Whether you’re still deciding on courses or you’re packing your bags, you can always contact our staff to help you along. Yes there is paperwork and yes there are decisions to make around course selection, housing preferences, dates, travel necessities, registration, budgeting and more. Our staff can walk you through it all.
Once you apply to Arcadia, our program advisors are in regular contact with you about the status of your application and they send out extensive information that will prepare you to go abroad, including information on culture, politics, history and the local higher education system.
Once you arrive, our staff will meet you and introduce you t o your accommodation and your orientation program will begin – to help you settle in academically, practically, culturally and socially.
A study abroad experience is first and foremost an academic experience, which is why Arcadia the process of credit and grade conversion is critical. Understanding the overseas educational system and assigning the correct number of credits to a program is vital.
Arcadia provides information on credit transfer and conversion (i.e. how credits will appear on an Arcadia transcript) at the time you chooses courses. Converting credits into U.S. semester hours accurately is essential, both in ensuring that you continue to make progress towards your degree and to verify your academic load while abroad. The Arcadia University Undergraduate Academic Program Committee and Registrar work in conjunction with our overseas staff to review our conversions to make sure they accurately reflect a full-time load at the overseas institution where you are studying. We look carefully at the question of what constitutes a full academic load for a degree-seeking host country student and base our determination of equivalence on that. Arcadia University is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Any grades that appear on an Arcadia transcript must meet Middle States' standards.
You will receive a letter grade on a scale from A to F for every course you take while enrolled on an Arcadia University program. Although policies at your individual home institution may differ, Arcadia does not permit any student to take courses on a credit/no credit basis. In order to determine grade equivalencies, we look at data about grade distribution in the host institution and at information about what constitutes a minimum passing grade at the host institution in addition to the host institution's suggested "translation" scales. Arcadia University is obligated to uphold the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools' standards. Therefore, we conduct our own independent evaluations in accordance with our responsibility. You will be provided with a table explaining how your grades will appear on an Arcadia University transcript when you go through the orientation process overseas.
At the conclusion of a program, we will send an official Arcadia University transcript to your home school and an unofficial copy to you. This transcript will list the course numbers and titles exactly as they appear on the original transcript from the university or program which you attended.
It’s important to think about all the expenses you are likely to incur while abroad so you and your family can plan ahead. Your program Fees section explains what your program fee does and does not cover, and will provide you with an overall estimate of expected expenses. For example, your airfare to your host country is not included in your program fee. It is important to note that the "Estimate of Additional Expenses" information is provided for planning purposes only, and may vary according to your own personal spending habits.
| Expenses | |
|---|---|
| Full program fee (including $500 deposit) | $ |
| Orientation expenses | |
| Meals (#program weeks _ x $ _ per wk) | |
| Special Courses Fee | |
| Books/photocopies | |
| Local transport | |
| Personal expenses | |
| Vacation expenses | |
| Airfare | |
Total Expenses |
|
| Resources | |
|---|---|
| Family contribution | $ |
| Your savings | |
| Stafford Loan (deduct 5% for origination fees) | |
| Other financial aid | |
| Other resources | |
Total Resources |
|
The Spanish currency is called the euro (€). You can check today's rate by using an exchange rate currency calculator. You'll be able to use euro coins anywhere within the 18 member nations of the Eurozone.
You will soon become an expert at international banking transactions...
Before you leave the US contact your bank and/or credit card company to let them know that you will be studying abroad – where and for how long.
If your ATM card is linked to the Plus or Cirrus systems, your card will work in thousands of cash machines throughout Spain. The advantage to using your American ATM card is that you will be assessed the wholesale exchange rate that applies to large foreign currency transactions. That said, have other sources of money in case your ATM card does not work.
You can use most credit cards in Europe but some places in Spain don’t accept them. They must be in your name, as it appears on your passport. Visa and MasterCard are more widely accepted than American Express but AmEx Offices can assist you with cashing US checks. Credit card cash advances are considered loans, so interest is charged from the day the advance is made. Before you depart, check with your card company for more information on what services you’ll have where, what fees are involved and what to do if you lose your card.
When the program is in session, our Barcelona or Granada Centers can make emergency loans to students. Students must sign a promissory note and repay the loan as soon as they receive money from home. If you find yourself in dire financial straits while traveling, the State Department can help your family transfer money to you (provided you are a U.S. citizen).
Your program advisor will alert you via email when it is time to book your flight and provide pertinent logistics information at that time.