Birthingway seeks to foster an educational community in which all members have the opportunity to learn and contribute, free from discrimination or harassment. Any person, including a witness or witnesses, may report sexual discrimination or sexual harassment—individuals do not need to be the victim of alleged conduct or harassment in order to make a report. Reports, either written or verbal, should be made to the Title IX Coordinator and may be made in person, by mail, by telephone, or by e-mail, using the contact information listed below.

More information about Birthingway’s Student Code of Conduct and policies for addressing sexual misconduct can be found in the Student Handbook and Catalog.

Birthingway staff, students, and faculty are provided with training on how to identify and prevent sexual violence and discrimination, as well as Birthingway’s policies for addressing reported incidents. You can access our training slides here: Know Your Rights-Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Training.

Title IX Coordinator: Holly Scholles
holly@birthingway.edu
503-760-3131

To submit a report by mail, please call 503-850-2258 or email info@birthingway.edu to request our current mailing address.

Birthingway is institutionally accredited by the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC), 850 Mt. Pleasant Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, a national professional accreditation agency authorized by the U.S. Department of Education. More information about MEAC can be found on their website at meacschools.org. 360-466-2080

This school is a nonprofit corporation authorized by the State of Oregon to offer and confer the academic degrees described herein, following a determination that state academic standards will be satisfied under OAR 583-030. Inquiries concerning the standards or school compliance may be directed to the Office of Degree Authorization, 3225 25th Street SE, Salem, OR 97302.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their academic records. These rights include:

The right to inspect and review your academic records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access.

Current and former students may request access to their student record by submitting a Student Records Access Request.

The right to request the amendment of your academic records that you believe are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of your privacy rights.

To correct your student record, you must submit a challenge in writing to the Registrar with sufficient original documentation to support any change. The challenge must be approved by your program coordinator in consultation with relevant faculty.

The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in  your academic records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

Student records are confidential. Generally, records will only be released with written permission of the student. The privacy of student records at Birthingway is protected by federal law. Birthingway will not release private student information except when it is required by regulation or in other situations of legitimate educational interest. Examples of when your student record may be released include, but are not limited to: audits by our accrediting agency, MEAC, and/or the federal government, or while working with prior institutions you have attended to determine your financial aid eligibility.

In addition, you should be aware that academic records and related information may be shared among faculty, and between faculty and staff, as part of their support of your education. All disclosures, including within the institution, will only be made when there is legitimate educational interest.

The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the college to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:

Student Privacy Policy Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-8520

For more information, please visit the Student Privacy Policy Office.

Directory Information

Under FERPA Birthingway is authorized to make specific Directory Information public. Directory Information is defined at Birthingway as your:

• Name
• Address
• Phone Number
• Birthingway Email Address
• Matriculation Year
• Certificates/Degrees Received
• Program(s) of Study

Birthingway does not indiscriminately distribute private information to the general public, but certain elements of student, graduate, and alumni Directory Information may be provided. This is limited to just your name, program of study, matriculation year, and certificates/degrees received.

You may decline having your Directory Information made public by selecting “Privacy Protected” each term on the Registration form.

FERPA Release Form

As part of our system for protecting the confidentiality of your student records, you must complete Birthingway’s FERPA Release form in order for us to be able to discuss your records with your parent, spouse/partner or other persons/organizations. Please email this completed form to info@birthingway.edu or call 503-760-3131 to request our current mailing address.

Credits may be transferred from colleges or universities that are regionally accredited or authorized to confer degrees in or from Oregon. Transfer credit may only be accepted from non-regionally accredited schools with the express permission of the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization. If approved by ODA, Birthingway may accept credit in transfer from colleges or universities institutionally accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting body, or from other institutions on a case-by-case basis depending upon accreditation status.

Credit may be transferred in for distance education courses, as long as the offering institution meets the transfer credit policy outlined above. Birthingway does not offer credit for non-college level work, and does not offer Advanced Standing based on high school work, unless such work has been accepted for credit by an institution that meets Birthingway transfer credit policy.

In general, credit is transferred only for general education courses. Some Midwifery Program prerequisites (Human Anatomy and Physiology and English Composition) may be transferred as general education credits if they meet our transfer credit policy. General education credits must be graded with a C (2.0) or above to be considered for transfer.

