ESL Skills is a course that runs concurrently with Writing Studio, and is required for international students whose English proficiency is not sufficient to foster success in their major and other courses. A speaking proficiency, listening comprehension and writing proficiency tests will be administered during the first few days of Student Orientation to determine whether a student requires additional ESL Skills classes.
ESL classes are designed to help non-native English speakers prepare for the coursework required for their degree. ESL Skills and other ESL classes may be waived upon successful performance on the proficiency tests, or if one or more of the following conditions is met and supporting documentation is received by the Office of International Student Affairs:
- The student’s first language is English.
- The student has earned a final degree from an accredited college or university where English is the official language of instruction.
- The student has passed the equivalent of Writing Studio at an accredited college/university with a C or better, or qualifies for the equivalent transfer credit through accepted IB, AP or ALevel test scores.
Any student who receives a waiver from ESL classes and later fails a course due to language deficiencies may be required to enroll in and successfully complete ESL classes in order to continue in their degree program.