Chapter 4: Alfea University
The most academically rigorous university in the Alfea realm, it has the Oxbridge-style architecture and has world-class facilities like the Red Fountain, the Golden Auditorium, the Cloud Tower, its own nanoworld, etc. It only accepts newbies and transfer students who have achieved extraordinary feats and/or documented their hardships, just like top universities. The goal of this college is to help integrate changelings into adapting to lifestyles of Winx realms and the Earth, and being a guardian takes 5 years of studies which is a physical and mental toll. However, they also have mandatory courses (Invocation, Winxology, Metamorphosymbiosis, Cognitive Analysis, Self-defense, Spell-crafting and casting, Internship, Philosophy, Ethics, and Laws) on how to use and control the person's Winx and the grading of these courses is slightly lenient. Alfea offers a variety of undergraduate and post-graduate degrees which are more academically and professionally inclined. There is no pre-med and pre-law in Alfea, nor "magical degrees" like, Divination and Magic. Alfea has lots of clubs and societies and shows no mercy to rule-breakers according to rumors. Study duration is 4 years with 6 courses per semester except the last semester of their courses and one-month long breaks. Final exams are held on final week of each semester, while midterms are held in eighth week of each semester. Their last semester in Alfea University is the internship where changelings must apply their knowledge in application. Counselling services are in high demand and students live in dormitories which are tall as the Burj Khalifa to accommodate students only. The academic staff have living quarters in their offices, while culinary students and lecturers cook for students. On the six courses, four are major core courses, one Winx course, one is a general elective outside their major. Third and fourth years are allowed to choose major electives. Failing the major core courses can cause a student to be expelled, while failing a general elective or Winx course can cause a student to be held back for a semester. If a student wants to be a guardian, he or she has to take Language, Cultural and Elemental studies and Winx Alteration Project and have to take more major and general electives of their choice. It is not required for a changeling to reach a specific winx form in order to graduate. Sports-wise, Alfea University has athletic teams and sororities, and hosts multiple university festivals, like the Sorority Sports Month, Cultural City, etc. Alfea University is fully government-funded, with zero tuition fees due to its contributions to research and development.