Cedar Crest College

Since its founding in 1867, Cedar Crest College has taken a bold approach to education - creating a college and a curriculum designed for women who want to achieve at the highest levels! Recognizing the multi-dimensional nature of students, Cedar Crest College is dedicated to the education of the next generation of women leaders by preparing the whole student for life in the global community.

Cedar Crest provides a wealth of opportunity for non-traditional and graduate students. Our co-educational School of Adult and Graduate Education(SAGE) demonstrates our commitment to education at all levels.

The mission of Academic Services at Cedar Crest College is to empower all students to become independent learners and active members of their community by providing holistic guidance in a creative and safe environment. We are committed to delivering resources and services that foster self-directed learning, confidence, and academic success.The resources, services, and programs offered by Academic Services are inclusive, comprehensive, and offered at no charge to all members of the Cedar Crest College community.

Academic Services is committed to offering academic support that enhance students’ abilities to meet academic standards, guide students through the transition to the college learning environment, and prepare students for lifelong learning. Our programs aim actively support Cedar Crest College’s mission to foster critical thinking and technological literacy while providing students opportunities to develop and demonstrate their leadership skills, creative abilities, and social awareness. Academic Services collaborates closely with Academic Affairs and Student Affairs to offer comprehensive programs and provides resources to support faculty and their instruction.

Academic advising at Cedar Crest College is a dynamic, collaborative process that seeks to assist students in succeeding academically, developing meaningful goals, articulating career plans, and fostering students’ individual responsibility for their education.

Each new undergraduate at Cedar Crest receives their initial academic advising from an advisor in Academic Services. To ensure students receive the most accurate initial advising as possible, Academic Services advisors specialize in academic programs.

After their initial academic advising, students transition to new academic advisors. First-year Traditional undergraduate students are assigned a First Year Advisor through the First Year Experience program, who will serve as their academic advisor until they declare a major. Transfer Traditional and SAGE undergraduate students are assigned to a faculty advisor in their intended major. Throughout a student’s academic career, however, Academic Services is always available to answer advising questions and help students with academic decision-making.

Traditional students who have earned 0-23.9 credits (freshman standing) are required to receive approval from their advisor prior to registering for classes. In addition, advisors must review and approve these students’ scheduled after they have registered. Traditional students who have earned 24-54.9 credits (sophomore standing) are required to receive approval from their advisor prior to registering for classes. Though Traditional students who have achieved junior standing (55 or more credits) and SAGE students are not required to meet with their academic advisor prior to registering for classes, it is strongly encouraged.

Launched in Fall 2014, Cedar Crest College’s Four-Year Graduation (4YG) Guarantee is open to all first-year, traditional students. Academically qualified candidates are enrolled full-time in a 4-year bachelor’s degree program, with the exception of Nuclear Medicine Technology. It does not apply to dual degree, fifth-year, or graduate programs. Provided students comply with all of the conditions of the program, Cedar Crest College will guarantee graduation within four years. The guarantee extends to one major only. While many students add additional majors and minors and finish within four years, Cedar Crest will not be able to provide four year guarantee in those cases.

At Cedar Crest, we know how important your first year of college is to your overall success as a student. That is why we have created a year-long experience just for our first-year students to meet their specific needs and help with their individual transition into college.

The Carmen Twillie Ambar Sophomore Expedition is a guaranteed study abroad program which gives each full-time, traditional student in good academic, social and financial standing the opportunity to spend 7-10 days abroad with her sophomore class with nearly all costs covered by the college. In the semester leading up to the trip, students attend a weekly class to learn about the country they will be traveling to. When they travel abroad, students are grouped by their field of study so they can perform service-learning activities related to their area of interest.

In 2018, the inaugural Sophomore Expedition took the Class of 2020 to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Education students had the opportunity to volunteer at a daycare for underprivileged children, science students explored the rainforest and nursing students observed a plastic surgeon at work. Other students fed the homeless and planted a community garden. A majority of the trip was dedicated to service learning, but there was also time for some sight-seeing. Students took a train ride through Tijuca National Park, traveled to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain by cable car and experienced breath-taking views of the Christ the Redeemer statue.

The Sophomore Expedition is named in honor of Carmen Twillie Ambar, Cedar Crest College’s 13th president. President Ambar believed that every student should be afforded the opportunity to study abroad, no matter their financial situation. The Carmen Twillie Ambar Sophomore Expedition is a one-of-a-kind program that allows our students to have a truly transformational experience -- one that they will remember forever.