CUA students going to ACUApril 17, 2014

  1. Can we have any information / letter to send in about receiving our visas? - You will receive a certificate ofEnrollment (CoE) once youhave applied and been accepted into the program by ACU. You use theCoE toapply for your student visa online. All the visa information can be found on-line (and done on-line) or at the embassy in DC.

Include the visa cost (approx. US$500). Also, can we add links to these websites?

  1. Do we need any additional recommended vaccines? No. You will need to complete all of the background and health requirements for all undergraduate nursing students. Please see the following web site. Include the website link. Complete all of this documentation on-line and bring a paper copy with you to ACU. You will also need to complete certain medical exams for your Australian visa. Include link:
  1. What is the schedule for the semester going to look like - when do we have to be there? Orientation will be in September of 2014.Which orientation is this? We will give you the specific dates soon. Generally speaking, student’s arrival in Australia in early February and leave at the end of June.
  1. Where are we going to be living?Students will live in apartments, mostly doubles, referred by ACU, and cannot live in co-ed facilities. In the past, CUA students have been housed at Cambridge Court, which provides accommodations for students from ACU, the University of Melbourne, RMIT and Victoria University. No meals are included.
  1. What classes will we be taking?This will be posted on the web in late May.
  1. Will we need additional books for our courses- do we buy them over there? No – the ACU faculty will provide you complimentary books that you can use while at ACU. Also you can usually only check 2 bags (50lbs or less) and have 2 carry on’s.
  1. What is the schedule for the semester going to look like? This is a repeat of question #3. The schedules are pretty flexible. There is less emphasis on in class lecture time andmore emphasis on outside learning and more self directed study.Much of the grading is done very close to the end of the semester with one large comprehensive exam for each class.
  1. Do we take ourpatho / Pharm books? No. You will have access to Patho and Pharm by Blackboard.
  1. What will we take in the spring on-line? You will be taking on-line components of Nurs254A and Community on-line (courses given from CUA) before or after you go to Australia. The community health and health promotion aspect of the international exchange is a little different abroad, so you will be given on-line components so that have all the content needed.
  1. What is ACU’s meal plan or food situation? Your apartment has a small kitchen where you can prepare meals.ACU does not have a meal plan. There are cafeterias on campus and there are metro stops right near campus which can take you all around the city to get food. Melbourne Central station has lots of food
  1. What planned trips will we be taking there? There are student support services that will help you arrange trips as you choose.
  1. Does afaculty member accompany us to Australia? No. There is an ACU faculty liaison that will assist you upon arrival to ACU.
  1. When will we take HESI? – In August 2015, before fall classes start. What happens if we don't do well? You will have to perform remediation and possibly retake the exam, if your score is not acceptable. All students will be monitored individually.
  1. Will we need to find roommates for ourCUA dorms? No, CUA housing will take care of this.
  1. Do we have to pay airfare? Yes. It is about $1800 - $2400. Do we have to pay regular tuition to CUA? Yes.
  1. How much does housing cost? CUA is in the process of updating this information and will let you know as soon as it becomes available.
  1. Will we need public transportation to school or is it walking distance? The school is walking distance from your housing. You also will havevery convenient access topublic transport, in orderto travel around Melbourne, go to clinical and explore the region.
  1. What is the additional cost? There is a $5,000.00 CUAbroad program fee; this fee includes housing. You will have to pay for your own food and travel.
  1. What is the financial plan? Students still qualify for financial aid while at ACU.
  1. What about uniforms? ACU will provide uniform tops to you for clinical. Please bring navy blue trousers as this is the standard pant color for clinical.
  1. What do we do next now that we have been accepted by the CUA and ACU School of nursing, for the exchange program? You have been accepted by ACU’s School of nursing, yet, you need to apply through the CUAbroad Officeat Catholic University of America; the deadline is October 1, 2014. We urge you to several weeks before the deadline.
  1. What courses do I take while I am there and how are the courses transferred? A complete mapping will be shared with you in September and posted on the web.
  1. What is the grading system at ACU? There are 5 rankings of class grade:

Include how these correspond to CUA’s grading system.

High Distinction / 7
Distinction / 6
Credit / 5
Pass / 4
Pass (for Pass/ Fail courses) / 3
NN - Fail / 1

FAQ sheetApril 2014 ACU / CUA SON exchange