Midwestern Universities Attract Chinese GAC Graduates

Several universities in the midwestern United States are among the most popular choices for Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean Global Assessment Certificate (GAC) graduates.

The GAC is an ACT university preparation program taught and evaluated in English. The program gives international students the skills they need to enroll in and succeed at English-speaking colleges and universities. Students take the ACT at the conclusion of the program. Successful completion of the program guarantees entry into GAC Pathway Universities in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.

Recent graduates report receiving offer letters from the following schools:

• Ball State University
• Indiana University–Bloomington
• Iowa State University
• Michigan State University
• Michigan Technological University
• Ohio State University
• Purdue University
• University of Minnesota
• University of Missouri–Columbia
• University of Missouri–Kansas City
• University of Nebraska–Lincoln
• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
• Saint Louis University
• The University of Iowa
• Truman State University

They’ve also been accepted into other schools throughout the United States, including:

• Johnson and Wales University
• Lewis and Clark College
• Rowan University
• San Francisco State University
• Stanford University
• Texas Christian University
• University of Arizona
• University of Oregon
• University of Washington
• Utah State University
• Washington State University

In addition, four non-U.S. schools have accepted recent graduates: Central Queensland University, Monash University, and Griffith University, all in Australia, and the University of London.

The United States has long been the top GAC graduate destination, followed by Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

“The demand for overseas education in China continues to rise as students seek ways to distinguish themselves from their peers in the ultra-competitive Chinese job market,” said Andrew Todd, country manager of the ACT Education Solutions Limited office in China.

Students in China study the GAC program at one of 50 GAC Approved Teaching Centers (ATCs) located primarily in major cities and provinces. ATC facilities include middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities. China has been offering the GAC program since 2002.

Some U.S. Pathway Universities award college credits and scholarships based on student GAC grade-point averages. Two recent graduates of the Qingdao University GAC Center received the highest scholarships ever awarded to GAC graduates. One received $80,000 in scholarships from Tulane University, and the other, $140,000 in combined scholarships from Lewis and Clark College and DuPont.

“We are very pleased with the growth experienced in terms of new Approved Teaching Centers and increased numbers of students participating in the GAC program,” said Todd. “The fact that students are receiving multiple offer letters from colleges and generous scholarship packages speaks to the quality of the GAC program.”

Beijing Royal School Official Visits ACT

A representative from the Beijing Royal School visited ACT this past spring to discuss administering several ACT solutions at his school. From left are Richard L. Ferguson, ACT CEO and chairman of the board; Wang Guangfa, chairman and headmaster of the Beijing Royal School; Patrick Bourgeacq, director of international service relationships, ACT International Division; and Yuedong Zhou, training program director, China Center, and associate director, Mingda Institute for Leadership Training, at the University of Minnesota.

China Delegation at ACT

A delegation from the National Education Examination Authority (NEEA) in China and Beijing Naiya Information Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of NEEA, recently visited ACT. Above, Richard L. Ferguson, ACT CEO and chairman of the board (seated, left), and Xiaoping Wang, general manager of Naiya (seated, right), sign a Memorandum of Understanding as the delegation looks on.

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