Policy & help

The Spiritual Life Credit (SLC) policy has been revised for the 2026–2027 academic year. Chapel and Spiritual Life Credits work together as one unified spiritual formation program — Chapel is Jessup's primary Discipleship pathway while students grow through both Discipleship and Service.

• Balanced formation. Students are normally expected to complete roughly half of their credits through Discipleship and half through Service (see the Chapel Exception below).
• Consistent credit model. Service: 5 approved hours = 1 SLC. Most Discipleship pathways require at least 10 approved hours before credit is awarded, then 1 SLC per additional 5 hours. Chapel uses a separate conversion (see below).
• Semester limit. Students may earn up to 5 SLCs per semester. Graduating seniors in their final two semesters are exempt.
• Chapel Non-Compliance reinstated. Students who miss the 10-attendance-per-semester benchmark are subject to an escalating fine: $150 (1st occurrence), $300 (2nd), $500 (3rd and beyond). See details below.

Grandfathered students. Students enrolled before Summer 2026 keep their original SLC graduation requirement, which scales by the units Jessup accepted at admission (see the table below). The new 10-Chapel-per-semester requirement and Chapel Non-Compliance process still apply to this group.

New students. Students beginning Summer 2026 or later follow the new SLC requirement based on units accepted at admission, with fixed Discipleship and Service expectations. Only additional Chapel-earned Discipleship credit may reduce the Service expectation (the Chapel Exception).

Grandfathered students (enrolled before Summer 2026) scale by accepted transfer units: 0–44 = 12, 45–59 = 10, 60–74 = 8, 75+ = 6. Students beginning Summer 2026 or later follow the table below.

Students earn SLCs through two categories: Discipleship (Chapel, Spiritual Formation Groups, mentorship, retreats, conferences, and other Campus Ministries-approved Discipleship programs) and Service (local churches, community service, outreach, ministry opportunities, and other approved service).

Consistent credit model

• Service: 5 hours of approved Service = 1 SLC.
• Most Discipleship pathways: Students must first complete at least 10 hours in an approved Discipleship pathway.
  • 1–9 hours = 0 SLCs
  • 10 hours = 2 SLCs
  • 15 hours = 3 SLCs
  • 20 hours = 4 SLCs
  • 25 hours = 5 SLCs
  This applies to Spiritual Formation Groups, mentorship, retreats, conferences, and other Campus Ministries-approved Discipleship programs.

Chapel uses a separate conversion

Chapel is calculated separately, based on attendance — not hours. Do not apply the “10 hours = 2 SLCs” rule to Chapel.

• 1–9 Chapel attendances = 0 SLCs
• 10 Chapel attendances = 1 Discipleship SLC
• 20 Chapel attendances = 2 Discipleship SLCs
• 30 Chapel attendances = 3 Discipleship SLCs
• 40 Chapel attendances = 4 Discipleship SLCs

Most Service and Discipleship activities require you to submit the appropriate SLC form with any required verification.

Chapel attendance is recorded through Jessup's current Chapel attendance process, including iAttended, and is reviewed by Campus Ministries. Approved SLC totals and graduation progress can be viewed through your student portal (CAMS) — check regularly to stay on pace for graduation.

Need a form? See the Campus Ministries forms & petitions page .

Chapel is central to spiritual life at Jessup and is the primary and most accessible way students earn Discipleship SLCs.

Students are required to attend at least 10 Chapel gatherings each semester.

Students who attend 10 Chapels also earn 1 Discipleship SLC after completing the required SLC submission/verification process.

10 Chapels per semester = Chapel requirement + 1 Discipleship SLC. Students may continue attending additional Chapels to earn additional Discipleship SLCs according to the approved Chapel conversion below.

Students are normally expected to complete their SLC requirement through a balanced combination of Discipleship and Service. Additional Discipleship SLCs earned specifically through Chapel may reduce a student's remaining Service expectation.

