CMC Providing International Students with a London Residential Program For Spring 2021

This spring, Claremont McKenna College will offer its international students a residence hall away from Claremont, announcing a new spring residential program for international students on Dec 2 and all students on Dec 9 in London.

According to CMC’s website, the ‘adapted residential program,’ set for January 21 to May 15, will allow CMC students who are F-1 visa holders or who have a permanent address outside the United States to live in single studio apartments at the IES Abroad Bloomsbury location.

President Hiram Chodosh said in the college’s schoolwide announcement that the residential program was for CMC international students “fighting with time zone challenges” in the coursework.

According to a Dec. 5 email about the program from Dean of Students Dianna Graves to some international students, students who participate in the London program must enrol in at least three 5C courses, and most will have to obtain a visa depending on their country of citizenship.

According to the Dec. 5 email and the program description on CMC’s website, the cost of tuition and room and the board will be the same as that of a normal CMC semester, and health insurance will be provided through Cultural Insurance Services International. Local IES personnel will support a mandatory quarantine upon arrival.

After spending last semester at home, Diya Courty-Stephens CM’23, a Canadian resident born in London, looks forward to studying in a new environment.

“I thought it would be a great opportunity to regain a peer support network when I heard about the London program,” she said. “While I am aware [of the COVID-19 restrictions in London], I still believe I will have a meaningful and rewarding experience.”

In Shanghai, CMC planned to offer a similar program for students who are Chinese citizens. Still, due to new guidance from the Chinese government, the program is unlikely to occur, Graves said in an email update to some international students on Dec 8.

The CMC in Shanghai program would have enabled students through a partnership with IES to live together and take CMC classes from Shanghai.

Initially, students were to take one course at a Chinese university according to Chinese government requirements, Graves said in the Dec. 5 email about both residential programs. The course was designed by CMC and taught by a member of the IES adjunct faculty.

CMC halted its plans for the program after the Chinese Ministry of Education changed the local course requirement to eight-course credit hours worth of study at a Chinese university, Graves said in the Dec. 8 email. CMC is attempting to negotiate the new rule but is not expecting a change.

We do not believe, given this new rule, that we can move forward with the CMC in Shanghai in Spring 2021. “Our hope has always been to bring our students together in a format that allows students to continue to make progress towards their CMC degree while providing students with a community to live and learn together,” Graves said.

“This development saddens us, and we remain committed to our efforts to support our international students as we move into the next semester.”