu. The date of the email determines the refund date used in 1) above. It is important to note that notifying an instructor does not constitute an official request to drop or withdraw from a course. Read the complete refund policy.

3) To drop the last course on your registration, email summersession@messiah.edu.
If you are considering taking classes during the summer session at Messiah University, and are interested in applying for Financial Aid to help you with the cost of attendance, here are some important facts you will need to know.
   
 
  • If you plan to take some courses this summer and want to apply for financial aid, you’ll need to complete the Summer Financial Aid Request Form. 
  • Messiah University does not offer institutional financial aid for regular summer classes. Because the cost of a credit during the summer is only about 60% of the cost of a credit during the regular academic year, a student’s institutional financial aid for summer classes comes in the form of this greatly reduced cost.
 
  • For most forms of financial aid, a student must be enrolled at least half-time. Half-time at Messiah University for undergraduate students is defined as at least six (6) credits.
 
  • The Federal Stafford Loan, or an alternative student loan, is often the only form of financial aid that a student will receive during the summer.
   
   
  • Some of the alternative loan lenders with which we work do offer loans for less than half-time attendance. Please see our alternative loan lender list for more information.
 
  • Aside from student loans, the most common forms of financial aid that a student could apply for during the summer are the Federal Pell Grant and the Pennsylvania State Grant. Of course, you must otherwise be eligible for these forms of aid in order to utilize them during the summer. If you have not received them during the regular academic year, then it is unlikely that you will qualify during the summer.
   
Please be aware of the following in regard to the Pennsylvania State Grant: The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency does offer grants during the summer and they do have a part-time (down to half-time) grant program. There is an eight (8) semester limit on all Pennsylvania State Grants, and the summer grant amounts are typically somewhat less than the amounts for the regular academic year. So, using the Pennsylvania State Grant during the summer means that you will use up some of your eligibility for future semesters, and you might receive an overall lower amount over your college career. So, the only situation in which it would make sense to use some of your Pennsylvania State Grant during the summer is if this summer term will replace all or part of a future semester.
   
If you decide that you would like to apply for financial aid for the summer term, please contact the Financial Aid Office and we will review your eligibility.
   
You can call or write us at:
  Messiah University
Financial Aid Office
Mechanicsburg, PA, 17055
Direct dial phone number: 717-691-6007 (ext. 6007 on campus)
FAX 717-691-2349
E-mail: FINAID@MESSIAH.EDU (just Financial Aid on campus)

Textbooks 

There are three ways you can purchase from the Campus Store & Textbook Express at Messiah University: in-store, by phone, or online.
 

Introducing Textbook Butler, the premier subscription-based, auto-fulfillment program for your course materials. Whether you’re a Messiah undergrad or grad student, Textbook Butler means you’ll never have to worry about your course materials again!

Gone are the days of waiting in a long line at the bookstore, figuring out which books you need for which course. Textbook Butler knows your enrollment and what course materials are required. When opted in, your order is automatically created once enrollment is finalized. Items will be delivered to your dorm room or shipped to a preferred address before classes start. The balance automatically posts to your student account so you can conveniently apply financial aid.

New students (Summer 2021) are automatically included in this program and existing students have the choice to participate at any time. Interested in learning more? Opt in or check out the FAQs on our website at messiah.treeoflifebooks.com!

Want to opt in to Textbook Butler? Easy! 

  • If you’re currently enrolled at Messiah, we’ve already created an account for you!
  • Go to messiah.treeoflifebooks.com and click the LOG IN button on the top right corner of the screen. Use your Messiah University student credentials to sign on.
  • Go to the “My Account” page to set a textbook type preference (New Purchase, Used Purchase, Rental or Digital). Once you do this, you’re opted in to Textbook Butler! No need to place an online order or shop bookstore shelves, your order will automatically be placed for your next semester!
  • Sit back and relax, your Textbook Butler order will be delivered straight to you before your first class! 

If you would like to order your books on your own, go to https://messiah.treeoflifebooks.com/#/buy-books. Students can log in to view books listed according to their schedules on the My Schedule tab. The catalog can also be searched by course or ISBN. 

Course materials can also be purchased in-store or by phone. Payment methods include cash, credit/debit card, check, and student account charging. 

Questions? Send us a message, or check out the FAQs page on the campus store website at messiah.treeoflifebooks.com/#/faq.  

 

The Online Format

Messiah's online courses are conducted as a personal, interactive learning community. Interaction among students and faculty is foundational to all courses taken at Messiah--and communication and facilitation of class assignments between you, the professor, and other students will take place through an online learning management system called CANVAS. Specific procedures will vary depending on the individual course, and will be communicated to you and your classmates by the faculty member facilitating the online course. For example, some classes may require you to engage in synchronous (live) online communication for the course, but this would be outlined in advance in the course syllabus.
   
Most courses do not require a campus visit--but as an online student, you will have access to the extensive online resources of Messiah's Murray Library. The method of delivering tests and exams will vary from course to course, but many will be administered electronically through CANVAS. Online courses will have the same letter grading scale as traditional classroom courses; the specific grading criteria for each course will be outlined in the course syllabus.

Generally, you should expect to invest a minimum of 15 hours per week per course--however, this will vary from course to course and is based on your pace as an individual learner.

The resource “How to Succeed as an Online Student” provides some practical tips and ideas for taking online courses. Link requires Adobe Reader which can be downloaded here.

Minimum system requirements can be found here. Note: Link requires Adobe Reader which can be downloaded here

Messiah will provide you with "real person" technical support as an online student through a variety of ways including phone and e-mail through Student Computer Services. Note: Link requires Adobe Reader which can be downloaded here.

Online Courses During the Academic Year

Currently, Messiah University only offers undergraduate online courses during its summer session.

Audits

You may choose to audit an online course and not receive academic credit, however, payment remains the same for this option, and the same procedures apply to auditing a traditional classroom-based course (which may be read in section 8.22.6 in the online Community of Educators Handbook).

Contact

For additional questions or information about Messiah University's summer online courses, please contact the Registrar's Office at (717) 691-6074 or via e-mail at summersession@messiah.edu.