Minerva Establishes Visiting Scholars Year to Support International Students

Offering support for those impacted by visa, travel restrictions, or other issues for the 2020-21 academic year

SAN FRANCISCO, March 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Minerva Schools at Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) announces a Visiting Scholars year to enable students who have been accepted into highly selective, English-speaking universities to begin their studies uninterrupted. In response to recent challenges related to COVID-19, visa restrictions, and other global concerns, many leading colleges and universities will be forced to delay, defer, or cancel enrollment for students from affected countries.

Minerva's Visiting Scholars year is intended for students who have been accepted into a leading college or university, but face enrollment challenges to attend in residence for the 2020–21 academic year. In order to begin their studies in fall 2020, Visiting Scholars will be able to enroll in Minerva's four Foundation Year courses remotely. Minerva Schools are part of KGI, which is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). As such, course credits may be able to be transferred to other higher education institutions. The full year of tuition and fees for the Visiting Scholars program at Minerva totals only $15,950.

"Minerva's first year courses are designed to enrich every student. Our foundational curriculum focuses on developing critical and creative thinking skills, as well as learning and practice in both effective communication and interactions," explains Ben Nelson, Founder and CEO of Minerva. "We think deeply about international students, as over 80% of the Minerva student body is from outside the US. The Visiting Scholars year was created to ensure other international students who are prepared for the rigor of the curriculum are not forced to curtail their learning during these uncertain times. The Minerva academic model is distinctly capable of supporting these students with its completely redesigned, remote-enabled, class experience."

Not only are Minerva courses extremely rigorous, but the Forum™ virtual learning environment offers highly engaging, live, video-based instruction, without the need for physical classrooms. The Fully Active Learning methodology enabled by Forum includes synchronous, discussion-based seminars taught by outstanding and experienced professors in every class session. Visiting Scholars will take the same four courses, taught by Minerva faculty, that are required for first-year undergraduates at Minerva Schools.

The Visiting Scholars year is designed for remote, online access to the first-year curriculum only. Attendance does not include the residential or experiential components typical of the Minerva undergraduate program, nor does it indicate admission to the Minerva Schools undergraduate degree program. The Minerva Visiting Scholars year is accepting registrations starting March 12, 2020.

About Minerva Schools at KGI
The Minerva Schools at KGI offer a reinvented university experience for the brightest, most motivated students in the world. Its programs offer an interdisciplinary curriculum with rigorous academic standards; an accomplished faculty, versed in the science of learning; and an interactive learning platform built with advanced technology. Minerva delivers an exceptional liberal arts and sciences education for future leaders and innovators across disciplines. The Minerva Schools at KGI were established in 2013 with Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) — a Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) accredited institution — in alliance with Minerva Project. The groundbreaking creation of the Minerva Schools at KGI is detailed in the book Building the Intentional University: Minerva and the Future of Higher Education (MIT Press).

For more information contact Junko Green at [email protected]