English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL) Program
Columbia College's English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL) program is designed to assist students with the improvement of their English reading, writing and speaking skills. The ESOL program prepares students for academic programs, courses and tasks they will be expected to perform as they pursue their academic degrees.
A student who does not have the English proficiency required to immediately begin taking academic coursework will be given an ESOL Placement Exam. This exam is administered once the student arrives on campus. This exam assesses a student's written and spoken English skills and helps determine placement within the ESOL program. Our ESOL program has two proficiency levels: Intermediate and Advanced.
One of the special features of our ESOL classes is that they will count for credit toward your academic degree at Columbia College. Depending on the results of the placement exam, you may even be able to take academic coursework while you complete the ESOL program. Once the ESOL program is successfully completed, students receive a certificate of completion and may begin to pursue a full academic course of study at Columbia College.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the ESOL program follows the same criteria outlined in the general admission guidelines. Applicants meeting the general admission requirement, but who lack proficiency for full program admission will automatically be considered for ESOL admission. Applicants must meet one of the minimum English proficiency scores required for ESOL admission:
- TOEFL Internet-based Score of 48 with no subset score below 10
- TOEFL Paper-based Score of 460 with no subset score below 46
- IELTS score of 4.5 with no individual band score below 4.0
- SAT Critical Reading sub-score of 380
- ACT English sub-score of 15, overall score of 21
ESOL Tuition Grant
All students admitted to the ESOL program and who register for at least nine (9) credit hours of ESOL coursework are eligible for an ESOL Tuition Grant worth 15% tuition per semester. The grant is limited to two semesters only.