Students are required to read this abridged handbook and complete the subsequent handbook quiz via the Student Life Course on Canvas. This does not preclude student responsibility for the information in the Comprehensive Handbook. Students should reference the comprehensive handbook for further policies and explanations. 

Welcome to Bob Jones University! Whether you are a returning student or a member of the class of 2029, we are thrilled to have you on campus for our 99th year! Your energy and excitement literally bring the campus to life, and we are so glad you have chosen to join us for what we hope will be our best year ever.

BJU faculty and staff continually work to develop new and innovative ways to provide you with an unparalleled student experience centered on biblical thinking, engaged learning, and life mentoring. It is our hope that while you are here you will discover the joy of learning because “Learning is for Life.” That means so much more than spending the rest of your life learning. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Abundant life through Christ comes by learning and applying what we learn to life. Paul prayed that the believers in Philippi would have a love that would “abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment” and that they would approve of things that are excellent. The right kind of learning is the key to growing and experiencing to the fullest the life that God has prepared for you.

This is the reason we are committed to providing you with a world-class education and walking beside you throughout your academic journey to encourage you spiritually, academically, and socially. We will use every opportunity to connect with you all over campus — in places like the field house, The Den, or the dining common. We want you to know that BJU is where you belong, and we are here to help you get everything possible from your education.

Education is life-shaping. That is why we are committed to giving you an education sourced in a comprehensive biblical worldview intrinsic to our curriculum. BJU’s liberal arts core is intended to broaden your understanding of God’s world, and the 18-hour minor in biblical worldview will help you know how to live well in that world for God’s glory. The value of your BJU college experience extends far beyond the classroom, providing you opportunities to broaden your horizons and experience life in a multifaceted way as you enjoy an abundance of fine arts, ministry, academic, and recreational opportunities.

God has provided us with a beautiful setting in which to learn. Greenville is a thriving and growing city set in the foothills of Upstate South Carolina. You will find there are myriad opportunities here for experiential learning, fun adventures, shopping, and recreation — from our unique downtown booming with restaurants and special events to the natural beauty of God’s creation at Falls Park on the Reedy River and the surrounding mountains.

This handbook serves as your guidebook while you are a student. Read it carefully and use it regularly. It provides practical guidelines to make everyone’s life work best and helps us develop an authentic community while living on a residential college campus with complex schedules. It will also make clear our expectations for you as a Christian during these days of young adulthood by providing clear guidelines rooted in biblical commands and principles for daily living.

We are excited for this 99th year. We believe that God is going to do amazing things in your life as you grow into greater Christlikeness through learning because — Learning is for Life!!

Bruce McAllister
President

The core principles upon which our handbook is built include Personal Discipline, Loving Respect, Integrity and Purity.  

Faithful attendance of a local church community is not only essential as a core value of a BJU education, it is essential for a lifetime of spiritual growth through providing opportunities for fellowship, learning and service. 

Students should worship and serve at a church which holds doctrinal beliefs and theological positions aligned with Scripture and reflected in the doctrinal beliefs, theological positions and spiritual values of BJU. 

First-year students need parental validation for their church selection, submitted to Student Life after their first semester.  

Students can register for the church they are attending using the Church Life Application. Any student wanting to attend a church that is not on the representative list is required to submit a new Church Review Request that can also be submitted through the Church Life Application. The Church Review Request must be submitted and reviewed before the student can attend a church that is not on the representative list. 

Students may not attend churches that are in clear conflict with the philosophical position of BJU because of major doctrinal/theological differences (e.g., liberal theology or an attractional worship model). 

For a fuller explanation of BJU’s philosophical position, read our foundational philosophy documents. You can also visit our Church Matters canvas course for more details. 

Students are expected to attend all the Sunday morning activities of the local church that they have chosen to attend, plus an additional worship service, midweek prayer meeting or small group as their church offers them. A student may have up to four absences from weekly attendance requirements each semester for illness or travel.

