ABOUT THE ACCESS ACADEMY
The Access Academy is a year-long pre-undergraduate program that prepares students from underprivileged communities for a rigorous university education. The Academy addresses the various needs of students in terms of academic preparation, social and cultural adjustment, youth mentorship, counseling, technological skills, and recreation. Through these comprehensive efforts, the Access Academy encourages young women to be assertive, confident, and culturally sensitive.
Students admitted into the Academy are selected through AUW’s admissions program and identified as young women who demonstrate exceptional potential, talent and intellect but who would benefit from additional coursework prior to commencing their undergraduate studies. Successful completion of the Access Academy coursework leads to admission to the Asian University for Women undergraduate program.
Financial Aid:
Students accepted to the Access program with full scholarship and who are subsequently accepted into the undergraduate program will be supported throughout the course of their studies at AUW (both BA and MA) as long as they maintain acceptable academic performance.
Please visit the Admission FAQs page for more details.
The Access Academy program provides content-oriented English language studies, with a significant emphasis on writing and verbal expression, mathematics and quantitative reasoning, and computer skills training. The program also emphasizes the development of critical thinking skills.
Students are assigned to course levels in English and mathematics based on the results of their entrance exams. Courses in mathematics include a focus on statistics, taught in a problem-solving manner. Courses in English are designed to integrate the four skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, and are led by qualified teachers who are mostly native speakers of English. Students from outside of Bangladesh have the opportunity to receive Bengali language instruction.
Access Academy students also have the chance to participate in more creative pursuits such as art, music, and dance. They take physical education classes, which include self-defense, aerobics, yoga, and the use of fitness machines. They also receive guidance and instruction in health and nutrition.
Outside of class, there are opportunities for students to participate in and lead various activities. These include a Journalism Club, a Debate Club, Art and Photography Club, and Sustainability Club. Additional educational and entertainment events as well as field trips are scheduled throughout the year.
The Access Academy is currently based in leased facilities in the city of Chittagong, in a complex that includes academic and residential buildings for students as well as teachers. The complex includes a library dining area, computer lab, and gym/exercise facilities. Located in the heart of urban Chittagong, the buildings are about 15 minutes away from the permanent site of the Asian University for Women at Bayezid Bostami.
The AUW Library has 8,000 books, hundreds of music learning CDs, and access to thousands of online journals.
AUW students receive instruction in yoga from their Gym Instructor.
CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN TO THE INAUGURAL CLASS OF THE ACCESS ACADEMY!!!
On July 8th, AUW graduated its very first class of 129 Access Academy students. This joyous occasion was shared by students, their families, AUW undergraduate faculty, Academy teachers and staff, heads of local schools, local business women and men, members of our Bangladesh Board of Advisors, and the press. Economist and international human rights expert Ms. Salma Khan was the keynote speaker at the event. Ms. Khan currently serves as the President for the organization for Women: A Research and Study Group. She is also the Chairperson and Project Coordinator of Coalition of Beijing Plus Five, a coalition of over 624 NGO's committed to establishing human rights for Bangladeshi women.
The Student Government created a slideshow presentation to thank their teachers, and in return, the Access Academy teachers spoke about the qualities they recognize in their students: humor, courage, curiosity, and strength. Dr. Hoon Eng Khoo, Acting Vice-Chancellor & Provost, then presented diplomas to the graduates, while Dr. Dil Afroze Quader, the first Executive Director of the Access Academy, draped ceremonial shawls over the students. Finally AUW’s inaugural undergraduate faculty congratulated the graduates from the Access Academy and welcomed them to the undergraduate class of the Asian University for Women.
It was an incredibly rewarding day for the students, their families and for AUW. We could not be prouder of their accomplishments and growth. 128 of the 129 Academy graduates will continue on into the undergraduate program. The one student not continuing is returning to a professional position in her home country of Pakistan.
