Guidelines
Study Abroad Guidelines
- For US universities we have a Study-in the USA Handbook (www.StudyUSA.com)
- For Canadian Universities we have the Study-in-Canada handbook (www.StudyInCanada.com)
- For British Universities we have the Study-in-Britain Handbook (www.educationuk.org)
- For Australia , there is the Study-in-Australia handbook (www.studyinaustralia.gov.au)
- For New Zealand , we have the Study-in-New Zealand handbook (www.EducationNZ.org.nz)
After you have chosen several colleges and universities where you would like to study, you can begin applying for admission . Each college and university sets its own admission standards and decides which applicants meet those standards. You must apply separately to each college or university.
Even if you have selected one school where you are sure you want to study, you should still apply to other schools. Remember that you are competing with international students from all over the world for a limited number of spaces in each entering class. It is possible that “your choice” school may not accept you. Generally it is wise to apply to several schools.
Check College and University’s admission testing requirements (TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, IELTS, etc.) Make sure to have scores sent directly to the colleges and universities to which you want to apply. It usually takes six or eight weeks after the date for scores to reach the college and university.
Read the college applications and backtrack the deadlines to allow yourself enough time to complete them. Submit your completed applications as early as possible. Keep a copy of everything you send to the admissions office. If your application is lost, this will help you resubmit it. You have to wait for 4 or 6 weeks for their reply.
Cost : The cost of study includes more than just tuition, housing, food, books, and supplies. Be sure to add travel to school from your home country, and your personal expenses. The school’s web site, catalog or brochure indicates the cost of studying there. Please be aware that costs increase every year.
Accreditation :: Accreditation is the certification that a school or program meets a prescribed academic standard.
It is very important to know that a college or university is accredited. If you attend a college or university that is not accredited, you will not be able to transfer your credits to an accredited college or university. Your home country may not recognize your degrees, and you may not be able to get a job you want.
You can find out whether a college or university is accredited by checking at (www.chea.org) for US colleges and universities.
If you are lucky, you will be accepted by one or more institutions. They will send a letter of acceptance. Accept one of the offers of admission, and confirm your acceptance according to their instructions.
Student Visa :: There are four basic requirements students must fulfil to be eligible for a student visa.
- Students must prove they have been accepted by a school or a degree course.
- Students must have sufficient English skills to complete their studies.
- Students must show evidence that they have enough money to pay for their school fees and living expenses.
- Students must show that they will return to their home countries once they complete their studies.
For more details you can contact the nearest consulate or embassy.
Once you have accepted a school’s offer of admission, the first thing you should do is apply for a student visa. You should generally apply to the Embassy or Consulate at your home or permanent residence. Each country has their own visa procedures. Just follow the procedures and you should have no problems.
When you get your visa you have to make travel arrangements. PLAN TO ARRIVE AT YOUR SCHOOL IN TIME FOR New Student Orientation and Registration. Follow the arrival instructions sent from the school.
Guidelines & Checklist for the Transfer Process:
- Determine which university you’d like to transfer to *
- Contact the overseas university Admission office/ respective Faculty that you’d like to transfer to and find out how to apply as a transfer student
- It may also be useful to check with the following centers for certain countries:
a. USA: The Cultural/ Education section of Bangkok US Embassy or AUA library
b. UK: The British Council, Siam Center, Bangkok
c. Australia: AEI, the Australian Embassy
d. For other countries you can call / visit the Cultural and Education offices at the embassies to find out about universities - Please note that the Office of International Affairs At Assumption University does not intervene in or facilitate transfers, we can only provide guidelines, as in this document, as a service.
- Please be aware that because of Assumption University’s comprehensive English Curriculum (except Faculty of Law), it enjoys a strong reputation and instant recognition by overseas universities particularly those in native English speaking countries.
- Transfer of credits/courses/grades is totally left up to accepting institution.
