It may be the start of a new adventure for many Scandinavian students since Antioch University has partnered with City College by offering a three-year bachelor degree for students from Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

The new program allows students who graduated from an upper secondary school located in Norway, Sweden or Denmark to transfer to Antioch University in downtown Santa Barbara after completing one or two years of course work at City College.

Carola Smith, director for the international students programs, worked with officials at Antioch University and described the educational system in Scandinavia and northern Europe. She explained that students who go to the highest academic level of high school have already completed many of these classes.

“When I, for instance, came here I found that a lot of the general education requirement classes that I had to take here, I had already taken in high school,” said Smith, who was an international student herself at City College, originally from Germany and half-Swedish.

“They looked at the number of transcripts from students from Scandinavia and found that they were able to give credits for a number of general educational requirement classes,” Smith said.

Students who have completed the highest academic level of high school in Denmark, Norway or Sweden have a few choices for the three-year bachelor’s degree, said Sharisse Estomo, assistant director for admissions at Antioch University.

“They are all guaranteed 30 semester units based on the completion of the highest academic level of high school,” Estomo said.

There are two basic models for degree completion. The first option is to take two years at City College and one year at Antioch, and the other option is to take one year at City College and two years at AUSB.

“This allows the student the freedom of choosing to either remain at SBCC for up to two years, or to enroll at AUSB if they feel ready to do so,” Estomo said.

Tuition for Scandinavian students is $28,000.  The per-unit fee is $460. The fee is the same for in-state, out-of-state and international students.

Scandinavian countries all offer financial aid to their study abroad students, Estomo said.

The government funding offered in Sweden is known as CSN, which includes both grants and loans. Lanekassen is a Norwegian State Educational Loan fund for Norwegian students. The Danish state educational support is known as SU and can be awarded for a study period abroad to Danish students.

“Students are welcome to apply for support from their home countries and I am able to provide them help,” Estomo said.

Smith encourages those interested in earning a bachelor’s degree in the United States to attend Antioch University’s three-year degree transfer workshop to learn more about the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with one of the following concentrations: applied psychology, business management & leadership, child development & education, communication and media, entrepreneurship and environmental studies.

Estomo is currently planning a workshop for early December and another event on their campus in January.

A master’s degree at Antioch University is also an option. They offer a master’s in education, clinical psychology, business administration and a doctorate in psychology.

City College has many students from Sweden, and has had a recent increase in students from Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland.

Smith estimates that approximately 550 Scandinavian students start at City College each year.

“All international students when finished with their bachelor’s degree are entitled of optional practical training,” Estomo said.

Smith believes it’s a great opportunity for Scandinavian students. They will bring home an international degree with great qualifications in U.S. companies and will have a good applied learning program with internships.