Where FMI is authorized to grant degrees
FMI Biblical Studies and Seminary is chartered by the State of North Carolina to conduct post-secondary degree programs pursuant to N.C.G.S. §116-15(d). We are licensed in South Carolina under Title 59, Chapter 58, Section 30 of the South Carolina Code of Laws (1976, as amended), the Nonpublic Postsecondary Institution License Act. We are authorized in Florida under Section 1005.06(1)(f), Florida Statutes, and Rule 6E-5.001. In Georgia, our degree programs are declared exempt from authorization requirements under O.C.G.A. 20-3-250.3(a)(6) with respect to religious education.
Our accreditation with QAHE
FMI holds accreditation with the International Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (QAHE), an international quality-assurance body that reviews institutional practice against its own published standards. We value that review and the accountability it brings.
What FMI is not
FMI is not accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). QAHE is not a USDE-recognized or CHEA-recognized accreditor. We state that here, plainly, rather than leaving you to discover it later.
What that means for you, specifically
- Your FMI degree is a lawfully conferred credential, recognized within ministry, church, and denominational contexts.
- FMI programs are not eligible for federal student financial aid. FAFSA, Pell Grants, and federal student loans do not apply.
- FMI credits and degrees may not transfer to regionally accredited colleges and universities. Transfer is always determined by the receiving institution, never by FMI.
- An FMI degree does not confer state professional licensure in counseling, therapy, social work, teaching, or any other regulated profession.
- Military chaplaincy commissioning and most hospital chaplaincy positions require a Master of Divinity from a regionally accredited institution plus denominational endorsement. An FMI M.Div. does not satisfy those requirements.
- Doctoral admission and faculty appointment at regionally accredited universities generally require degrees from regionally accredited institutions.
Why we operate this way
Recognized accreditation carries costs that would put FMI's tuition out of reach for the ministers we exist to serve. A full FMI program costs less than one semester at most accredited seminaries. That tradeoff is real, and it is the tradeoff we have chosen. We think it is the right one for a pastor in Livingstone or a bivocational minister in Barnwell. We also think you should get to weigh it for yourself.
If you need a regionally accredited degree
Tell us. If your calling requires clinical licensure, military chaplaincy, or a university faculty position, an FMI degree is not the right path, and an advisor will say so directly. We would rather send you somewhere else than take your tuition for a credential that will not serve your purpose.
Verify us
We encourage every prospective student to verify these statements independently. Contact the North Carolina State Authorization Unit, the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, the Florida Commission for Independent Education, and the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission. Check the USDE database at ope.ed.gov/dapip and CHEA at chea.org. We will not be surprised by what you find, because we have told you what you will find.