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The university seeks to attract to its graduate programs excellent students who demonstrate the ability to do creative and original work. A graduate applicant must have an acceptable bachelor's degree with a record at the required level as mentioned below, be proficient in the English language, be in good health, and perform well on any required entrance examination. As space is limited, actual acceptance depends upon the overall merit of the applicant's academic record and the number of students that can be accommodated.
Graduate Admissions
A graduate applicant must complete an application for admission, including all requested materials such as transcripts, personal statement, medical certificates, etc. A file for each applicant is prepared by the Office of Admissions to ensure that the applicant meets the minimum university requirements as described by the university catalog. The file is then sent to the appropriate department for recommendation. After examining the file, the department forwards it with recommendation to the dean of the school, who will send the file with decision to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research (OGSR) for review. A letter is sent out by the Office of Admissions to the applicant giving the type of admission, advising and registration dates, and the required fees. The files of those applicants who enroll at AUC is sent to the Office of the Registrar by the second week of the term for which they enroll.
The OGSR prepares and prints the Graduate Application Form to be distributed through its outreach efforts.
Criteria for Admission of Graduate Students
The university requires the following minimum standards in admitting graduate students. Actual admissions for any year may be at a higher level.
Academic Record
Applicants for graduate study must have a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree with an academic record at a level sufficient to qualify for full, provisional, or special-status admission as described under "Categories of Admission" below.
English Language Proficiency
An applicant must demonstrate a knowledge of English adequate for graduate study in that language. For full admission to the University, a graduate applicant must attain the required score on either the AUC ELPET examination or the TOEFL (with TWE) examination. An applicant may be exempted from these examinations if he or she is currently enrolled in, or a graduate from an accredited university where the language of instruction is English. An applicant who does not attain the minimum test score but who is otherwise qualified for admission is placed in an English Language Institute (ELI) course for further language study. Please refer to "Who Needs to Take an English Language Proficiency Test" at the end of this section.
Computer and Library Skills
Graduate students may be asked to demonstrate a minimum competency in use of computers and academic libraries as they relate to graduate study and research.
Entrance Examination
The department of major may require applicants to sit for a graduate entrance examination, such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), whose results will be considered at the time of admission.
Medical Examination
A recent medical report stating that the student is physically and mentally capable of doing university work should be submitted with the application.
Medical Insurance for Non-Egyptian Applicants
It is recommended that non-Egyptian students have health and accident insurance which will cover them while they are in Egypt. In addition, all non-Egyptian students are required to enroll in the medical insurance service plan offered by the American University in Cairo which provides for limited care at a specified hospital in Cairo. Exemptions are made only for those non-Egyptian students who reside in Cairo with their families, or who are provided for by their companies, embassies or sponsoring agencies in Cairo. The medical service fee will be announced by the Office of Student Financial Affairs every year.
Categories of Admission
There are three categories of graduate admission, depending upon the qualifications of the applicant.
1. Full Admission
Full admission may be granted to entering students who have met any of the following requirements:
a. A B.A. or B.S. degree with an overall grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.75 or its equivalent, and 3.0 or its equivalent in the major.
b. An overall average of gayyid giddan on a B.A. or B.S. degree from an Egyptian national university.
c. A graduate degree with a minimum overall average of gayyid giddan or 'B' if the degree is closely related to the intended major.
Additionally, the department of the major may require satisfactory performance on an examination. Full admission may also be attained by fulfilling the conditions specified under provisional admission or special status categories below.
2. Provisional Admission
Provisional admission is granted to those entering students not qualifying for full admission but who meet the following requirements:
a. A grade-point average qualifying for full admission but lacking certain prerequisite courses specified under the relevant major.
b. An overall grade-point average (GPA) of 2.75, but lacking a 3.0 in the major.
c. An overall gayyid from a national university.
d. Satisfactory academic record but proficiency in the English language below the standard required for admission to the degree program.
Provisional admission may also be gained by completion of prescribed prerequisite courses while in special-status admission.
Under provisional admission a student may be required to take up to four undergraduate-level prerequisite courses. Students are required to achieve a 'B' average in these prerequisite courses or their admission at AUC will be discontinued. Students may not be required to fulfill any prerequisites while on provisional status; however, in this case they are considered on probation and must achieve a minimum 'B' average in the first semester (or two graduate courses) or they will be dropped from the program.
3. Special Status Admission
Special status admission may be granted as a preliminary step to graduates holding a B.A. or B.S. degree (or equivalent) who wish to work towards a graduate degree, but who do not qualify for provisional admission, if they meet the following requirements:
a. Either a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 overall or a minimum of 3.0 during the junior and senior years but lacking an overall grade-point average of 2.5.
b. A minimum average of 3.0 in the major but lacking an overall average of 2.5, provided the proposed graduate work is in the same field or one clearly related to the major.
c. A graduate of an Arabic higher institute holding a B.A. or B.S. degree with gayyid or better may be accepted for a minimum prescribed program of four courses preliminary to admission for graduate study.
