Intensive English Program : Dates and Overview

Our Intensive English Program has three 14-week semesters per year. For students with less time, it is also possible to study with us for just the first 7 weeks of a term. We offer five levels of classes, our average class size is 15 and our students are in class for 20 hours per week.  In addition, we offer a variety of clubs and activities.

The ELI's innovative classes are designed to teach you the academic language and study skills you need to succeed in an American university. Our program is content- and project-based, meaning you will learn interesting content while developing your academic skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and grammar. You will also build your critical thinking, note-taking and problem-solving skills. As a student at the ELI, you will demonstrate your knowledge through exciting projects that involve presentations, web blogs, newspapers, brochures, videos, and different types of academic research.

Full-time students at the ELI take 3 required core courses (Academic Preparation, Academic Interactions, and Grammar) and 2 electives.  Core classes are 4 or 5 hours per week, while electives meet for 3 hours per week. Academic Preparation courses concentrate on academic reading and writing, along with critical thinking and research skills. They are also great for developing your academic vocabulary. In Academic Interactions, you will work on lecture listening, note-taking, and academic presentation skills. Our elective classes include TOEFL, Business English, Current Events, and a wide variety of other topics designed to improve your English skills in fun and interesting ways.

In addition, there are opportunities to interact with USF students in the Academic Interactions classes.

For more information, you could look at our class schedule, a list of our core courses or a list of our electives.