We do not automatically transfer credit(s) from other educational programs to satisfy Midwifery Program requirements. We will evaluate transfer of credit for these program requirements from an accredited college upon request, on a case-by-case basis. If eligible, transferred coursework must be graded with a B+/3.5 or better or equivalent. The same course may not be used to meet both general education and program requirements. Credit given for a particular course will not exceed credit given for the equivalent or corresponding Birthingway course. At least one academic year of a program (not including general education credits) must be completed in regular coursework at Birthingway.

• Transfer of credit from Birthingway College to other programs is always at the discretion of the receiving school, and generally depends on comparability of curricula and accreditation.
• Certificates and degrees conferred by Birthingway College are professional in nature, intended solely to prepare students for a career in the Midwifery Arts and Sciences. It is not likely that a certificate/degree earned at Birthingway College will meet the prerequisites for graduate education at another institution.

A textbook list is provided in the registration materials for each term. For a list of required texts, please see the current Registration Packet.

Birthingway’s Financial Aid Disbursement for Books and Supplies policy was created to meet the federal requirements in 34 CFR 668.164(i). These requirements specify that institutions must provide a way for Pell eligible students to purchase or obtain books and supplies no later than the 7th day of a payment period if funds could have been disbursed 10 days before the beginning of the payment period AND disbursed funds would have created a Title IV credit balance. Per the institutional policy:

• All students may opt to purchase textbooks through Birthingway.
• Students may opt to provide payment or use their financial aid to cover the cost of textbooks.
• Students will authorize use of their funds by signing the textbook order form. Exception: Student may provide payment with order form. This will be the way in which students opt out of using financial aid.
• The College will make every effort to ensure textbooks are available no later than the seventh day of a payment period.

Please read our Institutional Copyright Policy.

Community events and activities are listed in our quarterly newsletter.

Because the vast majority of our graduates are self-employed, Birthingway does not offer job placement services at this time. The College does offer courses and workshops that cover career and business aspects of healthcare professions. A student’s advisor may assist with career planning; however, the College does not have any dedicated professional career services staff.

Midwifery Program

For more information on costs, please see the Student Handbook and Catalog.

Payment is due at the time of registration each term, unless the student has financial aid clearance. If receiving financial aid, payment is due typically 4-6 weeks into the term.

Please see Birthingway’s Student Handbook and Catalog for a list of current faculty.

To register or update your registration information, visit Oregon Votes.

Birthingway does not publish data on student body diversity if the number of students represented is small enough to reveal individual students. Due to the size of the Midwifery program, student body race/ethnicity, as well as gender, have not been reported for this year in order to protect the identities of our students. If you have any questions about this, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Our statistics are based on our responses to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2021-2022 Student Financial Aid survey. This survey reports on all students enrolled in coursework during Fall 2020 and includes both degree and non-degree seeking students. Of these students:

14% (1 of 7) were awarded Pell Grants.

Birthingway does not discriminate on the basis of anyone’s actual or perceived race, color, ethnic origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, socioeconomic status, or any other protected class in employment decisions, admissions or other college activities.

Birthingway’s Loan Program Code of Conduct prohibits conflict of interest with regards to our staff members who assist students in borrowing private or alternative loans, and outside lending, guarantee or servicing agencies.

Our Financial Aid pages contain information about student loan entrance and exit counseling.

Please read this excerpt from the 2021-2022 Federal Student Aid Handbook (Vol 1, Page 33)

Visit Birthingway’s Financial Aid page for general and contact information.

Please review our Institutional Refund Schedule.

In accordance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008, all Title IV post-secondary institutions are required to post a Net Price Calculator to their school’s website in order to help prospective students estimate total cost and financial assistance. However, under the HEOA, institutions that do not enroll first-time, full-time degree-seeking students are not required to have a Net Price Calculator.

At this time, Birthingway’s only Title IV eligible program is our Midwifery Program. This program does not enroll any first-time students, as all students in this program are required to complete college-level prerequisite courses prior to acceptance.

While we do not have a Net Price Calculator, we are eager to help you estimate the potential cost to attend. Please contact our Financial Aid Officer for more assistance.

Birthingway will gladly work with students who are interested in financing their education with the support of private student loans. The college maintains a Preferred Lender List and borrower information on our financial aid page.

To receive more information about private loans, please contact Birthingway’s Financial Aid Officer.

Please read our Return of Title IV Funds policy.

Read about state grant assistance on the financial aid webpage.

