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External Language Study

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Language Courses at AUP

At AUP, we encourage you to learn new languages and to improve the level of the languages you already speak. You can do both while earning your degree. The University offers language courses in French, Italian and Arabic to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Undergraduates may take language courses as part of their degree.

All students may request to audit AUP language classes (or other classes) for no extra charge on a space-available basis. This benefit is limited to one audit per semester, and interested students must already be registered in a full-time course load (at least 12 credits). Full details of AUP’s Audit policy can be found here.

 

What are external language courses?

If you're interested in a language not offered at our University, you have the option to take a language course through an outside institution. 

We recommend that you get in touch with the Registrarataup.edu (Registrar's Office) before signing up for courses at another institution to make sure that your credits will transfer correctly, and that you understand the options available. Please note that online language courses are not accepted as part of the external Language Study Program.

 

Earning credit for your course work

Language classes are graded on a Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) basis only. That means that the grade that you earned outside of the University will not affect your grade point average. Credits for external language study are awarded based on the amount of full 60-minute classroom hours,  referred to as “contact hours”, of the chosen program:

  • 40 contact hours = 2 credits
  • 60 contact hours = 3 credits
  • 80 contact hours = 4 credits
  • 100 contact hours = 5 credits
  • 120 contact hours and above = 6 credits (maximum transferable credit for external language courses).

If you are working towards a Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues (CECRL) qualification, the CECRL translates to AUP course levels as follows:

  • 1000 (A1/A2)
  • 2000 (A2/B1)
  • 3000 (B1/B2)
  • 4000 (C1/C2)

It is important to understand that the semester start and end dates of language institutes may not match AUP’s course dates. Holiday schedules will vary as well, but our students are expected to regularly attend classes at their chosen institute as well as at AUP. If the external course runs longer than the AUP semester an incomplete grade will be awarded until the course is completed and a proper grade can be processed.

Please be advised this is strictly for reference purposes; and does not guarantee that AUP courses equate to a student's proficiency in the Common European Framework (CEFR). Conversely, proficiency at a given level in the CEFR does not necessarily satisfy AUP language course prerequisites.

 

External Language Study Options: AUP-Registered Language Study or Independent language study

Undergraduate students may either pursue an AUP-Registered Language Study, or an Independent Language Study. AUP-Registered Language Study is taken as part of a student’s 18-credit-hour schedule, will have a corresponding AUP registration, and may be eligible for reimbursement. Independent Language Study is not limited by the student’s AUP credit-hour schedule, will not be reflected in the current term’s registration, and is not eligible for reimbursement.

AUP-Registered Language Study (1 course per semester, Fall or Spring only)

  • The student will have a corresponding AUP registration.
  • The student may be eligible for reimbursement of the external course cost via Student Accounting Services.
  • The external course must fit within a given semester’s 18-credit-hour maximum.
  • The external course will appear on the transcript as part of the semester in which it was registered.
  • The external course will be graded Credit/No Credit (CR/NC)

 

Independent Language Study

  • The student will not have a corresponding AUP registration.
  • The student will not be eligible for reimbursement of the external course cost.
  • The external course will appear on the transcript as transfer credit.
    • External coursework may only be transferred to AUP if students earn the equivalent of a “C” or better.
    • Transferred coursework appears on the transcript with the grade of “T” for transfer.

 

External Language study process

Whether you are pursuing an AUP-Registered Language Study, or an Independent Language Study the process is very similar.

AUP-Registered Language Study

  1. Identify the desired external language course at an acceptable language institute, and submit an External Course Pre-Approval (ECPA) request. Please read and ensure that you also meet the relevant ECPA requirements (these can be found on top of the form, as well as here).
  2. If the ECPA is approved, the student pays for and registers the course at the external institution.
  3. The student obtains (or requests) a Certificat d’Inscription from the external institution.
  4. The Certificat d’Inscription is brought to AUP (both the Registrar’s Office and Student Accounting Services).
    1. The Registrar’s Office will use this document to add the corresponding registration.
    2. Student Accounting Services will use this document to add credit to the student’s account for reimbursement.
  5. Once the external course is complete, the student will request an official transcript be sent to AUP.

 

Independent Language Study

  1. Identify the desired external language course at an acceptable language institute, and submit an External Course Pre-Approval (ECPA) request. Please read and ensure that you also meet the relevant ECPA requirements (these can be found on top of the form, as well as here).
  2. If the ECPA is approved, the student pays for and registers the course at the external institution.
  3. Once the external course is complete, the student will request an official transcript be sent to AUP.

 

Finding a language institute

There are many language institutes in Paris for you to chose from. To help you make your choice, we have compiled a list of some of the institutes that AUP students have previously attended. Be aware that these language institutes teach the foreign language in French. You should therefore be comfortable in working with up to two foreign languages at the same time. Advanced French language skills are strongly recommended.

All external language courses at any institution must be preapproved for transfer of credits before the course begins.