First Year Study Abroad Experience (FYSAE)
Begin your Arcadia Education in Europe
A semester studying at a university overseas with fellow Arcadia freshmen is an exciting way to begin college. Arcadia’s unique First Year Study Abroad Experience (FYSAE) is offered in two locations: London, England and Stirling, Scotland.
During the semester abroad, Arcadia students take Arcadia-taught courses as well as courses offered at the University of Stirling, City University and the London College of Fashion.
This program is offered in the fall or spring semesters for incoming freshmen. Extensive support is provided by in-country staff and U.S.-based Arcadia faculty and staff who prepare students before departure and visit them while overseas. Student mentors engage the new students throughout the experience and stay connected with them when they return.
Taking Classes Abroad
Students in most majors and pre-professional programs can begin their college careers in London, or Stirling. FYSAE students earn a full semester’s worth of credit toward their Arcadia University degrees. FYSAE students are enrolled in a total of 17 to 18 credits, including a Global Connections Reflection course, English Composition (fall), and additional courses in the arts, humanities, social sciences or their major areas. Students get a rigorous educational experience in a different academic structure and are introduced to many aspects and nuances of the culture in which they are immersed. This is a unique preparation for their lives and for their professional careers. They function as independent, mature learners and make choices as adults in their daily lives.
Tuition Stays the Same
Students pay tuition and room just as if they were studying at Arcadia’s campus in Glenside, Pa. All financial aid is available (with the exception of work study money). In addition, Arcadia University covers the cost of roundtrip ground and air transportation between Glenside and Great Britain for FYSAE participants. Arcadia University also covers the cost of a local transportation pass for the duration of the London-based program.
A Special Opportunity for Academically Talented Students
Arcadia invites a select group of freshmen to apply to the First Year Study Abroad Experience (FYSAE). Invitations are based on the academic strength of a student’s application for admission to the University. Many of the students who attend FYSAE also are part of Arcadia’s Honors Program.
Cultural Immersion
Discussing perspectives on recent global events while cooking dinner with students from around the globe is just one way FYSAE students can experience another culture, another country, and another people. A wide range of academic and co-curricular options provides a different lens through which to view cultures and societies.
Getting Oriented
FYSAE students get to know Arcadia’s Glenside campus when they attend a summer orientation and the traditional New Student Orientation before departing for England, or Scotland. Accompanied by Arcadia faculty and staff, students take part in an “in-country” orientation that includes an introduction to their host city and a brief homestay with a local family early in the program. Arcadia staff members based in England and Scotland, including a FYSAE Program Officer, are in regular contact with all FYSAE students to monitor academic progress, facilitate cultural adjustment and ensure an ongoing personal connection. In addition, faculty and staff from the Glenside, Pa., campus visit students during the semester overseas.
Admissions
Students must be invited to apply. The Office of Enrollment Management will send information to qualified applicants. For more information, please call the Office of Enrollment Management toll-free at 1-877-ARCADIA (1-877-272-2342).
