International Accelerated Degree Program- A New Opportunity For International Students

 Arizona State University has recently decided to tie up with six Indian universities to start the International Accelerated Degree Program (IADP) that enables international students to stay in their native country while coming to ASU for a shorter stint. In these programs, students can earn their undergraduate and master’s degree from ASU by customizing the time duration of courses. ASU offers joint degree and research facilities to students studying at Indian universities. 

The accelerated program helps students in getting a master’s degree at a high pace while studying at their home university. The degree through an accelerated program reduces the cost of education and makes the student eligible for a job abroad and domestic. Another benefit of the program is that the students don’t have to take the GRE or the GMAT exam for entrance to ASUs accelerated program. All the major schools at Arizona State University offer the IADP program. From Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering to Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts, all the major schools offer programs under the IADP. In India currently, three universities are part of it: Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad Peoples Education Society University, and Xavier University Bhubaneswar. 

Eligibility Criteria For Students to Enrol in IADP

The eligibility criteria differ from one university to another, and one should confirm with their institution before planning for IADP. Students need to have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a scale of 4 points. Students also have to qualify for an English proficiency test in order to be eligible for IADP. However, there is no uniformity in the grade point requirement, and it may differ from one course to another. The requirement might be high for some of the courses, while for others, it may be less. 

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Admission Formats of IADP

ASU believes in giving the students the utmost liberty to pursue a course that they want to study and the format in which they wish to continue the study. The available formats for IADP are:

3+1+1 Format

In this format, one needs to study at their home university for a period of three years and then the rest of the course at ASU. The format works in the following manner:

• Students have to take the course at their home university for the first three years. 
• Students will then shift to ASU for the fourth/final year. 
• The degree will be awarded by the home university.
• Then the students have to attend the master’s course for a period of 9 months in the accelerated program. 

This program helps students pursue their bachelor and master courses and that too in a reduced span of five years instead of the usual master’s course that takes around six years. Also, the IADP allows students to get a short stint at ASU during their bachelor degree. 

4+1+2 Format

This format is similar to the earlier format, with some minor differences from the 3+1+1 format. It works as follows:

• Students have to attend the first four years of the degree at their home university. 
• Students will attend their final year at ASU. 
• After completing the undergraduate degree awarded by the home university, students will start their master’s degree, which will be of two-year duration. 

2+1 Format

In this program, students will have to complete their master’s degree at their home university. After that, they will start their second master’s program in a nine-month accelerated master’s program. 

1+1 Format

Students will have to complete the first year of the master’s program at ASU. Students have to go to ASU for the second-year master’s program and complete the course in an accelerated program in a nine-month duration. The combined credits from both universities will be used to award the master’s degree.

3.5+0.5+1 Format

This format works as follows:

• Students have to attend their home university for three and a half years. 
• The student will come to ASU for their final semester of the undergraduate course.
• The degree of the undergraduate course will be awarded by the home university.
• After completing the course, the students start the master’s program in the accelerated program of nine months duration. 

Application Process For Undergraduate and Graduate Students 

Only those students studying in universities with which ASU has an IADP agreement are eligible for taking admission under this program. Once the students decide to apply for the IADP program, they can do it in the following ways:

Application Process For Undergraduate Students 

• Fill and submit the application form with a non-refundable fee of $90USD.
• Students have to submit the English proficiency score. ASU accepts scores of TOEFL, IELTS, PTE and Duolingo English test. 
• Students also have to submit a copy of the college transcript.
• Once the application is filled, the student will receive an email containing the ASURITE User ID. Usually, it takes three days to get the user ID after the completion of the application form.
• Once the students get the user ID, they can check the MyASU account for further details about the application status. 
• Complete the Graduate Supplemental Application form from the MyASU priority task list.
• After this, students have to upload the transcript of five semesters along with the English proficiency test score.
• Certain courses might include a Skype interview. Students have to schedule that interview on the MyASU page. 

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Application Process For Graduate Students

• Fill the ASU graduate application form and make sure that all the information is correct.
• Students have to send a mail to ASU on IADP@asu.edu and give the following information:
• Student’s full name as it is on the passport. 
• Name of the university where the student is currently studying.
• The 10 digit ASU ID provided by the university(by ASU).
• Date of Birth as mentioned on all the certificates. 
• The ASU major for which the student is seeking admission in the university.

It must be noted that the IADP application form deadline is 1st May, and no application post this date will be entertained in any scenario. Students have to make sure that the application form submission and all the relevant documents required by the university must be submitted before the deadline. After submitting the application form and documents, students should regularly check their application status on the MyASU page. If there are any other additional documents are to be submitted, it must be done, but the date mustn’t exceed the deadline. Once the application is processed, it takes around one to two months to receive notification of admittance. Another point that applicants must bear in mind is that there is no provision for admission under the IADP program for spring or summer. The IADP program is strictly restricted to the Fall semester.

The official transcripts for admission to the IADP program must be sent to the below-mentioned address: 

Admission Services

Arizona State University

PO Box 870112

Tempe, AZ 85287-0112

Students must note that the official transcript must be in the English language only, and if it’s not, students must get it translated to English since transcripts are received in any language other than English or the university’s primary language (if English is not the university’s primary language). The information on completing the I-20 form will be given at the time of acceptance to the university. IADP is an excellent initiative for students who can’t afford to study full-time at ASU. A shorter stint at Arizona State University helps students get global exposure and opens up further research and job opportunities avenues. 

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