Skip to main content

Planning your Biola Journey

Learn more about the graduation planning process for our Online Bachelor's students.

Understanding Your Graduation Timeline

There are two main factors to determining a student's graduation timeline.

  1. Amount of Degree-Applicable Transfer Credits

    The start of everyone’s Biola journey looks different. Transferring in credits from another college or university that apply to your major, General Education, or Bible requirements means you will have fewer remaining requirements to complete at Biola. Sometimes this means you can graduate earlier than expected or take fewer courses each term and graduate in your anticipated term.

    How do I know how many of my transfer credits are degree-applicable?

    If this is your first term at Biola, you may follow these steps to calculate how many transfer credits are degree-applicable:

    Navigate to your Degree Audit by logging into MyAccount and going to the “Degree Planning” tab. (Unfamiliar with the Degree Audit? Learn more about it under the “Review Degree Requirements” section of our Registration and Enrollment page.)

    At the top section of your Degree Audit, you will see a line that says “Minimum Credits to Complete Degree Requirements” with a note that identifies how many total credits are applied to your Degree Audit. Make a note of the first number listed.

    Screenshot of Degree Audit highlighting minimum credits to complete degree requirements area


    After this, see if you have General Elective credits that are non-degree applicable. If you have any, this section will appear below your Bible requirement section. Make a note of the number of credits applied in this section.

    Screenshot of Degree Audit highlighting General Elective credits that are non-degree applicable


    Lastly, see how many credits you are registered for. The “In-progress” section is located at the very bottom of the Degree Audit.

    Screenshot of Degree Audit highlighting the in-progress section


    Once you have gathered all three of these numbers, subtract 'General Electives - Not Degree Applicable' and 'Registered Credits' from 'Total Credits of Audit' to get the 'Total Degree-Applicable Transfer Credits'. Follow the equation below to calculate how many degree-applicable transfer credits you have:

    Equation calculating degree-applicable transfer credits


    In the example of this student, they would have 57 total degree-applicable transfer credits.

    If this is not your first term, you may need to manually count how many transfer credits you have applied to your degree. If you need assistance with this, contact your Academic Advisor.

    What if I think some of my general elective credits should apply to my major, General Education, or Bible requirements?

    If you see a course listed in your general elective sections that you think should apply towards your major, General Education, or Bible requirements, you may submit a Transfer Petition. Learn more about how to submit a Transfer Petition.

  2. Pace of Courses Term-by-Term

    Again, everyone’s Biola journey looks different. Life circumstances will likely influence how many credits you can take each semester, so the flexibility of degree completion is one of the biggest benefits to completing a degree online. Your graduation timeline will largely hinge on how many courses you take each term and whether or not you participate in summer courses.

    Do I have to take the same amount of credits every semester?

    No, you do not! You may enter Biola as a part-time or full-time student, but if, as you progress through your degree, you would like to increase or decrease your load, you may speak with your Academic Advisor.

Creating Your Graduation Timeline

According to Biola policy, students are all required to submit a plan to graduate to the Office of the Registrar once they have 88 credits completed towards their degree. Once you have met this threshold, the Online Bachelor’s Academic Advisor will invite you to meet to build out a personalized graduation plan.

Can I make a plan to graduate with my Academic Advisor sooner than the 88 credit threshold?

If you would like to discuss your graduation timeline before your Academic Advisor invites you to a graduation planning meeting, you may email them directly to request a meeting. To find contact information for the Online Bachelor’s Academic Advisor, visit our webpage for the Academic Advising staff.

Where is the graduation planning tool?

The graduation planning tool is integrated with the Degree Audit. If you log into MyAccount and navigate to the “Degree Planning” tab, you may click “Planner” to access the tool. If you are already on the Degree Audit tool, you may click “Plans” at the header of the screen to toggle to the Planner tool.

Where can I find instructions on using the graduation planning tool?

If you have questions about navigating the Planner tool, visit the Registrar’s page on how to use Planner.