What are the outstanding features of the American College ?

The duration of an American Degree is 4 years, you can start the degree program right after your O’Levels. So by the time you are 19 or 20 years old you will have an American Bachelor's degree in your hand, while your colleagues may still be struggling to enter a local university. The American College offers 145 subjects at the degree level. As such the American College is able to provide the first 1 or 2 years of university study for many majors including Business Studies, Computer Science, Engineering, Pre-Medicine, Psychology, etc, and then facilitate the transfer of students to USA and elsewhere to complete the remaining 2 years of study. Students are not restricted to transferring only to USA. After completing 2 years of study (61 Credits) at ACHE students can also transfer to other countries such as UK, Canada, Australia, Japan and UAE. If you decide to get an American Bachelor's degree in Sri Lanka without transferring to USA, you can read for 5 accredited Bachelor's degrees at ACHE : Human Resource Management, General Business, Information Technology, and International Business. These American degrees are conferred by Excelsior College, University of the State of New York. American College plans to offer the B.Sc. in Psychology in the very near future. The American College of Higher Education also offers 140 subjects at the degree level so that students can successfully complete half of almost any degree in Sri Lanka, before transferring to the United States.

What are the basic requirements for admission to the American College ?

The basic condition which must be satisfied before you can be accepted to the American College is your academic ability - you should have at least 5 credit passes in the local or foreign O’Levels, including Math and English.

What if I don’t have the minimum requirements ?

You have to do remedial courses in Math and English.

If I have my A’levels, does it benefit me ?

Yes, if you have good results you will be exempted from 1 or 2 semestersof study. i.e, you will be awarded credits for your A / Level work.

How do I start an American degree program, conducted totally in English, if I have done the O’Level in the Sinhala medium ?

Most of our students have done the O’Level in the Sinhala medium. However, we have a special 96-hour English program called Developmental English, which is geared to bringing the students up to a standard where they can follow an American degree without any problem.

Can I transfer my credits to ANY university in the United States?

No, but many universities will accept your credits including some of the best universities in the United States. Please refer to the list of transfer universities. In the U.S, each college and university decides for itself whether to accept transfer credit from another institution or not.

Will ALL my credits transfer?

Yes, WITH THE FOLLOWING RESERVATIONS:

Remedial courses like Writing Workshop and Intermediate Algebra will usually not transfer to the United States. Pre-Calculus and Basic Programming are considered remedial subjects for engineering students. However, students must understand that doing a remedial course in the subjects where they are weak is of vital importance academically. If they do not master the basic principles of the subject, they will not be able to make it through college.

In addition, some subjects taken at the American College that are not directly related to your selected major must fit the curriculum of the university you are transferring to. If a subject does not fit you may not receive credit for it. American College often selects a general or generic program for students because it does not know which university the student will be attending. The American College always recommends that you apply to at least 2 or even more universities so as to broaden your transfer prospects.

Any grade below ‘C’ (70%) in a subject will not transfer.

What can I do to improve my chances of transferring all my credits?

Some subjects are more easily transferrable than others. These are usually the more rigorous subjects like History, Literature, Chemistry, etc. Be prepared to do them and to get a good grade in them. If you are planning to transfer after two years, concentrate mostly on the General Education Requirements. However, you must understand that different universities may have slightly different General Education requirements rather than a standard one. The credits that you have completed at the American College may satisfy the requirements of one university but not of another. This can lead to credit loss in one form or another. For this reason you should apply to a number of universities and transfer to the one that will accept all or most of your credits.

Go to the net and find the University and the program that you want to do and show it to your Academic Advisor and he or she will try to give you courses that are identical to those in your program. This can only be done when you are certain of the university that you want to attend, but it is the best way to ensure that all your credits will transfer.

Once you are in the US or Canada, approach your academic advisor and ask for the transfer of all your credits. Give them a copy of your course outline and tell them about the textbook you have used in a particular course. If a course does not fit in their curriculum remind them it might fit as an elective. Be aware that transfer of credit is a process encountered by students in American institutions whether in the US or overseas who transfer from one college to another because of the disparity in the academic curricula among the different universities in the US.

How do I ensure a smooth transfer to universities abroad?

Maintain a GPA of above 3.00 (B or above) to improve your chances of acceptance at universities of good academic standing. Do both the TOEFL and the SAT and plan on getting high scores on them.

How does the American College place a student in the USA ?

Since selecting the right university can be a confusing and difficult process for the international student, we take many factors into consideration when we place the student, such as the student’s academic ability, the proposed field of study, the financial resources, the scholarship amount, the size and location of the university, the availability of on-campus/off-campus housing, etc.

What sort of faculty does the American College recruit ?

Our faculty consists mainly of visiting lecturers since in the American system students sit for different subjects every semester. Many of our lecturers hold a PhD from USA, Canada, UK, etc, and many of them are attached to the local Universities. We also have American professors regularly teaching some specified courses.

What other courses do you conduct at the American College?

In support of the degree program we can safely say that we have an excellent TOEFL & SAT program. We are also the only institute in Sri Lanka to conduct the SAT-II, the GRE and the GMAT courses. Also, our computer courses are second to none. We are conducting a variety of courses ranging from basic computing to professional IT courses, such as the Advanced Diploma in Computer Hardware and Web Technology, which is currently the most comprehensive course in Sri Lanka and which includes over 300 practicals. Our self-enhancement programs, such as Personality Development & Psychology for Teenagers, the Diploma in Psychology, Child Psychology and Counseling Psychology are very popular too. We have also introduced new Advanced Diploma programs (1-2 years duration:) Early Childhood Education, Mass communication, Sociology and Business Administration (Management, Entrepreneurship, HRM, Accounts, Finance, Operations Management)

Do you conduct the Degree Program at the American College Branch Campuses ?

Yes, the degree program is functioning in all the branch campuses. However, for subjects requiring a lab component (e.g. Chemistry) the students are transported either to Colombo or Kandy campuses each week. We have also had some inquiries from foreign students who wish to follow studies in Kandy, instead of Colombo, mostly due to its environment as well as the security factor.

Does the American College have any other branches in Colombo ?

No, we do not. The American College of Higher Education main campus is situated at 23, Hospital Road, Dehiwala.

Where does the American International School fit into the plan of the American College?

The American International School is managed by the American College, and although we are following the Montessori method (widely recognized in USA) for the younger students, the older ones are following the National Curriculum of England, in preparation for the London O’ Levels & A’ Levels. The American International School students are assured of a university education at American College after they finish their secondary school's education.

Do many foreign students study at the American College?

Students from around 23 countries are represented. But, most of our foreign students are from the Maldives, since many Ministries in the Maldives send their staff in batches to the American College for various training programs and courses.