For Prospective Extension Campuses
Cross Life School of Divinity has applied for accreditation to the Council for Theological Accreditation and Review (CTAR), an independent private religious accrediting body. Accreditation is pending review and has not yet been granted. Once accreditation is granted, extension campuses that share our legal entity, governance, and finances can be covered under that accreditation — without a separate application or fee.
CTAR is a private religious accreditor — not USDE- or CHEA-recognized, by design — that holds theological institutions to nine published standards of faith, academic quality, and institutional integrity. Accreditation is granted by an Independent Director who has no affiliation with any institution CTAR accredits, and every decision is recorded in a tamper-evident audit trail.
Honest side-by-side — including the trade-offs. We want prospective campuses to choose with open eyes.
| Dimension | CTAR (via Cross Life) | Private religious accreditors (e.g., Transworld) | No accreditation | Federal-recognized (TRACS, ABHE, regional) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Recognition | Private religious — not USDE/CHEA, by design | Same — private religious, not USDE/CHEA | None | USDE + CHEA recognized; federal aid eligible |
Doctrinal Fit | Standards explicitly theological; conviction preserved, not negotiated | Christian orientation; standards not always prominently published | No external standard | Doctrinal commitments often in tension with federal compliance |
Decision-Maker Independence | Independent Director, structurally separate from every accredited institution | Conventional commission of educators; no structural separation from member schools | N/A | Recognized process; commission-based |
Transparency | Published nine standards, 12–16 week timeline, tier-based fees, public audit trail | Limited public detail; websites often inactive | None | Extensive, but at high cost and multi-year cycles |
Cost to Your Campus | No separate accreditation fee (once Cross Life is accredited) | Each institution pays its own fees | Free | High — substantial fees, compliance staff, multi-year cycles |
Best Fit | Small ministry schools, Bible institutes, extension campuses | Small Bible institutes and colleges | Anyone — but no value | Degree-granting colleges of scale seeking federal aid |
Federal Aid | No (intentional) | No | No | Yes |
Time to Coverage | Effective once Cross Life is accredited and branch-campus criteria are met | Months to years, independent process | Immediate (but no value) | Years |
CTAR (via Cross Life)
Private religious accreditors (e.g., Transworld)
No accreditation
Federal-recognized (TRACS, ABHE, regional)
Once granted, coverage under Cross Life School of Divinity’s CTAR accreditation — without a separate application or fee.
Alignment with clear, public standards of theological and institutional integrity.
Once accredited, your campus appears as part of an accredited institution, not a standalone claim.
A five-year term with branch-campus reporting handled centrally by Cross Life.
Branch-campus coverage depends on genuine structural unity with Cross Life — not just a name.
Your campus operates under Cross Life School of Divinity’s legal and governance structure — not as a separately incorporated institution.
Governance, finances, and academic oversight flow through Cross Life’s central administration.
Programs, faculty standards, and learning outcomes align with Cross Life’s accredited programs.
Your campus meets CTAR’s standards at the site level — faculty qualifications, records, doctrinal alignment, institutional integrity.
Your campus represents its status accurately: an extension campus of Cross Life — covered once accreditation is granted, not a standalone accredited institution.
The Honest Disclosure — Say This Out Loud
“CTAR accreditation is private religious accreditation. It is not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA, and it does not guarantee transferability of credits or degrees. What it does guarantee is that the institution meets CTAR’s published standards of theological and institutional integrity, evaluated by a decision-maker who has no connection to the institution. For a ministry training program, that’s the kind of accreditation that fits — honest, accountable, and doctrinally faithful — without forcing the church into the federal framework.”
If your campus’s mission is forming faithful ministers and teachers — and you’re already operating under or willing to operate under Cross Life’s governance and finances — then CTAR accreditation through Cross Life, once granted, would give you honest, accountable standing without the cost, delay, or doctrinal compromise of the federal pathway. The trade-off is real: no federal aid, no federal recognition. For most extension campuses preparing people for ministry, that’s not a loss — it’s the point.