Drexel in Egypt: American University Cairo (AUC)
OPTION AVAILABLE PENDING APPROVAL FROM THE UNIVERSITY TRAVEL RISK REVIEW COMMITTEE
AS DREXEL'S FIRST PROGRAM IN EGYPT, DREXEL'S EXCHANGE PROGRAM WITH THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO IS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE TO ALL MAJORS INTERESTED IN TAKING ADVANTAGE OF GOING TO SCHOOL IN ENGLISH WHILE LIVING IN ONE OF THE MOST COSMOPOLITAN CITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
American University Cairo (AUC) was founded in 1919 and is now the region's premier English-language university as well as an essential contributor to the social, political and cultural life of the Arab world. It also serves as a crossroads for the world's cultures: a vital, vibrant forum for reasoned argument, spirited debate and global understanding.
While in Cairo Drexel students will be taking courses with Egyptian students as well as other international students. AUC has a student population of over 5000 students of which 18% are international students. The AUC campus is located on a 260 acre campus in an area of town called New Cairo.
- 3.0 minimum GPA
- Prior study of Arabic language
- Sophomore status or higher
Students may choose any course from the AUC course catalog, provided they have the appropriate pre-requisites and there is room in the course. Students must obtain pre-approval for any courses they plan on taking at AUC from Drexel. See various majors offered at AUC below. Take a look at the AUC
Course Catalog to search courses.
Course Availability
Courses are available in the following subjects:
• Accounting
• Anthropology
• Arabic Studies
• Architectural Engineering
• Art
• Biology |
• Electronics Engineering
• English and Comparative Literature
• Journalism and Mass Communication
• Mechanical Engineering
• Middle East Studies
• Modern History |
• Business Administration
• Chemistry
• Computer Engineering
• Computer Science
• Construction Engineering
• Economics
• Egyptology |
• Petroleum and Energy Engineering
• Philosophy
• Physics
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Theatre |
All Drexel students going on this program must enroll in at least one Arabic language course during their time at AUC.
For those students primarily interested in pursuing Arabic language instruction courses at
AUC's Arabic Language (ALI) institute may be the most appropriate route:
For students who are interested in taking one Arabic course in conjunction with courses in their major courses, you should take courses that are part of the (ALNG) curriculum.
AUC also offers a pre-term intensive Arabic course for a modest fee. More information can be found on the AUC website.
Course Equivalencies
Course Equivalents: Students will need to get equivalents approved by the appropriate department for each course they plan to take abroad. For example, if you want to take a History course abroad for Drexel credit, its equivalent must be pre-approved by the History
Grading
Students are taught and graded by the faculty of American University Cairo. The goal is to be a full-time student at the host institution while also taking the equivalent of a full-time load at Drexel. A full course load at AUC is 12-16 credits per semester. Depending on the courses, students can expect to take 4-6 courses per semester. The amount of class content time and work-load required is broadly similar to that in North American Universities.
Grades earned at AUC will be factored into your Drexel GPA.
AUC is a semester school. Students should prepare to make adjustments to fit this program into their Drexel schedule. Due to the need for cycle and program changes the study abroad office urges you to begin planning at least 12 months in advance. Students with fall/winter co-op will need a cycle change in order to participate in this program.
Fall Semester Dates and Itinerary
| Program Start Date |
End August |
| Program End Date |
Mid December |
Full Year Dates and Itinerary
| Program Start Date |
Early September |
| Program End Date |
End May |
Drexel students will need to either leave their co-op job early OR arrange for early summer final exams. Final exams at AUC are in mid-December and students MUST NOT depart Cairo until the LAST day of finals.
The spring semester at AUC is not an option for Drexel students.
Drexel students will be living in residence halls. We suggest that students live in the Zamalek residence hall, which is located in Cairo with shuttle service to the new campus. The residence halls are air conditioned, have wireless internet connections, computer labs, tv rooms with satelite channels as well as housekeeping services.
If you are a US or Canadian citizen you may enter Egypt with a 30 day tourist visa, which you can obtain at your port of entry. Once you have settled in you will work with the AUC international office to obtain a student resident visa.
Program Costs
This program charges Drexel tuition and the following other costs:
- housing costs
- insurance costs
- visa costs
- other costs
Financial Aid
Financial aid applies for this program. This is a Drexel sponsored program, thus all of your financial aid travels with you.
Scholarships
If you are interested in seeking additional funding, you should considering completing the study abroad scholarship materials in your application to the American University of Cairo.
The following scholarship opportunities are available for this program:
- Additionally, AUC offers a merit based scholarship for incoming study abroad students - Hermann F. Eilits International Scholarship. To be eligible, a student must 1) be accepted to AUC study abroad program, maintaining full-status, 2) demonstrate and maintain a 3.5 GPA and 3) register for at least on Middle East studies, political science or history course while attending AUC. To apply, write a 1500 word essay on the following topic and submit to Wesley Clark at wclark@aucnyo.edu: "How will my experience at the
For more information on these and many other scholarship opportunities, visit our Scholarships page.
- Safety and Security: PENDING DREXEL UNIVERSITY TRAVEL RISK REVIEW COMMITTEE APPROVAL
DUE TO THE UNCERTAIN SECURITY ENVIRONMENT IN EGYPT, ALL STUDENTS WHO WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL FOR TRAVEL TO THE TRR COMMITTEE. THE COMMITTEE MAY PLACE CERTAIN CONDITIONS ON A STUDENT'S TRAVEL SUCH AS WHERE A STUDENT WOULD LIVE, RULES ABOUT INDEPENDENT TRAVEL, ETC. STUDENTS SHOULD DISCUSS THE REVIEW PROCESS WITH THEIR STUDY ABROAD ADVISOR.
