Study Abroad in Limerick: Academics

Students must have a 2.9 minimum GPA. The program is open to all college students in good standing. Five courses per semester are required. Students must bring a letter from their home institution if they want to take less than five courses. Courses are worth three credits and meet approximately 45 hours per semester.

International students are fully integrated into the student body, taking the same lecture courses and tutorials with the same assessments as Irish students.

Although study abroad students are treated like typical Irish students, they have an advantage: greater freedom of choice in selecting their program of study. They may choose from a wide range of courses in all areas and register across faculties and departments—business, education, engineering, humanities, science and computer science (informatics and electronics). Acceptance in courses is subject only to academic prerequisites, scheduling constraints and limits on enrollment.

Transcripts

Official transcripts are issued by the University of Limerick. Credits are not awarded for Grades F and NG. Students receive letter grades on this scale: A1 (4.0) and A2 (3.6); B1 (3.2), B2 (3.0) and B3 (2.8); C1 (2.6), C2 (2.4) and C3 (2.0)—passing cutoff; D1 (1.6) and D2 (1.2)—considered “compensating fail” (if students have an overall 2.0 average, they are allowed to continue next semester’s studies with a D; if the D puts them below 2.0, they may not continue); F (0.0) and NG (0.0)—fail.

Attendance

To receive full credit for courses, AIFS students must attend all classes or provide valid excuses for absences.

Library

The University of Limerick’s magnificent library opened in 1998 with more than 140,000 books, 7,000 audio visual items and subscriptions to 2,000 journals. The library uses online international databases and CD-ROMs. One of the databases, the European Documentation Center, holds almost all official publications of the European Union.

Student advising

The AIFS Resident Director and study abroad program staff offer advice about academic programs. They are there to help international students integrate comfortably into the University and are available for personal counseling and medical advice as needed. The AIFS Resident Director also coordinates special cultural activities and serves as a liaison between the students and the University.