Students will record church attendance online weekly on churchlife.bju.edu. Intentional absences from local church worship will be addressed directly as an absence from a required event and corrected. Ultimately, students who show a pattern of disregard for local church attendance may be asked not to return for the following semester.

Students are to arrive each semester during the published check-in times. Each semester officially begins at the Opening Exercises. The following events are required for students to attend.

For specific dates and times of required events for the current year see the Calendar of Events or Away.bju.edu. The Calendar of Events contains required events and all other calendar information.

Students are to bring their ID card to record attendance at these required events and all evening required events. 

Students arriving at a required event more than 15 minutes late will be considered absent. Students leaving early without prior approval will be considered absent. 

All absences from required campus events require prior approval by securing an approved exemption through away.bju.edu. 

Note: A student on campus during the chapel hour is expected to attend chapel/society, even if he or she has an approved exemption.  

Students should exhibit appropriate self-control in their class conduct and attentiveness.  

In their academic lives, students exhibit integrity by being truthful about their own academic work and properly acknowledging sources of ideas and information. Cheating in any form is not tolerated and will be corrected. Penalties for cheating are usually academic, ranging from a zero on an assignment to being removed from and failing a course. Cheating on a final exam or multiple cheating offenses may result in disciplinary penalties up to and including suspension from the University. 

A more detailed summary of the academic integrity policy is available on the intranet. 

The University’s mission includes instilling professionalism, dependability, and punctuality in students. Training students in these virtues is accomplished in part by holding students accountable for their class attendance. The Class Attendance Policy clarifies student class attendance expectations and the consequences of failure to fulfill these academic responsibilities. 

Undergraduate students are expected to be on time and attend every class.  Students apply Personal Absences for funerals, sickness, doctor’s or dentist’s appointments, visits and interviews at graduate schools, or interviews for future employment. Personal Absences are not “skips.” Personal Absences are not provided so that students can prepare for other classes or extend official university breaks or simply because they do not feel well. Students should use Personal Absences only for genuine emergencies or contagious or debilitating illness.  

Students may use Service Absences to attend approved academic functions or conferences, approved Christian service projects, required military duty or as part of an intercollegiate athletic team. However, students who exceed the Personal Absence limit due to a chronic illness are not eligible to participate in events that require Service Absences.  

See “Class Attendance Policy” in Comprehensive Handbook for more details. 

Policies regarding social life on and off campus assist in the academic, spiritual and social development of students. They are designed for these purposes: 

Ensure safety — To help students exercise appropriate caution, BJU asks students to identify their locations and activities in some situations, such as staying elsewhere overnight. 

Promote purity — BJU wants students to engage in wholesome social activities in settings that provide accountability for biblical requirements of purity. 

Build Christ-honoring relationships — BJU desires that students have opportunities for building Christ-honoring relationships. 

On and off campus, there is to be no physical contact between unmarried men and women (Side hugs are permitted for photographs).  

Students may be together in any well-lit outside location. Couples may not socialize alone in the parking garage, past Stadium View drive back campus, in a vehicle, or off-campus.  

• Mixed Groups consist of at least 3 students 

• Residence hall students may not be alone with a member of the opposite sex off campus. 

• Students in the group need to stay together. 

• Couples are not to separate from the group. 

The following privileges apply when both students are juniors or seniors, are within twelve months of marriage, have registered their engagement by seeing their residence hall supervisor, and obtained parental approval. 

• May spend six nights per semester at the home of one of the parents. 

• May be off campus alone in a public place in the Greenville area with parental consent. 

• On and off campus, there is to be no physical contact between unmarried men and women. (Side hugs are permitted for photographs.) 

Concerts and Shows — Before purchasing tickets students should check with the School of Fine Arts and Communication office to ensure the event is approved. Permission from the Student Life office or a residence hall supervisor is required if the length of the event requires students to return after curfew. 

Venues — Students are not to visit bars, taverns, or dance halls (swing, line, etc.) and should practice discernment in the venues they frequent. 

