FAQs Frequently Asked Questions
Emmaus is associated with the Plymouth Brethren, a non-denominational, loose fellowship of like-minded evangelical churches. We value New Testament principles such as the priesthood of the believer, multiplicity of gifts, and plurality of leadership. Consult our doctrinal statement for details.
Emmaus Bible College was founded and is supported by the open branch of the Plymouth Brethren assemblies in North America. These brethren are a loose fellowship of like-minded, yet interdependent churches rather than a tight-knit, formal denomination. Each church is autonomous, but enjoys sharing preachers, camps, conferences, national service organizations, and mission-sending agencies. Their theology fits well within protestant evangelicalism. There are 800 congregations with 60,000 members in the U.S., and 400 congregations with 30,000 members in Canada (known as Christian Brethren).
The movement began in England and Ireland in the late 1820s. Christians from various churches, who had become dissatisfied with the formalism, clericalism and spiritual dryness of many British churches, met for communion, prayer, and Bible teaching. They sought a simple New Testament pattern of meeting. Some of their early leaders were John Nelson Darby, Anthony Norris Groves, William Kelly, C. H. Mackintosh, and George Mueller. Two of their larger centers were in Plymouth and Dublin. They rallied around several distinctives. The brethren do not ordain clergy, but prefer to emphasize the priesthood of every believer and lay ministry in the church. They consider worship a primary reason to gather as believers, so they break bread weekly, celebrating communion in an hour-long meeting with open verbal participation from the floor. They are led by a plurality of elders and use various preachers in their pulpits. The theology and practice of the brethren fit well within mainstream evangelicalism. Two of their best contributions to evangelicalism as a whole are plurality of leadership and a dispensational, premillennial view of Christ's kingdom. They were known for evangelism, missions, and personal knowledge of the Bible.
Half of our students come to Emmaus from Plymouth Brethren backgrounds, while the other half come from other evangelical backgrounds.
No, but we do expect that all our students will be actively involved in a local, evangelical church. There are three assemblies in town, as well as a number of other evangelical churches from which to choose.
Emmaus does rolling admission, which means we don’t have an application deadline; however, we encourage you to turn your application in as soon as possible. We do still take applications through August but we have a deposit due June 1st or as soon as you are accepted after that point.You can apply online right now! We can take your application up to one calendar year prior to the month you enroll.
A minimum 2.0 GPA is required for acceptance; students whose GPA is lower than 2.0 may be accepted on Academic Assistance.
We require only one of these tests. If you have at least 24 college credit hours or graduated from high school 2 years earlier, we will waive this requirement.
We require a minimum of 18 composite on the ACT and a minimum of 880 combined (Math and Critical Reading) on the SAT. Students who score below these minimums may be accepted on Academic Assistance.
For incoming freshmen for Fall 2014, the average high school GPA was 3.29 (on a 4.0 scale). The average ACT composite score for this group was 22, and the average SAT score (Math and Critical Reading) was 957.
We require you to get a 50 on each CLEP test in order for us to accept it. (See CLEP Testing Information) AP test scores vary depending on the subject.
It depends on the courses you’ve taken and the program you plan to complete at Emmaus. The best way for us to determine transfer of credits is to take a look at your transcript(s). Contact the Office of Admissions to learn more about this process.
Yes, with few exceptions. Students who are married or who have family living near the college may stay off-campus.
Absolutely! Parking permits are available for $30 per semester.
Included in the acceptance packet (sent to students who are accepted for admission) is a Housing Preference form. Our Student Development team assigns first year students to dorm floors based on the preferences listed on this form. Dorm floors are not segregated by class, so first year students are on floors with sophomores, juniors, and seniors, as well as other freshmen.
It depends on where you live. There is one floor of suite style rooms for men in Smith Hall; 2-4 men share a suite. All of our dorms in the main building are single occupancy rooms.
Yes, each room is Internet ready with broadband service, and each dorm is set up with its own wireless router. A phone with its own extension and voicemail is provided for each room as well. (See About Our Dorms for a thorough description and what to bring.)
The rules that Emmaus has established are in order to establish and maintain Christian values. For a full list of rules, check out our Student Handbook.
Students are to be on the residence hall floors from midnight to 6:00am Sunday-Thursday and from 1:00am-6:00am on Friday and Saturday. Permission from the Resident Assistant or Resident Director is necessary to be at other places in the building or off campus after curfew.
