2024-2025 Undergraduate Bulletin > Academic Information and Policies > Adventist Colleges Abroad

Adventist Colleges Abroad

Walla Walla University, together with 13 other Seventh-day Adventist colleges in North America, founded the Adventist Colleges Abroad (ACA) organization in 1967. The ACA program allows students to immerse themselves in the culture and life of the host country and to become conversant in the language. Summer, quarter-by-quarter, and full-year opportunities are available. Presently, students may take courses at:

*Summer term only.

Course Evaluation and Credit Toward Degree

In keeping with typical regional accreditation standards, courses listed in the applicable ACA bulletin and taken while studying through an ACA program are considered in-residence and will be recorded on the WWU transcript. Courses will be evaluated based on content rather than course prefix. (For example, though a student enrolls in History of Italian Art at Villa Aurora with a HIST prefix, the course will be evaluated as an ART course at WWU based on its content.) WWU/ACA course equivalency information is available in the Academic Records office or online at: wallawalla.edu/adventist-colleges-abroad

College-Level ACA Program Participation Guidelines

To participate in ACA through WWU, a student

• must be an accepted WWU student and pay the $100 ACA processing fee prior to the application being submitted to ACA.
• College level students may enroll in an ACA program without prior WWU attendance; however, they must pay the $200 WWU enrollment fee and
• must meet the prerequisites set by ACA. See www.acastudyabroad.com for details
• must not be on academic probation
• may not enroll in more than 18 quarter credits per academic term without prior approval made in advance through Academic Standards
• should understand that by withdrawing from all ACA courses within a term, the student will be considered fully withdrawn from WWU, which may affect continuing financial aid and scholarship eligibility
• Should understand that they may lose WWU scholarship eligibility if they attend an ACA program for more than 3 terms, not including summer.
• must pay ACA tuition in full in advance, less subsidy and awarded financial aid

ACA Application Process

Students planning to study under the full-year program must pay a $100 processing fee and submit a completed ACA application to the Academic Records office by July 1. Applications may be obtained online at www.acastudyabroad.com.

Applicants must consult with their academic advisors, financial aid counsellor, and the ACA Coordinator prior to enrollment.

All applications and payments for tuition, room, and board are to be made through Walla Walla University. Any deviation from this schedule by students of Walla Walla University must be arranged in advance with the Office of Student Financial Services.

Students cannot plan on financial credit for work while residing in foreign countries. The student financial aid officer has information on grants and loans available to students for overseas study. Academic credit may be granted for these studies so that a student may be able to complete a full college year abroad.

Students wishing to study Spanish in either Spain or Argentina must have successfully completed 2 years of Spanish language in high school or one year of Spanish in college. There is no language prerequisite for the summer program in Spain, and no language prerequisite for all other language programs.

Academy/High School Student Participation

A student who has not yet earned a high school diploma but is seeking college-level ACA credit may be accepted as a WWU participant in a language program. Participation is limited to summer term only and a maximum of 9 quarter credits.

The following guidelines apply. The student must:

• be accepted as an incoming freshman at WWU and have paid the WWU enrollment fee; or
• have junior or senior status and pay a $250 WWU processing fee
• have a cumulative high school GPA of 3.25 or above
• submit a recommendation by the high school principal or vice-principal to participate in the program
• submit a WWU High School College Credit Application
• submit a completed ACA application to Academic Records
• meet the prerequisites set by ACA. See www.acastudyabroad.com for details
• Pay in full all fees, including tuition, room, and board to WWU prior to application being submitted to ACA.

ACA coursework will be recorded on the permanent university transcript, which may enhance or reduce acceptance to a specific university. Dual credit may be earned for both the high school diploma (at the discretion of the high school) and a university degree.

WWU will not bill subsidy. Parents may work directly with employer to determine subsidy eligibility. Some employers may pay in advance to help meet the payment-in-full requirement. Students are not eligible for financial aid until high school diploma is earned.