Shopping — Students are not to visit businesses that specialize in adult gifts and party items. 

Overnight requests may be submitted here. Overnight requests approval should be acquired before leaving campus.  

A student may: 

• Stay overnight with an immediate relative (parent, grandparent, sibling who is at least 21, aunt, uncle, first cousin [of the same gender]). 

• Stay overnight at the home of a faculty/staff family or GA/faculty/staff member of the same gender not living in a residence hall. 

• With parental and Student Life approval, spend six nights per semester at one local home of a married couple who are not immediate family. Students may submit a home for approval through away.bju.edu two days before needing a pass. A Student Life representative will reach out to a parent to obtain approval for the student to go to the submitted home. Once the home has been approved, the student may create a “Parent-Approved Home” pass each time he/she would like to go to that home. The situation must meet each of the following criteria to receive approval: 

• Must be within a three-hour drive. 

• Must be the home of a married couple. 

• Must not create a mixed group. 

Mixed groups (consisting of three or more men and women) must obtain approval for an overnight academic event with Student Life and have a faculty/staff member or GA chaperone. 

Juniors and Seniors may participate in overnight ministries if they have a specific ministry responsibility. 

Freshmen and Sophomores may be eligible for an exception to participate in an overnight ministry, if the student will be ministering at a camp at which he or she worked the previous summer.

• Those working off-campus should return to campus from work by curfew.  

• Students may not serve alcoholic beverages. 

BJU’s mission is to help students develop Christlike virtue, and we therefore encourage students to make biblical decisions in the area of entertainment. BJU holds students responsible to select and participate in entertainment options — including music, movies, television, computer/video games, printed materials, the internet and social media — that honor Jesus Christ and edify both individual Christians and the Christian community. Students are to avoid any types of entertainment that could be considered immodest or that contain profanity, scatological realism, sexual perversion, erotic realism, lurid violence, occultism and false philosophical or religious assumptions. (See Appendix C for a biblical approach to evaluating objectionable elements in literature or entertainment.) BJU also encourages students to honor the Lord in how they spend their time and to carefully consider the desensitizing effects of excessive exposure to popular entertainment, even if the content itself is not objectionable. 

All musical choices are to be intentionally conservative in style and are to avoid the markers of our current corrupt culture. Because the following musical styles consistently express these markers, students should avoid rock, pop, country, rap and hip-hop. Music used in public videos or social media must also align with these standards. 

Many forms of modern dance and the music to which they are performed violate biblical principles due to their expressions of worldliness or sexually provocative nature. Dancing that contains these elements is prohibited.

Students may attend G and PG-rated movies and may view TV-PG television programming in both homes and the residence halls. Unrated content (including original series on streaming platforms such as Hulu or Netflix) frequently contains objectionable content that has not been cut to meet rating standards and is not appropriate. In addition, students are to avoid displaying on campus any pictures or objects promoting movies rated above PG-13. 

Games rated above T or featuring inappropriate themes (e.g., gore, profanity, sensuality) are not permitted.  

BJU filters internet content and prohibits bypassing filters or accessing prohibited sites. Viewing or sharing inappropriate media or messages is not allowed. To aid students’ pursuit of purity online, Covenant Eyes, an online accountability tool, is offered to students through the Student Care Office. 

Campus videos posted on students’ sites must follow attire and social standards and exclude minors. Students should avoid dating apps due to their association with hookup culture. 

One of the significant blessings of studying at BJU is the blessing of Christian community.  As cultural trends push us toward isolation, believers in Jesus Christ look for ways to edify each other by noticing the needs of those around them.  While you are welcome to use your headphones and earbuds when studying on campus or in your residence hall or exercising, you will be expected to remove them whenever you are walking about on campus during class days.  This expectation is conducive to creating a community in which we live where we are and prioritize the people around us. 

