When will the next Aruba College Fair take place?
Aruba College Fair takes place every other year. The next Aruba College Fair will take place on Friday and Saturday, 4 & 5 November 2022 at the Renaissance Convention Center from 12:00 – 18:00.
For whom is Aruba College Fair?
The Aruba College Fair is for anybody and everybody seeking a higher education: EPB, MAVO, HAVO and VWO students looking to start higher education at MBO, HBO and WO levels; EPI students looking to continue their higher education; UA students wishing to continue their studies or transfer abroad; working people looking to upgrade themselves.
Which colleges and universities will be at the Fair?
At every college fair, different institutions participate. We will update the participating exhibitors page regularly with those institutions that have confirmed participation. As the Fair date nears, the complete list of participating colleges and universities will be available.
Why do you invite colleges and universities that are not accredited and for which students are denied a government loan (Arubalening)?
Accreditation is important if:
- You want an Arubalening
- You intend to work for the Government
Accreditation, particularly for US institutions, can be confusing. There is regional vs. national accreditation. There is institutional vs. programmatic accreditation, where the institution is accredited, but not a particular major or vice versa. There is also specialized/professional accreditation (i.e. nursing, law, education). Accreditation in most cases guarantees that the institution/program meets a particular minimum criteria. This is important if you want to transfer from one school to the other; you definitely want to be certain that the new school will accept your credits. It may also be important for some employers.
The checking of accreditation of US institutions by the Department of Education in Aruba is sometimes limited to institutional accreditation. If you know your program is accredited, you may have to provide proof and request a review so that you can get the government loan.
For this reason and the fact that not all students need the Arubalening, we invite institutions that have programmatic accreditation as well.
Why don’t you organize the Fair every year?
While this would be ideal indeed, we have opted for a bi-ennial event to give the participating international exhibitors the increased benefit of a larger pool of students to expose their programs to. As a small country, Aruba provides a limited number of students that seek higher education. For international colleges and universities to find it attractive and financially responsible to come to Aruba, we must make sure to provide them with the quantity of potential students that they feel would justify a visit to Aruba.
Why do you also have businesses at a college fair?
In our view, businesses are a crucial aspect of a student’s decision-making process. They can provide you with insights what to expect when you enter a career in that particular industry or what majors or courses you may need to take in order to work in their company or give you a general idea in what fields jobs may be available in a couple of years. Plus, they may be able to offer you any of their own services that may be beneficial to you before, during or after your studies (i.e. internships).
Do you organize TOEFL and SAT testing?
No, we don’t. These tests are provided by the Examenbureau, Colegio Arubano and the International School of Aruba.
Do you provide internships?
Unfortunately, no. We do not have a staffed office at the moment to guide students with their internship goals.