English as a Second Language (ESL) Program

Columbia College's English as a Second Language (ESL) program is designed to assist students with the improvement of their English reading, writing and speaking skills. The ESL program prepares students for academic programs, courses and tasks they will be expected to perform as they pursue their academic degrees.

Students who have not taken either the TOEFL nor the IELTS exam, or have scored below 500 on the paper-based TOEFL exam, below 173 on the computer-based TOEFL exam, below 61 on the internet-based TOEFL exam, or below 5.0 on the IELTS exam; will be considered for admission to the ESL program. An international student who does not have the English proficiency required to immediately begin taking academic coursework will be given an in-house English diagnostic test. This test is administered once the student arrives on campus. This test assesses a students written and spoken English skills and helps determine placement within the ESL program. Our ESL program has three proficiency levels: Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced.

One of the special features of our ESL classes is that they will count for credit toward your academic degree at Columbia College. You may even be able to take academic coursework while you complete the ESL program. Once the ESL program is successfully completed, students receive a certificate of completion and may begin to pursue a full academic course of study at Columbia College.

ESL Class Information

Our ESL classes have an 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio, which allows for small classes and individualized attention. To assist our ESL students, free tutoring is also available at the Center for Academic Excellence.

ESL courses at Columbia College are designed with special emphases in mind - such as composition, speaking and listening, and academic content. Students in all ESL classes are strongly encouraged to:

• practice reading, writing, speaking and listening every day;
• use English, both in and out of the classroom; and
• ask questions and express themselves actively in speaking and writing.

Level One: 20 hours of classroom instruction in English per week, 12 credit hours per semester. Students may be allowed to take one additional course per semester with the advisor's consent.

Level Two: 15 hours of classroom instruction in English per week, 9 credit hours per semester. Students may be allowed to take one or two additional courses per semester with the advisor's consent.

Level Three: 6 hours of classroom instruction in English per week, 3 credit hours per semester. Students may be allowed to take a full academic schedule with the advisor's consent.

For course descriptions, please refer to our course descriptions section of the undergraduate catalog.

What makes our ESL Program Unique

• Located in "Collegetown USA"
• ESL has three proficiency levels targeted for your level of learning
• Small ESL class size
• Free tutoring available
• ESL classes will count for credit towards a Columbia College degree
• Qualified and dedicated faculty
• No TOEFL necessary to enter the ESL program
• On-campus residence halls available
• Campus is close to cultural events, shopping and entertainment
• Columbia, Missouri is easily accessible to international airports
• Individualized attention