Acadeum Information

Bellarmine University is a member of the Acadeum course sharing network, which facilitates online course sharing among institutions that have similar curricular goals and academic quality standards. Acadeum provides opportunities for Bellarmine students to enroll in other member institutions' online courses to stay on track to completion. Students may use course sharing to repeat a course, catch up due to health withdrawals or leaves of absence, complete necessary prerequisites when they are not offered on campus during the term they are needed, and for other needs.

Courses taken through the Acadeum course sharing network are transcribed as Bellarmine courses, and charges for these courses appear on students’ Bellarmine accounts, simplifying procedures as compared to standard transfer courses.

General Education course requirements and major course requirements for a degree at Bellarmine may not be satisfied through Acadeum registration unless:

  1. The student can demonstrate a bona fide schedule conflict at Bellarmine University;
  2. The student’s progress for degree is unreasonably delayed due to Bellarmine’s course schedule; or
  3. By petition of the student, specific approval for the substitution has been approved through the Dean.

Acadeum registration for the substitution of university courses required in General Education or the major requires only the approval of the Office of the Registrar with the recommendation of the appropriate department chair.

More information about Acadeum, as well as a list of courses available, can be found at the Acadeum website. Students who wish to take courses under this program must consult with the Office of the Registrar and follow the procedures as directed to secure course approval and enrollment. Bellarmine reserves the right to determine acceptability for credit of courses taken at other institutions.  

Policy on tuition, enrollment, and responsibilities 

1. Standard Tuition Policy 

  • Full-time undergraduate students (enrolled in 12 or more credit hours) who elect to take an Acadeum course will pay an additional $500 for the Acadeum course, on top of their regular tuition. 

  • Graduate, Second-Degree, and Degree Completion students will pay the current tuition rate—per credit hour—of their academic program for an Acadeum course. 

  • Employees who take Acadeum courses will be responsible for the cost of the class as per tuition remission policy. 

  • Materials for Acadeum courses (such as textbooks) are not covered by Bellarmine’s OnCourse program and must be purchased by the student.  Required materials will be listed in the course syllabus posted in the Acadeum platform. 

2. Exception for Required Courses Not Offered at Bellarmine 

  • In cases in which a student requires a course to stay on track to graduate, but that course is not offered at Bellarmine on the timeframe required to graduate on time, the student may be eligible for institutional coverage of the Acadeum course cost.   

  • Eligibility will be determined by the Registrar in consultation with the Student Accounts Office and the student’s academic advisor.  Approval must be granted prior to enrollment.  

3. Enrollment Process 

  • Faculty and chairs may assist students in identifying appropriate Acadeum courses using the Acadeum portal.  

  • In the process of selecting and enrolling in Acadeum courses, it is critical that students are made aware of drop and withdrawal deadlines specific to the institution offering the Acadeum course.  These deadlines will be different from Bellarmine’s published deadlines. 

  • Approval for course equivalency is at the discretion of the academic department offering the Bellarmine equivalent of the course.  

4. Financial Aid Implications 

  • Acadeum courses will not affect a student’s existing financial aid package unless the course increases total credit hours beyond the standard full-time load. 

  • Students exceeding 19 credit hours must submit a Credit Overload Form and will be charged per-credit tuition for the additional hours. 

  • Students who submit the Credit Overload Form for Honors (tuition exception) will incur an additional $500 flat rate for each Acadeum course. 

5. Withdrawal and Refunds 

  • Students who wish to withdraw should email the Registrar’s Office (registrar@bellarmine.edu) to ensure they are properly withdrawn from both Acadeum and Bellarmine systems.   

  • Students who withdraw from an Acadeum course after the delivering institution's Drop Date, which is the refund deadline, will be responsible for the full cost of the course charged by Acadeum, because in such a case Bellarmine is charged that cost by the institution delivering the course.  It is the responsibility of the student to look up and be aware of the delivering institution's Drop Date on the Acadeum website for the course, which is different from Bellarmine's published deadlines. The Withdrawal Date posted by Acadeum refers to the "W" grade policy and does not apply to the refund policy. 

  • Students who fail to drop by the Acadeum Drop Date are responsible for the cost of the course even if they did not attend.  

  • Students who drop before the delivering institution’s Drop Date will be given a 100% refund of that course.