Graduates of Grossmont or Cuyamaca College can save money on further higher education while studying abroad — at least in the Czech Republic.
Anglo American University in Prague will allow graduates of the East County colleges to earn a bachelor’s degree in a program less expensive than a California State University and completed more quickly.
The deal between AAU and the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District was announced Tuesday.
AAU has an “accelerated pathway” for students with Grossmont and Cuyamaca College associate degrees so they can earn a bachelor’s degree with just 45 credits in three semesters, the distort said.
For those who want to continue their education in Prague, AAU also offers a master’s in business administration degree through Chapman University.
“This is a unique opportunity for our graduates,” said Cindy L. Miles, chancellor of the El Cajon-based district. “It will add value to their education and give them an enriching international experience they will remember for the rest of their lives.”
In addition, students could experience a part of the world they might not otherwise have known, said Alan Krautsengl, president emeritus of AAU.
“Students would have an international experience, setting them apart from the competition,” he told the district’s Governing Board when the agreement was approved May 15. “Spending time in a completely different environment gives them an edge.”
AAU, a not-for-profit university founded in 1990, is the first independent European institution to be accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, one of six regional accrediting agencies in the United States.
The university, in a restored palace in the historic center of Prague, enrolls almost 1,000 students from more than 70 countries.
The university offers 14 undergraduate and graduate programs, and all courses are taught in English. Most classes are small, with a ratio of eight students per instructor, the college district says.
Classes at AAU cost $250 per credit unit, compared to $396 per unit at San Diego State University.
Krautsengl, interviewed recently on Radio Praha, said students with outstanding academic records in their first semester are offered extensive financial support, and students with perfect or near-perfect GPAs at 3.9 or above pay no tuition.
The cost of living in Prague is also a bargain, he said. Students typically pay $300 to $400 a month for a room, and a year of medical insurance costs $500.
According to Wikipedia, AAU’s main campus is in the newly restored Thurn-Taxis Palace, a cultural monument dating to the 17th century previously owned by the Thurn und Taxis family of Germany.
