Academic advising
Advising helps interpret program requirements, sequence courses, monitor progress, and identify support. Students remain responsible for reviewing their official program plan and reporting discrepancies.
Student policies and support
Know the standards. Know where to turn.
This guide makes the Student Handbook easier to navigate. It summarizes key expectations and protections, while the complete adopted handbook remains the controlling policy source.
Policy guide
Choose a topic
Academic integrity
Your work must truthfully represent your learning.
Christian integrity requires honesty in authorship, research, representation, and assessment.
Submit honest work that demonstrates your own learning and credits every source appropriately.
Follow each instructor’s rules for collaboration, technology, and artificial intelligence. Ask before using generative AI when instructions are silent.
Disclose material AI assistance, verify every claim and citation, and never upload confidential or protected information to an unapproved system.
Keep drafts, prompts, notes, and source records when an instructor requires evidence of your work process.
Christian community
Respect, responsibility, and due process shape community life.
Students are expected to act with honesty, respect, self-control, compassion, and responsibility in classes, communications, video meetings, ministry placements, university events, and other settings that materially affect the community.
Harassment, threats, retaliation, fraud, impersonation, disruption, misuse of records or systems, and material misrepresentation of academic or ecclesiastical standing are prohibited. Students may ask questions and express reasoned disagreement respectfully.
When conduct is reviewed, the process includes documented notice, an opportunity to respond, a fair review, a written outcome, and an appeal route. Interim safety measures are not a final finding.
Learning support
Support will be released with each program’s operating plan.
The handbook establishes the support framework. Exact staff assignments, hours, response targets, and service channels are not yet published.
Learning and research resources
Courses may use textbooks, instructor-selected materials, open-access resources, ministry libraries, and research guidance. GDICU does not currently represent that it maintains a full proprietary academic library or paid research-database collection.
Tutoring and faculty support
Writing support, workshops, tutoring, peer mentoring, or faculty consultation may be offered according to capacity. Support assists learning but does not complete work for the student or lower academic standards.
Technology support
Technical support may assist with account access and the learning platform. Students are responsible for personal equipment, internet access, third-party software, data costs, and backups unless written terms state otherwise.
Accessibility and accommodations
Requests receive an individualized review.
GDICU will consider reasonable accommodation requests consistent with applicable law, essential academic and religious requirements, available technology, and the nature of the program.
Students should provide documentation reasonably related to the request and allow sufficient time for review. Accommodations generally apply prospectively and do not lower essential learning outcomes.
Current availability: The official request process and designated contact will be published before enrollment opens. Do not send sensitive documentation through an unverified channel.
Complaints and appeals
A documented process protects fair review.
The process covers academic, administrative, financial, conduct, accessibility, privacy, discrimination, harassment, and other student concerns. A specialized process controls when it applies.
- 01
Informal resolution
When safe and appropriate, begin with the person or office closest to the issue. This is not required for serious misconduct, retaliation, conflicts of interest, or unsafe circumstances.
- 02
Formal complaint
Submit the designated form or a written complaint with facts, dates, people involved, the relevant policy, requested resolution, and supporting documents.
- 03
Review and decision
GDICU should acknowledge receipt within five business days and issue a written decision within 30 calendar days when reasonably possible, with an update if more time is needed.
- 04
Appeal
Unless a specialized policy controls, submit an appeal within 10 business days based on new evidence, material procedural error, conflict of interest, or a clearly unreasonable outcome.
Privacy and records
Student information must have a defined purpose and custodian.
Access and correction
Students may request access to their GDICU education records and correction of factually inaccurate information through the designated records process.
Third-party services
Approved vendors may support learning, communications, storage, identity, payments, analytics, or support. Access should be limited by contract, role, purpose, and security controls.
No unrelated sale
GDICU does not sell student education records or personal information for unrelated marketing.
Separate records
GDICU academic records and GDAPCF ecclesiastical records must remain logically separate even when they use shared infrastructure.
GDICU does not currently claim that FERPA applies to the institution. It will follow applicable law and its adopted privacy commitments and update that statement if its legal status changes.
Controlling source
Use this guide for orientation and the handbook for complete policy.
Exact office contacts, forms, service hours, and response channels will be added only after they are verified and authorized for publication.