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. Richmond, The American International University in London, is U.S.-accredited and functions on the American credit system. Richmond’s credits are easily transferred to most colleges or universities in the 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. Richmond and the University of Limerick are exceptions and retain transcripts in their Registrars’ Office.

Transcripts for Richmond programs are prepared by the Richmond Registrar’s Office, Richmond, The American International University in London, Queen’s Road, Richmond, Surrey TW10 6JP. One official transcript will be mailed free of charge to the student’s home institution. 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 American International University in London, with programs in Florence or Rome, since Richmond 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.