In vies of this, please ensure that your CGPA is competitive enough and that you have completed at least 60 credits at Assumption University.
b. Please make available to the accepting institution, the Assumption University Undergraduate bulletin.(The Graduate School of AU may also have their bulletins available and these may be submitted in the case of graduate school transfers).The Bulletin contains information on the degree programs , study plans and course description in English. There are also other relevant pieces of information which the bulletins contain which would help in decision making by the accepting universities.
c. As much as possible, please also provide course outlines for all the courses you have taken. This will clarify a lot of information that the accepting institution might want before taking any decision on transfer acceptance.
d. Reference letters (at least two, sometimes three) from lecturers who have taught you are extremely useful to the accepting institutions, to gauge your academic background. - Please ensure that you do have the special requirements by the accepting institution. Test results of TOFEL, IELTS, SAT (1 and 2) and/ or other scores may be required. Please check if these c\scores are needed and fulfill the requirement as necessary.
- Student transfer visas are normally arranged by accepting institutions. Please ensure that this is also done in your case.
- This document is only a guideline and is in no way an official guarantee that students will be accepted ,based on what this Guideline document outlines.
- The Office of International Affairs is happy to receive any sort of feedback on students transfer matters, so that we can make the information available to other students wishing to transfer.
* Please note that universities which have signed agreements with Assumption University will recognize our programs and may welcome transfer students.
AU students wishing to transfer to “AU Partner Universities” will have to go through all requirements stipulated by the universities, as in all cases.
Guidance for TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, SAT and IELTS testing
Start preparing for the TOEFL exam and other admission tests. (e.g. GRE, GMAT, or SAT). The above examinations are for U.S. and Canada. The GMAT exam is for those who are going to study an MBA Program. The GRE exam is for those who are going to study a graduate program in the fields of Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry , Computer Science, Engineering, etc…
TOEFL (Teaching of English as a Foreign Language)
Computer-Based Testing is year round. Web site www.toefl.org
The computer-based test has four sections, all of which are required:
Listening – tests your ability to understand English as it is spoken in North America. This section includes listening materials such as dialogues, short conversations, academic discussions, and talks. All listening materials relate to academic topics and situations.
Structures – measures your ability to recognize language used in standard written English. You are therefore being tested in your knowledge for formal rather than conversational language.
Reading – measures your ability to understand short passages similar in topic and style to academic texts used in North American colleges and universities. This section tests your comprehension on main ideas, factual information, inferences, and vocabulary.
Writing – measures your ability to generate, organize, and develop ideas, and to support those ideas with examples of evidence. This section evaluates your command of written English, and complements the information obtained from the structure section. You can either write your essay or type it on the computer. Please note that your scores will be delayed if you choose to hand-write your essay.
Range Comparison
Paper-Based Total | Computer-Based Total |
660 – 667 | 287 – 300 |
640 – 657 | 273 – 283 |
620 – 637 | 260 – 270 |
600 – 617 | 250 – 260 |
580 – 597 | 237 – 247 |
560 – 577 | 220 – 233 |
540 – 557 | 207 – 220 |
520 – 537 | 190 – 203 |
500 – 517 | 173 – 187 |
480 – 497 | 157 – 170 |
460 – 477 | 140 – 153 |
440 – 457 | 123 – 137 |
GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test)
The GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) is a computer-adaptive test that is available year-round. Visit GMAT on line at www.gmac.com.
The GMAT is designed to help graduate business schools assess the qualifications of candidates for an MBA or other advanced business/management programs.
GRE (Graduate Record Examinations)
The General Test and the Writing Assessment are given year-round on the computer. Subject tests are given in the paper-based format on set dates. Visit GRE on-line at www.gre.org
Test Descriptions
The GRE General Tests measure verbal, quantitative, and analytical reasoning skills that have been developed over a long period of time and are not necessarily related to any particular field of study. The General Test is offered year-round at authorized testing centers worldwide on computer.
The GRE Subject Tests measure undergraduate achievements in eight specific fields of study. In taking a Subject Test, you should have an undergraduate major or extensive background in that discipline. The tests are given in November, December, and April at authorized paper-based testing centers worldwide.
