English As a Second Language (ESL)

“One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.” – Frank Smith, psycholinguist

The goal of the ESL Program at Pillar College is to help non-English speakers improve their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

Upon successful completion of the program, students are expected to be adequately prepared for English-only college courses and pursue their bachelor’s degrees at Pillar College or any other four-year college in the United States.

ESL BLEND and ESL TRAD, correlated to the Common European Framework (CEFR), merge the best features of well-known communicative methodologies while offering a balance of all four language skills, vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar to help students learn to communicate with confidence.

All new students are required take the ESL Placement Test in order to be placed into the appropriate level. Students who score 78 and above are exempted from the ESL Program. Other exemptions include TOEFL iBT (78 or higher) or IELTS (6.0 or higher).

Official TOEFL / IELTS score reports must be submitted prior to the beginning of a semester.

At the end of the ESL Program, students must take the ESL Exit Test that determines whether they may transition to our traditional program and begin to take English-only courses. Students are also encouraged to take TOEFL or IELTS if they plan on transferring to another institution.

ESL BLEND

Design for:

• native Spanish-speaking students who are enrolled in Programa Blend
• non- English speakers who wish to take only ESL classes

Courses:

• ESL Level 1 (ESL 010)
• ESL Level 2 (ESL 020)
• ESL Level 3 (ESL 030)
• ESL Level 4 (ESL 040)
• ESL Level 5 (ESL 050)

Program Length:  15 weeks per level/ 4.5 hours per week
Semester: Fall/ Spring

Credits per course: 0

 

ESL TRADITIONAL

Design for:

• F-1 undergraduate students at Pillar College (must already possess an intermediate level of English proficiency)
• non- Spanish speaking who are enrolled in Programa BLEND (must be placed level 4 or 5)

Courses:

• English Integrated Skills Level 4 (EIS 040)
• Individualized Learning Lab Level 4 (ILC 040)
• English Integrated Skills Level 5 (EIS 050)
• Individualized Learning Lab Level 5 (ILC 050)
• ESL Level 5 (ESL 050)

Program Length:  15 weeks per level/ 6.5 hours per week
Semester: Fall/ Spring

Credits per course: 0

 

Financial Policies and Procedures

Pillar College is committed to providing an excellent cost-effective education for its students. Tuition and fee rates, payable each semester, are set annually according to economic conditions within the college and industry standards.

$19,800	Annual Full Time Student Tuition (Domestic)
$22,500	Annual Full Time Student Tuition (International)
$9,900 $11,250	Block Rate (12-17 credits per semester) *Block rate is not available to LEAD, Online and Independent-study courses; International student tuition up to 15 credits maximum
$825	Per credit rate (11 or less; 18 or more credits per semester); all Online and Independent Study Courses are charged at per credit rate
$150	Audit rate per credit
$500 $250 $275	Dual Enrollment (DEED) program per course (not per credit), taken at Pillar College Dual Enrollment (DEED) program per course (not per credit), taken at local high school Developmental Courses (ESL and courses below 100 level) per credit

Note: For International Students Tuition Rates please see the International Student Admissions page.

Note: For the LEAD program, tuition is determined at the cohort start date and remains the same for the duration of that program. Courses taken outside of the LEAD program are charged at then current tuition rates.  Enrollment in a LEAD term financially obligates the student for the entire four class semester. General Semester Fees.  All Fees are non-refundable.