Frequently Asked Questions

Revelation-based learning occurs when you receive revelation, perception and illumination from the Holy Spirit and act upon it.

• Get introduced to this exciting new way to learn (includes video overview)
• Discover how God’s original design was for us to live out of revelation knowledge by downloading this free 18-page report: Is Something Vital Missing from Your Bible Education?

See our complete list of 13 major concentrations.

See the complete list of all available degree and certificate programs.

We no longer offer graduation ceremonies as our students graduate almost every day and we cannot get everyone together for one big celebration. We suggest that you have your pastor or a close spiritual leader present you your degree at a church service or private ceremony. Or, if your church is open to it, you can bring Mark in on a Friday to do a seminar for the community and congregation and have your graduation ceremony in the evening on Saturday.  This will introduce your church and community to the uniqueness of what you have learned at CLU and help offset the costs of having him come. He has also, at times, recorded himself conferring a degree and praying for a graduate, which you could ask for and use.

Please contact us if you would like to schedule Mark to come to your church.

CLU is a 100% distance learning university. You do all of your coursework from home!

Yes. You may receive up to 75% of the credits for your bachelor’s degree and 50% of your graduate degrees from the combination of life experience and credit transfers from other institutions. Learn more about creating a life experience portfolio.

Entrance Requirements

1. Spiritual Openness: Since Christian Leadership University maintains a strong Christian position and integrates Christian spirituality into each of its courses, students need to be open to this educational emphasis, or they will find themselves at odds with their entire learning experience.
2. Education: A high school diploma or its equivalent. Students without such a diploma may enroll on a probationary basis. Note: Some states will award a GED upon the successful completion of a specified number of college credits. Contact your State Education Department for information.
3. Age: Minimum age 18. Qualified younger students may enter on a probationary basis, and once they have proven themselves able to handle the work they will be moved to permanent student status. We have had students enroll at age 15 and earn straight A’s in our courses.
4. A computer and an internet connection are strongly encouraged for all students, unless extenuating circumstances require that a special waiver be approved. A computer and an internet connection allow students to access faculty and each other through email and permit discussion forums. They will also receive regular email messages from the University President and administrative offices. This is the key way CLU will keep in touch with its worldwide student body. Various bulletin boards may also be available, listing internship opportunities, job placements, etc.

Admission Procedures

Complete the online New Student Application and Student Release Form, and submit them, along with your $100 matriculation fee, to CLU.

Complete the following online Bible Quizzes. Any areas that you do not demonstrate a strong working knowledge of the Scriptures (by achieving a score of 70% or higher) will be an opportunity for you to dig deeper in those books. Those CLU Bible classes will be added to your required curriculum, and you can choose to take them at any point before you complete your training experience at CLU. Undergraduate students will earn three credits for each of the Through the Bible courses they successfully complete. Graduate students will have the option of completing only the work required in the undergraduate syllabus and earning two credits per course, or completing an extra project and earning three credits per course.

You will be contacted by the Dean of Students to discuss your educational goals and help you decide which classes to take first to achieve them.

As a full-time student, taking five courses per quarter, you could complete the entire Bachelor’s degree program in as little as two years. This would involve about five hours of work each day. You are welcome to take only one or two classes at a time, however; the pace is flexible and the schedule is up to you.

There is also the option of bringing in credits from your life experiences. More discussion of this can be found in the CLU catalog here. 

You can earn extra credits by teaching the course to others after you have taken it. This will deepen the learning experience for you tremendously, and extra credit will be added free of charge to your transcript for each course you teach.

See the average cost for full-time and part-time students, as well as a comparison of the cost of CLU to that of other colleges. If you plan on taking courses one at a time, this page contains information about each course, including the price. The average three-credit course costs about $375. (The prices listed include both tuition and materials)

The Practical Procedures page has information about the options available to you.

You may download our complete catalog as an Adobe PDF file which you can then easily print, or you may request that a printed catalog be mailed to you. Incidentally, our website contains all of the information that is in our printed catalog, and much more.

Yes, CLU is privately accredited.