The GRE Writing Assessment expands the range of proficiencies assessed by the General Test, to include the kinds of critical thinking and analytical writing skills generally deemed essential for graduate school success. The Writing Assessment is offered year-round on computer at authorized testing centers worldwide.
Students who are applying for U.K., Australia, and New Zealand should prepare for the IELTS exam. Each school sets its own requirements, so we have to find them out from the school web pages.
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
IELTS is recognized as the preferred language requirement for entry to academic courses by all institutions of further and higher education in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. It has recently been adopted by the majority of prestigious Canadian universities and is currently being promoted as a screening device in the United States of America.
IELTS is jointly managed by the British Council, the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), and IDP Education, Australia.
In addition to the score for overall language ability, ELTS provides a score for each of the four skills (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking). The score are reported on a nine band scale. Total Test Time: 2 hours 45 minutes.
Most universities and colleges in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and USA accept an overall band score of 6.0 or 6.5 for entry to academic programs of study.
The British Council conducts a testing session twice a month. Special test sessions can be arranged for particular sponsors or institutions.
To apply, you will need:
One recent photo,
IELTS test fee: US$100, payable in Baht
A copy of your ID card or passport
There is no limit to the number of times you can take the IELTS but there must be a gap of 3 months between each test
The Internet-based TOEFL Test
The TOEFL Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) tests all four language skills that are important for effective communication: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The test helps students demonstrate that they have the English skills needed for success.
What Is the Benefit of An Internet-based Test?
TOEFL iBT emphasizes integrated skills and provides better information to institutions about students’ ability to communicate in an academic setting and their readiness for academic coursework. With Internet-based testing, ETS can capture speech and score responses in a standardized manner.
Online registration and online score reporting make it easier for students to register for TOEFL iBT and receive their test scores.
Information obtained from www.ets.org
Guidelines and Checklist For The Transfer Process
- Determine which university you’d like to transfer to.
- Check if Au has any sort of agreement with the university. This can be done by going to the OIA website: hhttp://www.oia.au.edu
- Contact the overseas university Admissions office / respective Faculty that you’d like to transfer to and find out how to apply as a transfer student.
- It may also be useful to check with the following centers for certain countries:
a. USA: The Cultural/Education section of the Bangkok US Embassy or AUA library
b. UK: The British Council, Siam Center, Bangkok click here to investigate
c. Australia: AEI, the Australian Embassy
d. For all other countries, you can call / visit the Cultural and Education Offices at the embassies to find out about universities. - Please note that the Office of International Affairs at Assumption University does not intervene in or facilitate transfers, we can only provide guidelines, as in this document, as a service
- Please be aware that because of Assumption University’s comprehensive English Curriculum (except in the Faculty of Law), it enjoys a strong reputation and instant recognition by overseas universities, particularly those in the native English speaking countries.
- Transfers of credits/ courses/grades are totally left up to the accepting institution.
a. In view of this, please ensure that your GPA is competitive enough and that you have at least 60 credits at Assumption University
b. Please make available to the accepting institution, the Assumption University Undergraduate bulletin. (The Graduate Schools of AU may also have their bulletins available and these may be submitted in the cases of graduate school transfers). The Bulletin contains information on the degree programs, study plans and the course descriptions in English. There are also other relevant pieces of information which the bulletins contain which would help in the decision making by the accepting universities .
c. As much as possible, please also provide course outlines for all the courses you have taken. This will clarify a lot of information that the accepting institution might want
before taking any decision on the transfer acceptance.
d. Reference letters (at least two, sometimes three) from lecturers who have taught you are extremely useful to the accepting institutions, to gauge your academic background - Please ensure that you do have the special requirements by the accepting institutions. Test results of TOEFL, IELTS, SAT (1 and 2) and /or other scores may be required. Please check if these scores are needed and fulfill the requirement as necessary.
- Student transfer visas are normally arranged by the accepting institutions. Please ensure that this is also done in your case.
- This document is only a guideline and is in no way an official guarantee that students will be accepted, based on what this Guideline document outlines.
- The Office of International Affairs is happy to receive any sort of feedback on student transfer matters, so that we can make the information available to other students wishing to transfer.