Scripture commands us to esteem others as more significant than ourselves (Phil. 2:3). This respect includes speaking the truth in love, which is not optional for believers (James 5:12). Believers converse in ways that build up instead of tear down, including wholesome language that avoids profanity and euphemisms (Eph. 4:29; 5:4). 

The BJU attire policy requires modesty (drawing attention to inward beauty rather than to outward appearance, characterized by adequate coverage and suitable fit), appropriateness (understanding the setting and wearing clothing that is suitable for the context) and professionalism (displaying measurable excellence within an established set of standards). By practicing these areas within an educational setting, we are preparing our students for success in the vocations they are diligently pursuing. To promote consistent practice, we will provide accountability in a discipleship atmosphere. 

Attire infractions that are a violation of this measurable standard will be addressed directly as a “failure to follow instructions” infraction (major or minor) and corrected. 

• Students are expected to clean and care for their rooms and be prepared for room check at 11:00 am, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 

• Students may use video chat technology while demonstrating thoughtful consideration of their roommates. 

• Decorations may be hung on the wall with white Plasti-tak®; to protect walls, avoid using tape, nails or tacks. Personal photos should comply with BJU attire and social life policies. Photos of entertainers or fashion models are not appropriate. 

• Students may have fish in a bowl or small tank in their rooms; other pets are not appropriate. 

• Rooms are not large enough to accommodate furniture such as recliners, love seats, sofas or large tables. Refrigerators under 4.5 cubic feet can be used in the rooms. 

• Food preparation appliances (except for electric kettles and coffee makers) can be used only in the snack rooms of each residence hall. 

• Plug-in lights may be used between November 1 and December 15. Battery-powered lights may be used year-round.  

• Candles, wax warmers and incense are not to be burned or used in the residence halls. 

• Batteries are not to be removed from smoke detectors; they must be in working order at all times. Tampering with or removing smoke detectors will result in a $25 fine.

• First-year students on a first-year residence hall are expected to be in bed with the lights out and ready to sleep at midnight Sunday–Thursday and 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays (this precludes talking, phone use or studying). 

• Other residents are expected to have quiet rooms beginning at midnight Sunday–Thursday and 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays (this precludes talking, music, gaming, etc.). After midnight, they are permitted to study in their own rooms with a personal lamp or in public residence hall areas, such as the study lounge or lobby. 

Requires prior approval from the residence hall supervisor. 

Doors are not to be propped open, and after curfew all students are to enter through the middle doors of the residence hall. Letting another person into the residence hall after curfew is a breach of security. Climbing through any window is considered a major breach of security. 

• Seniors: completed at least 90 credits toward their bachelor’s degree  

• Students in senior rooms are granted one roommate of their choice, have no required lights out and have room check only on Monday.  

• Seniors may spend six nights per semester at a non-family member’s home. (A student may not stay overnight in a mixed group.) 

• If both students are seniors, couples may walk together or drive separately to meet off campus in a public place in the Greenville area.  

Stating and enforcing these handbook policies serves multiple purposes including protection, correction and restoration.  

Students should check their infraction/demerit record each week on mypath.bju.edu and meet with their residence hall supervisor during his/her office hours as needed. 

Our disciplinary evaluation and correction are grouped into two tiers.  

Infractions (Tier 1) serve as an index of responsibility for the aspects of the code of conduct that relate primarily to personal discipline.  

An escalating system of corrective responses (Tier 2) is implemented when there are offenses involving loving respect for others, integrity and purity. These responses escalate from conduct warning to ineligibility to disciplinary probation to suspension. Infractions and corrective responses reset at the conclusion of each semester. 

An accumulation of 25 demerits in matters of personal responsibility will result in a $25 fine. For example, a student who accumulates infractions totaling 75 demerits over the course of a semester will pay three installments of $25, totaling $75 in fines. 

By accumulating 50 demerits or more in a semester, a student typically is demonstrating the need for greater self-discipline and, therefore, will receive a conduct warning. Multiple conduct warnings result in more significant corrective responses (see below). 

