Acadeum CIC Online Course Sharing Consortium
Acadeum CIC Online Course Sharing Consortium
Bryn Athyn College is a member of the Acadeum Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) Online Course Sharing Consortium, a network of accredited colleges and universities that share online offerings, to provide Bryn Athyn College students with access to additional, flexible online course options. Course credits earned through the consortium will show up on students’ Bryn Athyn College transcript after successful completion of the consortium course.
The CIC courses appear on the transcript as a course taken at Bryn Athyn College, and the grade earned affects the GPA.
Talk with the registrar (registrar@brynathyn.edu) or your advisor if you have an interest in taking a course in the consortium or are planning to pursue other transfer courses over the summer.
How do courses in the consortium work?
All courses in the consortium are online courses and they are mostly asynchronous.
Students request to take particular courses in the consortium, and, if the student is approved, the Registrar enrolls the student in the course.
Courses in the consortium are not treated just like other transfer courses: the grade is transferred in and does change the student’s Bryn Athyn GPA.
Unlike transfer courses, the credit is transferred in automatically. There is no need to complete transfer paperwork at the completion of the course, and all the courses have been pre-approved for transfer.
Students can take up to 9 credits through the consortium during their college career. Students may take at most one course per term if taken during the Bryn Athyn academic year. A student may petition for additional courses in extenuating circumstances.
Students must get permission from the department chair and CAO if the course satisfies a major requirement.
Students must get permission from the chair of core and CAO if the course satisfies a core requirement.
Policies around withdraw schedules or grade challenges are maintained through Acadeum, and Bryn Athyn cannot override these policies.
How much do courses in the consortium cost and how does billing work?
The cost of the consortium course is listed on the Acadeum site. The course also incurs a $300 per course processing fee.
Billing occurs through the bursar’s office at Bryn Athyn College.
How do I request to take courses in the consortium?
To see the types of courses offered, you can review a former 2021 consortium courses list. You will see not only the course information, but also the start and end dates. If there is a course you would like to take this summer, you can enroll in a course.
A number of courses do not have equivalents in the regular academic year curriculum at Bryn Athyn College. These courses can be taken to expand areas of study and explore interests outside of the regular academic year curriculum.
Some courses do have equivalents in the regular academic year curriculum. These courses with equivalents in the regular academic year can only be taken in the consortium if you cannot reasonably take the course in the regular academic year, or if you have already attempted the course and have not passed. In other words, BAC courses are always the first choice. If you can schedule and take a course in the regular academic year at BAC, the equivalent should not be taken in the consortium.
After reviewing the request and verifying the rationale, the Registrar will enroll you in the class.
This consortium is recommended for students in scenarios such as the following:
Scenario 1: A student hoping to graduate at end of the coming year needs 3-6 credits beyond their
full-time registration to reach 124.
Recommendation: Take 3-6 elective credits in the consortium (or via transfer).
Scenario 2: A student is in jeopardy of losing federal funding because they have not passed 2/3
of their attempted credits (a requirement for Satisfactory Academic Progress SAP).
Recommendation: Investigate if completing credits through the consortium will remedy the situation.
The student should discuss with their academic advisor, financial aid officer, and
Registrar to verify.
Scenario 3: A student is averaging below 31 credits a year and needs more credits to stay on track
for completion in four years.
Recommendation: Take 3-6 credits in the consortium (or via transfer). Students should consult their
advisors to select courses.
Scenario 4: A student failed a course, and this puts the student behind.
Recommendation: Investigate if an equivalent course in the consortium could be used to make up credits
and/or fulfill the requirement. NOTE: Courses taken in the consortium do not affect the
GPA at BAC.
How do I withdraw from a course in the consortium?
If you wish to drop or withdraw from a CIC course, please email the Registrar at registrar@brynathyn.edu. Tuition charges are determined in accordance with the Teaching Institution’s withdrawal policies and timelines.
If a student withdraws from a CIC consortium course, the teaching institution will send a “W” to Bryn Athyn to be recorded on the student’s Bryn Athyn transcript.