Study Abroad in Limerick: Academics

The program is open to all college students in good standing with a minimum 2.9 GPA.

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 (information technology and electronics). Acceptance in courses is subject only to academic prerequisites, scheduling constraints and limits on enrollment.

Attendance

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

Computer access and e-mail

The Information Technology Department provides computing, communications, printing and audio-visual services. Students have access to computers installed with a wide range of applications that have Internet access. Study abroad students receive free e-mail accounts. Broadband connection is available at the student accommodation for no extra charge. Please note that Macintosh computers are not compatible.

Course load

It is recommended that students take five courses during the semester. Courses are worth 3 credits and meet approximately 45 hours per semester.

Library

The University of Limerick’s magnificent library opened in 1998 with more than 140,000 books, 7,000 audiovisual 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.

Grades

No AIFS participant is permitted to take a course without receiving a letter grade. Pass/Fail grade options are not available.

Students receive letter grades on the following 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”
F (0.0) and NG (0.0)—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. Credits are not awarded for Grades F and NG.

Transcripts

Official transcripts are issued by the University of Limerick.