CKQ College Profiles: The American College of Greece

Each quarter, The College Knowledge Quarterly features a different U.S. College or University for families to get to know a bit better. The aim is not to tell you about a school you know (or at least you think you know) well, but to introduce you to a school you may have not considered a viable candidate before. In this edition, we are going to stick with our theme of international colleges and universities. This quarter, I am pleased to feature the American College of Greece (ACG).

ACG was founded in 1875 by missionaries from Boston, Massachusetts and is the oldest and largest U.S. accredited college or university in Europe. The college is independent, not-for-profit, nonsectarian and co-educational (that’s a mouthful!). The 64-acre main campus is situated in the Athens suburb of Aghia Paraskevi.

Despite its ‘large’ size, the school boasts only 4,000 or so students (that figure includes graduate students), so expect small class sizes, as depicted by ACG’s student to faculty ratio of only 11 to 1.

ACG’s location near Athens offers students so many opportunities for personal and professional growth. Not only is it one of the safest cities in Western Europe, Greece offers one of the lowest costs of living in the European Union, so a decent budget can go a long way (as you will soon see).

Athens is one of the civilized world’s oldest cities yet is a metropolis of nearly four million people. From famous monuments and medieval churches, to world-class museums and restaurants, to countless shops and boutiques, there is always something to experience in and around Athens.

ACG students learn both in and out of the classroom, utilizing the city as a learning instrument whenever possible. Beyond the city, knowing students are living in Europe, they have access to culture and history throughout the continent. What an opportunity!

Similar to the U.S., students are exposed to a vibrant community of learners who engage in extra-curricular activities and sports programs. The school prides itself in “philoxenia”, loosely translated, it means hospitality – the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home. The act of welcoming, caring for, and entertaining visitors from abroad formed an institution central to the social life of ancient Greeks. ACG continues this ancient tradition today by ensuring that its students have every opportunity to experience Greece.

Applying to ACG is also much more aligned with how things work in the United States than other schools abroad. Students complete the online application via the ACG website (www.acg.edu), including a short personal statement, their high school transcript, one letter of recommendation from a faculty member and a copy of the student’s passport and you are off and running!

The average admitted student has a relatively low 3.4 GPA, so admission is not as challenging as many of the schools here in the United States. The school is test optional, but students are encouraged to share strong scores as part of the admission package.

This might be the best part: the cost. Taking into account the full-time tuition, student fees, housing in a double room (singles are available for a little more), and a 150-meal-per-semester dining plan, the cost for the 2019-20 academic year was just $20,060! And financial aid is available on top of this amount!! For students between a 3.4 and 3.59 unweighted GPA, an additional 20% tuition reduction will be provided. For students between a 3.6 and 3.79 GPA, that discount is increased to 30%. And for those above 3.8, you would receive a 40% reduction in your tuition!

As you can probably imagine, the ACG campus community is a diverse one, representing students from over 70 countries. It also boasts over 80 partner schools in the United States, Europe and Asia, where ACG students can study abroad and work on individually-tailored programming.

The school offers a total of 28 undergraduate majors, 43 minors, has a student-to-faculty ratio of 11-1 and operates on the semester system.

ACG reads applications on a rolling admission basis (they read the applications as they are submitted, so the sooner you apply, the more seats need to be filled by the college!) The school is open to both freshman and transfer applicants.

Let me be clear – this is not a school for everyone. However, for those students who want a reasonably-priced undergraduate education, have an interest in European culture and language immersion (though all classes are taught in English), this might be an exceptional opportunity.

For more information, please visit www.acg.edu.