Richmond becomes first university to offer UK and US degrees

Private liberal arts institution gains UK degree-awarding powers

May 29, 2018
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Private liberal arts institution Richmond, the American International University in London, has gained degree-awarding powers in the UK.

The institution said that the Privy Council’s award of taught degree-awarding powers was in addition to existing US degree-granting authority, making it the “first and only university to achieve this combination of US and UK degree-awarding powers”. 

From August 2018, students “will be able to look forward to receiving two degree certificates as they will be gaining two degrees in one”, the institution said.

The award of UK degree-awarding powers followed 18 months of review by the Quality Assurance Agency, it said.

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Richmond holds US degree-granting authority from the State of Delaware under accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. 

John Annette, president of Richmond, said: “The dual accreditation in the UK and US offers a unique and international education for students which is an ideal preparation for a range of careers.

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“Richmond is a liberal arts university, offering students the breadth of study and induction into a range of disciplines that is the hallmark of the liberal arts tradition. We are the only UK university where all undergraduate degrees can be studied within this framework.” 

john.morgan@timeshighereducation.com

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Reader's comments (1)

The Open University has been accredited by the Middle States Commission since 2005 - see https://www.msche.org/institutions_view.asp?idinstitution=560. I am not sure whether students at the OU can get two certificated but that just seems a gimmick anyway.

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