If a student believes that the Student Life staff member has not dealt fairly with him or her, he or she may follow an appeals process. (See Disciplinary Grievances & Complaints in the Comprehensive Handbook.) 

A conduct warning alerts a student to either a pattern of irresponsibility or an issue of respect, integrity or purity. This warning provides the student a chance to reflect, change and grow. A student who receives a conduct warning for any reason other than accumulation of infractions will incur a $50 fine on his or her student account.

A student who demonstrates an ongoing pattern of irresponsible behavior or who commits a specific offense becomes ineligible to participate in intercollegiate or intramural sports, run for or hold a campus office or leadership position, live in a senior room or have a key role in an official program. He or she may be required to meet with a staff member for accountability. Becoming ineligible two consecutive semesters places a student on weekly accountability for the following semester, with the requirement of maintaining eligibility status during that semester. If the ineligibility is for a student’s final two semesters, the student forfeits the privilege to participate in commencement exercises and may not reenroll for postgraduate or graduate work for one full semester. A student who becomes ineligible due to a specific offense will incur a $100 fine on his or her student account. 

The third level of corrective response is disciplinary probation, which indicates a student has committed a significant lapse in moral judgment or has demonstrated an ongoing pattern of irresponsible behavior. A student on disciplinary probation meets with a staff member for weekly accountability. A student who does not successfully complete the terms of disciplinary probation is denied reenrollment the following semester. If a student earns disciplinary probation two consecutive semesters, he or she is denied reenrollment for one semester. 

A student who withdraws for any reason while on disciplinary probation will return on weekly accountability. A student who is placed on disciplinary probation for a significant lapse in moral judgment will incur a $150 fine on his or her student account. 

Because an edifying atmosphere benefits the entire campus community, there are some offenses that result in suspension. These include: 

• Major moral failure, including immorality, sensual behavior or use of alcohol or drugs. 

• Stealing or shoplifting. 

• Committing a crime while enrolled or not disclosing a crime committed before enrollment. 

• Encouraging or aiding another student in an action that results in suspension. 

A student may receive disciplinary correction, including suspension, for grievous offenses, such as immorality, that come to light from a previous semester or break. 

A suspended student may not return to BJU for one full semester and is restricted from campus. A student suspended twice is permanently expelled from the University. 

Students of any age who drink any alcoholic beverages, whether on or off campus, forfeit their privilege of enrollment as students.

BJU does not condone the possession, use, manufacture or distribution of illegal substances or drug paraphernalia of any kind or in any amount. Students who engage in drug activity — including the use of non-medically prescribed CBD gummies/oils and the misuse of prescription medication — forfeit their privilege of enrollment. Students who take drugs or otherwise participate in drug activity may face criminal penalties as well as disciplinary action. 

Because of BJU’s position on drinking alcoholic beverages and using illegal substances, students who engage in either activity during a Christmas or summer break are subject to denial of enrollment for at least the following semester. 

For additional information, see the Drug-Free Schools and Campus Policy on the intranet. 

A student wishing to withdraw should see their residence hall supervisor. Avoiding potential disciplinary action is not legitimate grounds for voluntary withdrawal. Attendance at BJU is a privilege, not a right. A student may be subject to administrative withdrawal under the following circumstances: 

• In attitude or conduct a student does not fit the spirit of the biblical principles that guide BJU’s educational philosophy and to which each student ascribes by signing the student covenant. 

• A student’s behavior poses a threat to the safety and well-being of others. 

Consult the Comprehensive Handbook for further details on campus life, procedures, assistance options and appendices (including Sanctity of Life, Position on Marriage and Human Sexuality, Biblical Approach to Evaluating Objectionable Elements in Entertainment and University Trips) 

Accomplishing the educational mission of BJU requires an edifying campus atmosphere and an environment that promotes spiritual growth. Our code of conduct cannot produce Christlikeness; however, it reflects what Scripture describes as wise and virtuous and what helps mature a Christian for faithful service.