Institute of Intensive English

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*We have temporarily suspended our ESL program and are planning to rebuild this program in the near future. Please contact us or check back soon for more information.

 

English as a Second Language

Abilene Christian University offers an excellent education in a safe environment for its 4,600 students who come from more than 60 nations. International students feel welcome at ACU and excel academically because they receive personal attention from highly skilled professors and have access to the newest technology.

The ACU Institute of Intensive English provides up to 20 hours of ESL instruction per week. Our goal is to get you ready for regular ACU courses, not just pass the TOEFL.

We offer a highly experienced faculty and small classes. We’ll help you with college preparatory reading and vocabulary, composition, grammar, speaking skills, and research writing, and we provide additional activities through our international student programs. Your classes are in the same building with many American students’ classes, so you’ll be
able to meet native speakers easily.

Most important, we are genuinely concerned with your progress. We understand your goals, and we want to help you reach a high level of English proficiency as quickly as possible.

We can help you learn English!

ESL course offerings include the following groupings:

Program Overview

The Institute of Intensive English (IIE) provides summer and semester-long English as a Second Language (ESL) courses at the Intermediate and Advanced levels. The IIE curriculum is designed to prepare students for ACU credit courses and consists of grammar, reading, composition and oral/aural communication courses at each of the two levels.

In the summer, the Intermediate level is offered in a six-week short course format and runs from June 24-August 1. This course is designed to be intensive language training that serves as the beginning of an ESL student’s course of study and is also an English language review course for current international students or members of the Abilene community.

ESL students must enroll in all courses included in their assigned block of courses according to incoming ESL placement exam results at ACU. Students advance from their initial long-semester block by achieving passing grades in all courses of that block and achieving an acceptable score on the AccuPlacer English exam. Students who earn a failing grade in any portion of the block must repeat the entire block.

Permission to enroll in full-time developmental and regular credit courses is granted upon successful completion of the advanced ESL block and an acceptable score on the AccuPlacer English exam. A particular TOEFL score is not required for ESL students who move from the ESL block into undergraduate courses upon completion of the advanced level. However, students wishing to enter graduate work must meet additional requirements, including a minimum TOEFL-ibt score of 80 (or commensurate score on the IELTS, IEKEN, PTE Academic, or CAE).

New students may begin in:

  • Late August (Fall semester – 16 weeks)
  • Mid-January (Spring Semester – 16 weeks)
  • Late June (Summer Semester – 6-week short course)

Benefits:

  • Learn English in a safe environment
  • Interact with native speakers of English inside and outside of the classroom
  • Receive individual attention
  • Students who successfully complete all levels of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program may be automatically admitted to an undergraduate program.

Our low-cost tuition package includes:

  • Highly qualified faculty
  • Multiple levels
  • Small classes
  • 18-22 hours of ESL instruction per week in all 3 terms
  • Access to all university facilities, including the recreation center and pool, library and media centers, dining hall, and all other campus amenities
  • Free tutoring
  • Opportunities to participate in student organizations, field trips, and campus events
  • Cost per term (Fall, Spring, or Summer):
  • Tuition: $4,000
  • Room and Board estimate: $5,500