Academic Credits
Credit transfer
Foreign universities do not use the credit system employed by
American institutions. Degrees are usually awarded on the basis of a final examination
under government-issued charters. AIFS students must make special arrangements
to transfer credits, but since AIFS courses are given at recognized universities, there
usually is no difficulty in arranging transfer credit toward U.S. degrees provided the
proper procedure is followed. Transcripts for courses offered at AIFS Global Centers are issued by Fairfield University and can be easily transferred to most colleges and universities in U.S. Students can
also apply to the American College of Greece program which is accredited by the N.E.
Association of Schools and Colleges.
AIFS Admissions Officers are available to assist you in the process. The following procedure is recommended for credit transfer:
- Read course descriptions for the selected program and select courses.
- Obtain approval from your academic or study abroad advisor for the preliminary courses selected. Final approval of credit transfer for completed courses is at the discretion of the Registrar or appropriate official at the home institution. Students must ascertain that courses taken meet their individual academic program requirements. Recommended credits in this catalog are based on 15 classroom hours per semester credit.
ECTS
Many of the European institutions that AIFS works with award credits under
the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). ECTS enables cooperating institutions to
measure and compare a student’s performance and facilitates the transfer of credits
from the European institution to the U.S institution. Every ECTS credit represents a
particular amount of workload with, for example, 30 ECTS usually being awarded for
a semester. 1 ECTS is equivalent to 25-30 hours of student work with the workload
including independent study, research and seminars as well as classroom contact
time. Many U.S. institutions use a 2:1 ratio when comparing ECTS and U.S credits
with 2 ECTS = 1 credit. Ultimately it is up to the student’s home institution to decide
how ECTS credits the student has been awarded should transfer into U.S credits
for their degree program. AIFS recommends that students seek advice from their
home institution and gain pre-approval for the courses that they wish to take at the
European institution in order to ensure that they are taking the appropriate amount of
credits and that credits awarded will transfer at the end of the program.
AIFS provides course syllabi from the foreign institution and recommends credits for each course. Recommended U.S. semester credits shown in parentheses next to each course are based on 15 contact hours per semester credit and are not a conversion of ECTS credits.
Transcripts
When you complete your program, an official transcript is sent to your
home institution directly from the foreign university you attended. Another official
transcript is sent to AIFS in Stamford. AIFS Global Center transcripts issued by Fairfield University and Limerick are exceptions and retain transcripts in their Registrar’s office.
If you have outstanding bills or campus related charges, your transcript will be withheld until accounts are settled.
Students not currently enrolled at a U.S. college or university who cannot obtain advance approval for credit transfer are advised to enroll in a program at the AIFS Global Center in London, with programs in Salzburg, Florence or Rome, since Fairfield University is a U.S.-accredited university whose credits are usually accepted by other U.S. colleges and universities. They can also enroll in the American College of Greece Program.
Academic records
Credit assessment methods in foreign universities may not
be comparable to those in a U.S. university. Grading may involve exams, papers,
individual projects, class discussion or some combination of these. Although
academic institutions abroad may grade on a variety of scales, admissions counselors
and registrars at U.S. institutions are familiar with foreign grading systems and can
convert grades.
Expect a delay in the issue of transcripts. Generally, you should receive your transcript 30 to 60 days after completion of the program. If a transcript must be sent to the U.S. by special delivery or express courier mail, the student must pay for this expense.