Oasis Christian College operates as a satellite campus in partnership with the International College of Ministry (ICM), headquartered in Orlando, Florida. Through this partnership, OCC is authorized to offer accredited Biblical higher education programs, including Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees. This collaboration allows OCC students to benefit from an accredited learning experience while studying locally in Central Ohio through a hybrid model of online and in-person instruction.
Accreditation in theological education is both valuable and complex. For Bible-based institutions, obtaining national accreditation can be a lengthy and costly process—often taking years and involving extensive regulatory requirements, documentation, and compliance measures. These expenses are typically absorbed into institutional overhead and passed on to students through significantly higher tuition rates.
By partnering with ICM, OCC is able to avoid much of this administrative red tape while maintaining academic integrity, a high-quality curriculum, and recognized accreditation. This structure allows OCC to keep tuition affordable and transparent, ensuring students receive a quality education without compromising the spiritual and academic standards of their program. The educational value, ministry readiness, and real-world impact of an OCC education remain exceptional—focused on substance over status and transformation over tradition.
OCC Accreditation
In the United States, accreditation for universities and seminaries is a voluntary process overseen by private, non-governmental agencies. Federal and state governments do not accredit educational institutions, particularly those that are religious in nature, due to the constitutional principle of separation of church and state. Civil authorities have no jurisdiction over religious instruction or the degrees awarded by faith-based schools.
For this reason, most Bible colleges and Christian universities operate under private religious accreditation (such as ACI, ASIC, or TRACS) rather than secular regional accreditation. This distinction allows institutions like Oasis Christian College, through its partnership with ICM, to maintain both academic integrity and doctrinal independence.
More importantly, secular accreditation may subject religious institutions to oversight that could limit theological freedom or require conformity to non-religious educational standards.
By operating under recognized religious accreditation through ICM, OCC preserves its doctrinal autonomy, keeps tuition affordable, and emphasizes educational outcomes rather than bureaucratic benchmarks. This approach ensures that students receive a credible, mission-centered education that prioritizes spiritual formation, practical ministry preparation, and financial accessibility without unnecessary regulation or inflated costs.