A special program of at least four courses, mostly undergraduate prerequisite courses, will be designed by the department concerned and reported to the appropriate school graduate committee. No part of the prescribed program or other courses taken while under special status may be taken for graduate credit. Graduate courses taken for graduate credit concurrent with the student's final prerequisite course require that the department notifies the registrar that the student's status be changed to provisional admission before the beginning of the semester in which the course will be taken for graduate credit. Satisfactory completion of the prescribed program with a B average will entitle the special status student to be considered for provisional or full admission.
Graduate Diploma Programs
The university offers several graduate diploma programs for which the bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree and a high grade-point average are normally prerequisites, but for which individual maturity, in-service training, or experience may provide an even more valuable background.
When recommended by program faculty, students may be accepted for diploma programs without commitment or expectation of future admission for a master's degree.
Only applicants holding bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degrees may be accepted for prospective award of diplomas.
Non-degree Admissions
An applicant not seeking an AUC degree but who wishes to take AUC courses for academic credit may be admitted as a nondegree or year-abroad student if he/she meets the minimum requirements for graduate admission. A number of places are set aside each year for such students, most of whom take a year away from their studies at another institution for study and living experience in Egypt. Since AUC is a U.S.-accredited institution following an American system, students from U.S. universities are usually able to transfer their AUC credits to their home institutions, but they are advised to check in advance. Nondegree applicants follow the same procedures for admission as degree-seeking students and should enclose transcripts of their undergraduate work. AUC normally has 100 year-abroad students and 50 to 100 intensive Arabic language students on its campus.
Upon request, the university may approve a change of status from nondegree to degree student. If a graduate nondegree student should become a degree candidate, the department of major will consider accepting credit for courses taken under nondegree status. All academic regulations applicable to degree students will apply retroactively with such change of status.
Other Admissions
Transfer Credit
Upon the recommendation of the student's department to the school dean in consultation with the Office of Graduate Studies and Research and the Registrar, a graduate student may normally receive up to six graduate unit credits for graduate level work completed at a different university. The course work may not have been used previously to earn another degree. Any request for the acceptance of transfer credit towards an AUC degree shall be carefully considered by the department concerned before submitting a recommendation to the school dean for approval. Two major considerations shall be: relevance to the student's program of study, and time lapse since taking the courses for which transfer credit is requested. Approval of the School Graduate Committee must be received for more than six hours of credit.
Summer Admissions
The University does not usually admit degree students during the summer semester, but exceptional cases may be brought to the attention of the Director of Admissions or the Office of Graduate Studies and Research for consideration.
Readmission
A student who has withdrawn in good standing and wishes to return to the university after an absence of one or more semesters may apply for readmission. Application must be made before the appropriate application deadline, and the applicant must meet all the admission requirements prevailing at the time of readmission. Readmission is not granted automatically.
Auditing
Those who wish to attend individual classes may apply as auditors; however, they may not sit for final examinations, nor receive academic credit or any university certificate of enrollment. Auditors do not have to meet all requirements for regular admission but must apply to the Office of Admissions by the deadlines indicated on the inside front cover of this catalog. Since permission to audit is on a space-available basis, applicants are not permitted to register until after the registration of regular students has been completed.
Who Needs to Take an English Language Proficiency Test
A. New Students
All new applicants who will be enrolling with regular status, or those auditors, non-degree or special students who intend to change to regular status, must provide evidence of academic English proficiency prior to enrollment in any course.
B. Exemptions From English Test
Graduate applicants who hold degrees from an accredited English medium University or applicants who have been accepted by or are enrolled in an accredited English medium university; CASA (Center for Arabic Study Abroad) students; or ALU (Arabic Language Unit) intensive Arabic students are exempted from presenting evidence of academic English proficiency.
C. Transfer Students
All transfer students are required to take the ELPET (or TOEFL with TWE). Rules governing their placement at AUC are as follows:
Applicants who are transferring from another institution will be placed in Intensive English or Academic English or exempted from any further English requirements, based on their scores on the ELPET (or TOEFL with TWE) as described above.
D. Readmission Cases
All applicants for readmission (excluding disqualified or suspended students) must complete an application for readmission (available from the Office of Admissions). The TOEFL exam with TWE may not be used by applicants for readmission.
Students who are suspended because they have not passed Intensive English in two semesters and a summer (or three semesters if a summer course is not offered) or who are disqualified because they have failed any Academic English module (ENGL 102, 103, 104 or 105) three times are required to take the ELPET and they must demonstrate a level of English proficiency beyond that of Academic English.
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