For a more in-depth answer see our accreditation page.

Immediately! Because there is no physical classroom to attend, there is no set schedule that you must conform to. As soon as you receive your course materials you may begin, and your studies continue at your own pace until you complete them, but it is a 12 – 20 week limit unless you have contacted the office.

See the Steps to Becoming a CLU Student and enroll online.

Beginning Your Coursework

There is no specific order in which you must take the majority of our courses, though every incoming student begins with REN103, Communion with God. The guiding rule is to take those courses which most interest you, when they interest you and stick with the topics until you have mastered them. Learning is best when interest is high. Therefore, follow your interest. It will usually lead you to every piece that is important for you to absorb to become an effective leader. Once you’ve submitted a New Student Application you’re welcome to enroll in courses online, over the phone or even the old fashioned way – send us a fax or a letter!

You may receive up to 75% of the credits for your bachelor’s degree and 50% of your graduate degrees from the combination of life experience and credit transfers from other institutions. See details about transferring credits.

The Academic Dean and Faculty shall evaluate all previous and applicable academic studies to determine what, if any, courses may be accepted for transfer into CLU. The final decision about how much credit may be allowed for transfer is made by the Academic Dean, according to the policies of the University.

Transferring Credit to Other Institutions: The acceptance of transfer credits is at the determination and discretion of the receiving institution; therefore CLU does not guarantee or imply its credits will be accepted at any other institution.

Licensing and Certification

There are many career fields in which, if you know the information needed to be competent and have developed the personality attributes to be effective, you do not need either certification or a license. Many careers within church and parachurch ministries fall into this category.

Vocations outside church and parachurch ministries that usually do not require either certification or licensing number in the thousands. A sampling follows: CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of a business, politician, businessman or businesswoman, manager, administrator, builder, developer, reformer, artist, poet, musician, novelist, printer, inventor, entrepreneur, worker in construction, marketer, salesperson, advertising specialist, motivational speaker, personnel manager, Christian counselor, secretary, administrative assistant, public relations manager, welfare worker, researcher, technician, investigative reporter, property manager, fitness center manager, nutritional counselor, computer programmer, computer technician, designer, editor, dispatcher, entertainer, information clerk, photographer, receptionist, recreation worker, reporter, retail sales worker. A more complete list of over 12,000 vocations can be found in the Dictionary of Holland Occupational Codes, available by calling the publisher at 1-800-331-TEST.

There are other careers that do usually require either certification or licensing. Such certification or license generally demands that you have earned a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral degree in a certain content area, with certain specific courses in your degree. They may also require that your degree be from a college or university with a certain kind of accreditation (there are various levels of accreditation).

Before beginning your program of study, we encourage you to take the time necessary to clearly identify the career you believe God has in mind for you. Then interview three or four people who are doing the kind of work you want to eventually do. You should interview people in the state in which you want to work, since certification or licensing requirements vary from state to state. Make sure to enroll in a program, and include the proper courses in your studies, that will enable you to do the work you feel called to when you have completed it. The Dean of Students at Christian Leadership University may be contacted for assistance in helping you determine your career objectives. He has several vocational testing tools at his disposal, as well as great experience in career counseling. Christian Leadership University offers a complete course entitled “Gifted to Succeed” which takes you through several personality profiles to help you clarify your gifts, aptitudes and interests. You may select this as one of your first college courses.

See photographs of a degree from Christian Leadership University on our Degrees page.

We periodically hold graduation ceremonies at various locations around the country. You may also have CLU President, Dr. Mark Virkler come to your church to offer a seminar and conduct a special graduation ceremony.

You can find all of our information on the contact page.

Yes, and it’s very easy. Simply go to the Courses Page and complete the online course order form. Make sure you click the checkboxes of each course you wish to order before filling out the information on the bottom of the page!

You can submit or update your credit card info here.

The syllabi that are posted on the website are just samples. They contain the first several pages, not the full syllabus. Most CLU course syllabi are between 20 and 50 pages.

If you don’t find what you’re looking for, please contact us.