You may bring a pet fish to college; other pets are not allowed in the dorms.
For resident students, meals are included in the cost of Room & Board. Each resident student can have three meals a day, seven days a week, when school is in session.
Non-resident students may purchase meal tickets or deposit money in their student account for meals. Breakfast is $4.50, and lunch and dinner are $6.00 each.
For resident students, use of the campus’ washers and dryers is included in Room & Board. Students may use the campus laundry facilities 6 AM to curfew each day. Students must provide their own laundry detergent.
Within a few days of moving in, our Career Services Department hosts a Job Fair. During this evening event, employers from the city will be on our campus with information and applications for part-time job openings. Applications for part-time work at the College for different departments will also be available at this time.
Yes! Visit our Academic Support Center for more information.
All of our first year students begin with a year of Bible and general education courses, working toward the Bible Certificate. Click here to see the requirements for the Bible Certificate program.
SPIRITUAL EMPHASIS WEEK/CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES SEMINARS:
Special weeks are set aside in each semester for spiritual refreshment and challenge relating to home and overseas service.
STUDENT GOVERNMENT:
Students are elected by the student body to fill the offices of president, vice-president, treasurer, and secretary of the College's Student Government. The students of the first-year class choose class representatives. The Dean for Student Affairs serves as the advisor to the Student Government.
EMMAUS ELEMENTARY EDUCATION FELLOWSHIP (EEE:)
Elementary Education majors and other interested students meet monthly for fellowship, professional development, and prayer.
COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT COUNCIL:
A small group of Counseling Psychology students meet throughout the school year as representatives of fellow Counseling Psychology students for the purpose of planning, academic development, fellowship, and prayer.
STUDENT MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP (SMF):
Student Missionary Fellowship is a student organization to promote prayer and interest in missionary activities around the world through guest speakers, prayer groups, and special programs.
YOUTH MINISTRIES FELLOWSHIP:
Youth ministries majors meet monthly for planning, sharing ideas, prayer, and fellowship.
MUSIC MINISTRIES:
Students have opportunities for involvement in various music ministries at Emmaus, including Chapel Choir, the Emmaus Ensemble, and several small group ensembles. The vocal groups provide ministry at a number of special events throughout the year, both on- and off-campus.
ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES:
Emmaus participates in intercollegiate basketball, soccer, and volleyball with other small colleges. We also provide a full intramural sports program including basketball, flag football, volleyball, indoor soccer, floor hockey, ultimate frisbee, softball, badminton, and racquetball.
SOCIAL EVENTS:
The Student Government plans numerous social activities throughout the year. These include all-school picnics, recreation nights, fellowship and singing, skiing and skating outings, Winterfest, all-school trips to Chicago, and annual events such as our Emmaus Family Christmas and the Spring Banquet.
Complete your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). You can do this online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Once this is complete it will come to the Financial Aid Office in 3-5 days and they will contact you regarding the next steps that need to be taken.
One out of every three students who complete a FAFSA are chosen by the government to be verified. This simply means that the government is doing a random check to make sure you've reported the correct tax information on your FAFSA. If you are chosen, the Financial Aid Office will notify you. You will also be asked to complete a Verification Worksheet.
Once the FAFSA process is complete through the Financial Aid Office, they will send you an Award Letter. This will show you how the government calculates your financial need, and then how much you are eligible for in a Pell Grant and in Stafford Loans.
The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant each year goes to the neediest students at Emmaus, as decided by the FAFSA.This is given each semester and ranges anywhere from $200 - $600 per student.
The simplest and most effective method is through a company called FastWeb, at www.fastweb.com. This is a customized scholarship search that sends you automatic email updates about scholarships available to every student in the US. Sign up for a free account and you'll see updates almost immediately.
The Subsidized Stafford Loan is interest-free until 6 months after the student is no longer enrolled in at least 6 credits during a semester. The government pays the interest during this time, and the loan can be deferred as long as the student is enrolled. The government does not pay the interest on an unsubsidized loan.
The Federal Plus Loan is another Government loan that a parent can take out for the student. The interest rates on Plus Loans are excellent, second only to the Stafford Loan. You may also want to consider private education loans from banks or lenders.
Yes, a student cannot receive more than $16,470 in institutional aid, including the Iowa Tuition Grant. Since the Iowa Tuition Grant can only be used for tuition, institutional aid may be reduced so that a student never receives more than the amount of tuition in institutional aid plus the Iowa Tuition Grant.
