Spiritual Life (SpiL) Credit

What is the purpose of SpiL credits?

The purpose of our spiritual life program is to partner with you in your journey toward spiritual maturity, preparing you to live for Christ wherever your path may take you. George Fox offers a spiritual life program with an emphasis in three areas: chapel services, small-group studies, and service opportunities.

Our main priority is that each student will come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and grow in that relationship toward a mature faith. While we believe strongly in the value of our spiritual life program, we strongly believe it does not replace the life and ministry of the local church and should not be considered a substitute for church attendance or involvement. Instead, the program is an integral part of the total faith-learning experience you receive at George Fox.

  • If you have fewer than 90 academic credits before the beginning of the current academic semester
  • If you are younger than 23 before the beginning of the current academic semester

A SpiL credit is earned by attending (either online or in person) a SpiL event. You must obtain at least 15 SpiL credits each semester (fall and spring semesters). Ten (10) of them must be in one of our Bauman services.

  • To check your credit progress, download the iAttended app, create an account with your georgefox.edu email address, and login to track your progress and to see all upcoming SpiL credit opportunities.
  • You are responsible to keep track of your chapel credit and must let us know within 24 hours if your credit is not showing up from an event. To let us know, send an email to spirituallife@georgefox.edu.
  • All SpiL credit is due on the Friday of finals week each semester.

We provide several opportunities to achieve your 15 required SpiL credits, including many options that are on-demand. Because of the increased access and a variety of events, very few waivers will be approved. The main reason for a waiver will be due to health reasons. If you believe you have a health condition that does not allow you to complete your requirement, please contact us via email at spirituallife@georgefox.edu

Prolonged and confining illnesses are evaluated on an individual basis at the end of the semester. Prolonged and confining illness excuses are issued only by the school nurse for illnesses of three or more consecutive days.

All 15 SpiL credits must be completed each semester by Friday of finals week each semester.

Chapel Credit Deficiency Policy

Students who do not fulfill their required credits by the deadline will have a fee placed on their student financial account. The fee is $20/missed chapel.

Policy Guidelines

  • All students who have not resolved their credit deficiency by midnight on the last day of finals week will have a fee of $20/deficient credit placed on their student account.
  • No student "automatically" is exempt unless he or she has completed at least 90 academic credits.
  • All fees go toward spiritual life programming.
  • There will be an appeal process for students who have a discrepancy with an applied fee.

We would prefer that you complete the spiritual life credits instead of paying a fee. However, the university's board of trustees has requested a $20 fine per missed chapel be used as the response for not meeting the requirement.

If a student has a discrepancy with an applied fee, he or she may appeal it. To appeal the fee, please email us at spirituallife@georgefox.edu.

Students who continue to not meet the spiritual life chapel credit requirement or attempt to defraud the spiritual life chapel attendance process in any manner may be required to meet with the dean of students and may be subject to further disciplinary action, which could include a semester suspension from the university.