Study Abroad in London: Academics
The summer school is divided into three sessions of three weeks each. Students may enroll in a single session or in two or three consecutive sessions for a total residence of three, six or nine weeks. Each semester hour of credit in a course requires 15 hours of class time plus daily assignments.
Courses are organized by Richmond academic divisions, but are classified into broad subject areas. Course numbers indicate the level of work involved—100 being freshman courses, through 400 which are senior level. The suffix A, B or C indicates the 3-week session in which the course is offered.
Most of the courses are 3 credit courses scheduled for 3 hours a day.
Most courses utilize field trips and on-site teaching to support classroom lectures. You should budget about $80-$120 per 3-week session for transportation and other incidental costs in connection with these field trips, even if the course description does not specify an amount for expenses. Similarly, additional costs for art materials, photographic supplies or theater tickets are not included in the program fee.
Academic administration is carried out by the Department Chairs and the AIFS Academic Director under the supervision of the Richmond Provost. Instructors are drawn from Richmond, the colleges of the University of London, other London institutions of higher education and other professions.
Admissions requirements
The majority of students who attend Richmond during the summer are already enrolled in a college in the U.S.
Evidence of academic ability is required in the form of your most recent transcript. Students unable to provide such evidence may occasionally be admitted at the discretion of the Academic Director, provided clear reasons for attempting the program are demonstrated and there is evidence of ability to pursue academic work.
Assessment and grading
The course work required varies with the nature of the material covered. Instructors are likely to use some combination of quizzes, papers, final exams, projects and class participation. Grades are awarded by instructors on a 4.0 scale, which assigns values to pluses and minuses within the letter grade awards:
A Outstanding achievement
B Achievement above that necessary to complete the course requirements
C Satisfactory
D Work barely meets requirements
F Fail
I Incomplete (this grade may stand only for one week after completion of the course)
W Withdraw
Course selection
Normal load is 3 credits per 3-week session (45 hours of class), comprised of one 3-credit class.
Courses taken for transfer credit should be approved by your advisor or appropriate person at your home school prior to registration.
Before securing approval of courses from your advisor, note prerequisites and be sure to have completed them. Failure to do so may result in your registration being refused by the Academic Director.
Consult your advisor about suitable alternatives in case your first choices are not possible because of insufficient enrollment
causing class cancellation.
Registration
Since courses are selected on the application, the earlier you apply, the better the chances of getting the courses you want. Date-stamped applications are sent to Richmond from the AIFS office in Stamford. If your first choices are not available or already full, you are automatically registered for your second choices. A printout confirming courses is given at orientation.
Courses run providing there is sufficient enrollment (a minimum of 8 students is required). Provisional confirmation of courses to be taught can be obtained in April from the AIFS Stamford office. Limited changes may be necessary before a session starts.
Courses may be dropped or added during the first two days of each session by completing a course change form and filing it with the academic office. Withdrawals are permitted until 5 p.m. the first Friday of each session. A withdrawal form must be completed. Transcripts will be marked "W."
Transcripts are prepared by the Richmond Registrar's Office, Richmond, the American International University in London, Queen's Road, Richmond, Surrey TW10 6JP. One official copy of the transcript will be mailed free of charge to the address specified on the application form. Additional official transcript copies may be obtained from the Richmond Registrar’s Office by using the Transcript Request Form on the Richmond website. This form should be printed, signed and mailed or faxed to the Registrar's Office. There is a fee of approximately $10 per transcript, plus an additional fee if courier service is requested. Address, fax number and fee details are on the request form. An end-of-term grade report will also be sent to the home address on your application form.
