Pre-Undergraduate Programs

General Studies

AUW is offering a new, two-year General Studies Program to provide more flexible preparatory support before continuing to the undergraduate program. This program allows greater elasticity for preparedness levels and will give special attention to mental health support for students from conflict and refugee contexts. In the first year, students will receive intensive English instruction and form an academic home base in small student groups. In the second year, students will undergo intensive college preparation in in math, science, and academic English. International and accredited teachers will prepare students to pass college-level standardized requirements before moving on to the undergraduate program.

Support for Education in Refugee Contexts

In light of growing displacement due to conflict in the present day – including the new uncertainties facing the future of women’s education in Afghanistan – AUW aims to support up to 500 new students from Afghanistan and other conflict regions to attend AUW on full scholarship over the next several years. The General Studies program will serve as an entry point for these incoming students to begin their journeys at AUW. By empowering young women with the opportunity, leadership development, and academic training to enact their own visions, AUW believes these new cohorts will form a critical base for their home communities and drive advancement in girls’ and women’s education across the region.

Pathways for Promise

Pathways for Promise aims to identify and educate highly talented women from underserved communities. AUW acknowledges that circumstance is not an indicator of potential, and therefore has established Pathways for Promise as a flexible entry level platform with the ability to sufficiently equip any woman for undergraduate education. In Pathways for Promise, women who have not previously had access to high-quality English-language or mathematics training are able to benefit from pre-university preparation in advance of the Access Academy and Undergraduate Program.

Students who have great potential but limited opportunity to pursue higher education are ideal candidates for Pathways for Promise. All Pathways for Promise students are first in their family to enter university, and otherwise represent difficult backgrounds, including:

• Daughters of microfinance borrowers;
• Historically neglected ethnic minorities;
• Ready-made garment factory workers;
• Tea estate workers;
• Refugees and internally displaced persons; and
• Women from poorer socio-economic strata.

Through Pathways for Promise, AUW aims to help prepare women from the most oppressed communities that suffer from inadequate secondary education facilities to prepare for entry into AUW through up to two years of pre-undergraduate course work on campus.

Pathways for Promise is only offered to those who are invited under a sponsored program. Organizations that are interested to learn more about Pathways for Promise or nominate an applicant may also contact the AUW Office of Admissions.

Curriculum

Pathways for Promise teaches students to communicate in English effectively and confidently through interactive teaching methods and an active curriculum. The program:

• Focuses on English-language acquisition;
• Is taught by the best local and international instructors;
• Offers additional training in mathematics, computer studies, martial arts, and classical dance;
• Requires approximately 20 hours of class time per week;
• Offers structured independent reading time, group study sessions, and peer and professional mentorship;
• Offers opportunities for community service and extracurricular activities.

These qualities unite to provide a pathway toward holistic development and preparation for Access Academy. For a detailed overview of the Pathways for Promise curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment methodology, please review the AUW Pathways For Promise Brochure and the AUW Academic Bulletin.

Access Academy

Access Academy is a non-degree bearing flagship year of pre-collegiate courses focused on English communication skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, and strategies for lifelong learning. The program is designed to help students overcome prior deficits in their educational background and prepare for success in AUW’s Undergraduate Program.

Curriculum

• Courses include: Computer Studies, Language & Composition, Pre-Calculus, and Reading Across Disciplines,
• Features a required a UG Preparatory Seminar and Martial Arts training;
• Offers opportunities for community service and extracurricular engagement.

Upon successful completion of the Access Academy program and passing of its exit exam, students will be prepared to succeed in the AUW Undergraduate Program. For a detailed overview of the Access Academy curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment methodology, please review the AUW Academic Bulletin and Handbook.