FAQ for Evening and Online Programs

At Southern Wesleyan, AGS and Online program students do take one course at a time. Generally, each course lasts six or seven weeks (with the exception of some master’s courses). Undergraduate students generally register for a year or more of coursework at a time, and graduate students may be registered for their entire program. We don’t want you to have to spend a significant amount of your time registering for more classes and making more decisions. We help set your schedule and get you on your path toward degree completion with as little hassle as possible. If you wish to register for a course outside of your schedule, you need to speak with your Student Services Coordinator.

At Southern Wesleyan, many of our students have been out of school for ten, twenty, or thirty years or more. Our students range in age from early twenties to mid-sixties. Most will quietly admit that they are nervous about coming back to school (and others are more open about it). It is okay to be nervous. You should be nervous. Going back to school is a big decision. You need to have a support group around you to cheer you on. We encourage you to write down the reasons motivating you to look into furthering your education. Then, a year or two down the road when you’re close to burn-out, refer back to those reasons to keep you going. Prepare your life for the big change going back to school will require. You will probably have to make life sacrifices to do this. But don’t let nerves keep you from stepping into your dreams.

Questions regarding financial aid should be directed to your Financial Aid Counselor. Adult program and online program financial aid counselors are Cami Miller ( – for students whose last names begin with A-K), and Kim Cotton ( – for students whose last names begin with L-Z).

Southern Wesleyan’s FAFSA School Code is 003422. Additional information about the FAFSA can be found here.

After your funds from financial aid come to Southern Wesleyan, they are applied to your student account by a Student Accounts Representative. If you have questions about what you have paid, what you need to pay, or anything else regarding your funding that has come into the school, contact your Student Accounts Representative.

Students who are eligible to receive financial aid funds in excess of their student account bill may request a refund check of the excess funds. We do not encourage this practice, however, as students still pay interest on those loan funds. We would suggest that you return any excess funds to your lender for paying down your debt, or to earmark those funds (or return them to the school) to be used for future educational expenses that may require out-of-pocket payment. Student Accounts can be reached by calling 864-644-5520 during business hours (8 AM – 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday).

Instructions for requesting a transcript of coursework taken at Southern Wesleyan can be found here.

Your first point of contact for any schedule change (adding a class or dropping a class) should be your Student Services Coordinator. Student Services Coordinators are located throughout the state and online to help you. If you know in advance that you need to miss an entire course, you should request a Leave of Absence. If you need to withdraw from a course currently in progress, you should request a Temporary Withdrawal. Temporary Withdrawals may have financial and academic consequences, so consider your options carefully before filing withdrawal paperwork. Always talk to your financial aid counselor about any decision that affects your schedule, as your financial aid may also be impacted.

Your first point of contact for any schedule change (adding a class or dropping a class) should be your Student Services Coordinator. Student Services Coordinators are located throughout the state and online to help you. Students can withdraw from a current course that is in progress until the half-way point of the course. Be sure to talk with your financial aid counselor about the financial implications of dropping a course, also.

Undergraduate Elective Schedules are generally published for one calendar year at a time. These courses are offered online and do tend to fill. If you cannot get into the class you want, contact your Student Services Coordinator. He or she will be able to discuss alternative options for you. Work with your Student Services Coordinator to plan your electives early to help avoid last-minute surprises.

A variety of undergraduate elective courses are offered online. Students can register using the appropriate registration form, or students may register for multiple electives during an advisement appointment. We encourage students to discuss their elective options with their Student Services Coordinator at an advisement appointment to make sure you are aware of all options available to you.

Graduate elective courses for Master of Education students are also available online.

As a general rule, we like to encourage students to discuss problems or issues directly with the person involved, whenever possible. So, if you disagree with a grade for a course, your first point of contact should be with your instructor. If you can come to a resolution, that is wonderful. If you still disagree after contacting the instructor, you can contact your Student Services Coordinator to enter into an academic grade appeal.

CANVAS is the Southern Wesleyan learning management system (LMS). This is where course information is housed. If you login to CANVAS and cannot see your course, there are several things that could have happened. Just let your Student Services Coordinator know about the issue, and he or she will look into it further to help get the issue resolved.

Generally students who are taking one AGS course are considered enrolled “full time.” At times, students may wish to take multiple courses. While SWU does not prevent this, it is often difficult for working adults to manage multiple courses, and some report that managing two courses is surprisingly taxing. In addition, most students receive loan funds for one course at a time, which often means taking multiple courses requires an out of pocket payment. We encourage you to keep these factors in mind as you plan your path to degree completion. If students wish to register for more than one course, they must complete Individual Course Registration Forms and secure funding for the extra course to be registered.

Students enrolling in an undergraduate degree program with no transfer coursework generally take two and a half years to complete an Associate’s degree and five years to complete a Bachelor of Science degree, if taking one course at a time. Any transfer credits or breaks in classes have the potential to speed up or slow down your time needed for degree completion.

An MSM generally takes approximately 18 months, an MBA generally takes about 20-22 months, an MED-CL takes approximately 17 months, and an MED-AS takes approximately 22 months.

Students enrolled at an AGS learning center may be eligible to transfer to another learning center or to an online degree program, if their program is offered in both formats. Your Student Services Coordinator will be able to guide you through the process of transferring to another location and will counsel you regarding whether or not you are eligible to transfer to a fully online degree program.

Student final grade reports are accessed through Southern Wesleyan’s secure internet portal, mySWU. After logging in, click on the “Students” tab, and then click on “Grades and Transcripts.”

Yes. Southern Wesleyan accepts transfer credits from other regionally accredited institutions and a limited number of other institutions with which we have cooperative agreements. Our complete transfer policies can be found in our Academic Bulletin or on our website here. Another helpful guide for students transferring from a South Carolina Technical College is our SC Technical College Transfer Equivalency Table, which can be found here on our website here.

The most common reasons student coursework does not transfer are: (1) courses are from a college or university that is not regionally accredited, (2) course grades were below a C-, (3) courses were technical, developmental, or remedial, or (4) transferrable credit hours exceed the maximum eligible to transfer from a 2 year school (68 credit hours). These are the most common reasons credits do not transfer. If your credits in question do not fall into any of these categories, discuss the issue with your Student Services Coordinator.

SWU courses use a variety of writing formats, including MLA and APA.

Southern Wesleyan holds graduation ceremonies twice per year – in both May and December. AGS graduation ceremonies are held on Saturday to allow our working adult students to participate. AGS graduation ceremonies are exciting and represent the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication. We encourage students to participate.

If your final course needed for your graduation has begun prior to a scheduled graduation ceremony, you may participate in graduation, even if the course ends after the ceremony. Your diploma will be held until your final grade has been posted. Don’t worry – nobody at the ceremony will know that your diploma is being held. All students receive a commemorative diploma holder, and no students are given their actual diploma during the ceremony. Just remember – you must apply to graduate, and you must complete academic and financial obligations to receive your diploma.