Richmond, The American International University in London, England: Academics
Richmond, The American International University in London
Occupying a beautiful five-acre campus on Richmond Hill, the University is a unique institution occupying a site which formed part of the University of London for 100 years. Richmond is a U.S. accredited university and was the first university in either the U.S. or the U.K. to be fully accredited by the higher education authorities of both countries. Founded in 1970, the University now has approximately 1000 students from 100 different countries with centers of excellence in international relations, communications, art and business. Small classes and personal attention from the faculty combined with an extensive extracurricula program make Richmond the ideal summer study choice.
Accreditation
The University is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, one of the six regional accrediting bodies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. It is also accredited by the British Open University. Its degrees are licensed by the Department of Education in the state of Delaware, and are also validated by the Open University Validation Services. All are designated by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills of Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom.
Transcripts
Transcripts are prepared by the Richmond Registrar’s Office, Richmond the American International University in London, Queen’s Road, Richmond, Surrey TW10 6JP. One official copy of the transcript will be mailed free of charge to the address specified in the application form. Additional official transcript copies may be obtained from the Richmond Registrar’s Office by using the Transcript Request Form on the Richmond website. This form should be printed, signed, and mailed or faxed to the Registrar’s Office. There is a fee of approximately $15 per transcript.
Assessment and grading
Course work required varies with the nature of the material covered. Instructors are likely to use some combination of quizzes, papers, final examinations, projects and class participation. Grades are awarded by instructors on a 4.0 scale which assigns values to pluses and minuses within the letter grade awards.
Academic administration
Academic administration is carried out by the Resident Director. Instructors are drawn from Richmond, the colleges of the University of London, other London institutions of higher education, and the professions.
Registration
Since courses are selected on the application, the earlier you apply, the better the chances of getting the courses you want. If your first choices are not available or already full, you are automatically registered for your second choices. A printout confirming courses is given at orientation. Courses run providing there is sufficient enrollment (a minimum of 10 enrollments are required). Limited changes may be necessary before a session starts. Courses may be dropped or added during the first two days of the session by completing a course change form and filing it with the academic office. Withdrawals from one course (if two are taken) are permitted until 5 p.m. the first Friday of classes. A withdrawal form must be completed. All participants must complete at least one course.
Course selection
Preliminary course selection is made on the initial application. It will be necessary for you to confirm these course choices (or make changes if you wish) at academic orientation in London the day before classes begin. The maximum load is 6 credits comprised of two 3-credit courses, but we recommend that you take only one course to give a more manageable academic workload. You should provide 2 alternate courses in case your first choice is not available. Also consult your advisor about suitable alternatives in case your first choices are not possible because of scheduling conflicts or insufficient enrollment causing class cancellation.
