Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to frequently asked questions about Eastwest College of Intercultural Studies
Why do our students choose to study at Eastwest College?
The purpose of the college is to train our students for cross-cultural Christian service overseas. Many of these placements will demand a proficiency in English and necessitate a familiarity with other cultures. The course is delivered in English and through living, studying and working in teams as a multinational community.
We are a fully residential college for overseas students, which is part of our philosophy and training, enabling us to give students a full cross-cultural experience along with the opportunity to study in preparation for their service overseas.
Why are Eastwest College’s fees low?
All staff at the college are volunteers, both teaching and non-teaching staff, all living ‘by faith’, trusting in God for their own financial support. The college pays no salaries whatsoever. Most are supported financially by churches, friends and supportive trusts.
This non-payment of salaries is a deliberate policy to keep the student fees low to reduce the cost of training. It also enables the college staff to practice the ‘living by faith’ life in front of our students, many of whom will be unsalaried in the future and who will be in no position to repay any student debts.
Fees are made up of tuition fees plus accommodation fees. Domestic students receive a small government subsidy so their fees are lower than those of overseas students.
The college campus has been purpose-built and mostly paid for through the donations of friends and supporters of the college who believe in world mission.
Some of our students have already gained high level academic and professional qualifications – so why study for a lower-level undergraduate certificate or diploma at Eastwest College?
Many of our students come to us already well qualified from elsewhere with qualifications in professional fields such as medicine, teaching, dentistry, engineering or church ministry, with qualifications to Bachelors, Masters or even Doctorate level. So why would they choose to study at Eastwest College when we only award Certificate and Diploma level awards?
• Agency language requirements – Students are often required by their sending agencies to have studied at an English-speaking college for a period before they go into longer-term overseas placements.
• Our multi-cultural context – In many of the challenging environments in which our graduates go on to work using their professional qualifications, they need a good understanding of the cultures of their multinational co-workers as well as that of the host culture. The multicultural and residential nature of the college, as well as working in teams at the college, teaches our students the cross-cultural skills and understanding which will greatly help them in their future work.
• To give Christian content – For those with a good professional training but who have no biblical or theological training.