Example

A student with a 20-SLC requirement normally completes 10 Discipleship + 10 Service. Through the Chapel Exception, the student could instead complete 15 Discipleship + 5 Service, provided the additional 5 Discipleship SLCs are earned through Chapel.

Service may not replace the Discipleship expectation. Only additional Chapel-earned Discipleship credit may reduce the Service expectation.

This affects how students complete their graduation SLC requirement. It does not affect whether a student is Chapel Compliant.

Students are required to attend at least 10 Chapel gatherings each semester.

A student who attends fewer than 10 Chapels in a semester is considered Chapel Non-Compliant for that semester.

The Chapel attendance requirement is the only trigger for Chapel Non-Compliance. Discipleship SLC totals, Service SLC totals, overall SLC progress, and SLC pacing affect progress toward graduation — they do not trigger Chapel Non-Compliance. Chapel Non-Compliance is based solely on whether a student attends at least 10 Chapel gatherings during the semester.

Occurrences accumulate throughout a student's enrollment at Jessup and do not reset each academic year. An occurrence is created only when a student fails to meet the 10-Chapel semester attendance requirement.

Chapel compliance and SLC graduation progress are separate requirements.

Students are expected to attend at least 10 Chapels each semester. Students who do not meet the 10-Chapel semester requirement may be subject to the Chapel Non-Compliance process. Campus Ministries reviews attendance, determines Chapel Non-Compliance status, assigns the applicable occurrence level, and provides the finalized information to the Business Office. The Business Office assesses any finalized charge to the student's account and handles billing-related communication.

Fine revenue is retained by Campus Ministries to support spiritual formation programming.

Chapel attendance is reviewed at the end of each Fall and Spring semester. Students who do not meet the 10-Chapel requirement for that semester are considered Chapel Non-Compliant. Campus Ministries determines the occurrence level, and the Business Office applies the corresponding fine to the student's account at the end of that semester.

Current fine structure

• 1st occurrence: $150
• 2nd occurrence: $300
• 3rd occurrence and beyond: $500 + required meeting with the Director of Campus Ministries

Occurrences continue to accumulate throughout a student's enrollment at Jessup and do not reset each semester or academic year.

Students may earn a maximum of 5 total SLCs per semester across Chapel, other Discipleship activities, Service, paid ministry, and other approved pathways.

Graduating senior exception

Graduating seniors in their final two semesters are exempt from the 5-SLC semester limit to support timely graduation.

The SLC Exception Request provides a limited pathway for students with significant, documented circumstances outside of their control that prevent them from completing SLC requirements or meeting the Chapel attendance requirement. Exceptions are rare and not guaranteed.

Requests should normally be submitted during the semester in which the circumstance occurs and before the end of Week 9. Graduating students must submit by the graduation application deadline or Week 9, whichever comes first.

Not typically approved for

• Lack of planning
• Failure to track SLC progress or attendance
• Preference for non-approved activities
• Scheduling inconvenience
• Missed deadlines
• General disagreement with the SLC requirement

Chapel Non-Compliance appeals

You may appeal a Chapel Non-Compliance designation, occurrence level, or fine if you believe your Chapel attendance was recorded incorrectly, significant documented circumstances prevented you from meeting the 10-Chapel requirement, or the occurrence level or fine was incorrect.

SLC credit & graduation-progress appeals

Issues with Discipleship or Service SLC credits or overall graduation progress are not Chapel Non-Compliance matters — handle them through the appropriate SLC Exception Request or SLC appeal process separately from Chapel Non-Compliance.

If an approved exception changes a Chapel Non-Compliance charge, Campus Ministries will notify the Business Office so the charge can be adjusted or reversed.

Check your posted SLC totals first, then contact Campus Ministries as early as possible. We can help you review your remaining requirement, approved opportunities, and whether an SLC Exception Request may apply to your circumstances. An exception is never guaranteed.