For more information, visit the Oregon Student ACCESS Commission webpage.

Cohort Default Rates are calculated by the Department of Education using information from the school’s borrowers who enter repayment on certain Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program or William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program loans during a particular period of time.

Birthingway’s Official 2018 3-Year Cohort Default Rate is 4.1%. The National Cohort Default Rate for 2018 is 7.3%.

For more information on Cohort Default Rates:
http://www2.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/defaultmanagement/cdr.html

Birthingway is required by law to inform our students and employees of any situation that represents a threat to their safety. In addition, we will not tolerate the endangerment of the safety of our community. We will fully cooperate with local police in the investigation of any incidents.

In the event that a situation arises that constitutes an ongoing or continuing threat, a school-wide timely warning will be issued.

The Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act (Public Law 101-542) requires that all institutions of higher education produce an annual security report. Birthingway has prepared the following information so that our community can make an informed choice about their personal safety while at Birthingway.

2021 Annual Campus Security Report

Please contact us if you would like to review prior year security reports.

In compliance with Public Law 101-226, The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Amendment of 1989, Birthingway College of Midwifery is legally required, and morally committed, to the prevention of illicit drug use and the abuse of alcohol by students and staff/faculty. As part of our Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Program, Birthingway educates and informs our community of the health risks associated with the use of illicit drugs and the abuse of alcohol, refers community members to counseling and treatment resources, and informs them of legal penalties for noncompliance.

The College holds a strict policy against any community member (including faculty, staff, and students) attending class, clinicals, births, or any other work/practice settings in any condition other than sober. All must be able to concentrate and make good decisions. Any conviction for illegal drug and/or alcohol use or possession while on college property; engaging in college business; taking part in any Birthingway educational opportunity (such as field trips, clinical training, doula births); or in any way serving in a midwifery-related capacity will result in immediate expulsion or termination from Birthingway.

Use of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in the Birthingway building and on Birthingway property except for special events, such as graduation, when approved by the Birthingway President or Board of Directors. Anyone under the influence of alcohol will be removed and dismissed or suspended from the college premises.

For counseling and treatment resources, health risks associated with drug and alcohol abuse and legal penalties, please see our current Student Handbook and Catalog.

Birthingway strongly encourages anyone who is the victim of, or witness to, a crime to immediately report it to their local police.

In addition, we ask that students and faculty report crimes to a Birthingway staff member, preferably in writing. Please include the date, time (if known), and nature of the crime along with any pertinent details. The report may be submitted anonymously if the student does not wish to contact the police.

College Navigator is maintained by the US Department of Education’s Institute of Educational Sciences. Visit this site to find general information about Birthingway and other colleges across the country, such as average enrollment rates, tuition and fees estimates, and loan (cohort) default rates.

The Midwifery Program is designed to be completed in a minimum of three years by following the Recommended Course Sequence. An additional year for general education will be needed if you are seeking the Bachelor of Science in Midwifery credential. Most students take longer to complete. Your Matriculation Catalog and credits will expire after seven years.

Of the midwifery students who graduated in 2019, 2020, and 2021, the average time for completion was:

• A little over 5 years for the Certificate of Midwifery
• A little over 4 years for the Bachelor of Science in Midwifery

Birthingway calculates and summarizes program cohort graduation and retention rates annually as of December 31st.

Under the Student Right to Know Act, Birthingway is required to report annually on the completion (graduation) rates for certificate and degree seeking full-time, first-time undergraduate students. Statistics look at specific matriculating cohort years and address whether or not these students complete their program within 150% of the normal time. Birthingway does not report this particular statistic because we do not enroll full-time, first-time undergraduate students. All students are required to complete college level coursework as prerequisites prior to admittance.

Birthingway conducts surveys with graduates for three years following graduation. In Spring 2022, we contacted and surveyed graduates from January 2019 through December 2021. If graduates do not respond, we research their status elsewhere; such as on state licensing databases or their current, private business websites. Occasionally, we are unable to account for some students through either means. This year, we were able to account for all graduates.

Of the Midwifery Program graduates surveyed:

• 94% of graduates are working as a midwife (16 of 17).
• 29% are working in a related field (5 of 17) in addition to working as a midwife. Types of related work include: Midwifery Education, Lactation Consultation, Postpartum Doula, Childbirth or Health Education, Prenatal Massage, and Placental Encapsulation.