Information about the Academic English program:
Academic English is the main program offered at the ELI and it runs all year long, with four start dates. Students who are conditionally admitted to a degree program at Syracuse University enroll in Academic English.
Find out more about conditional admission at Syracuse
Students who want to succeed in an academic program in the United States benefit greatly from Academic English courses at the ELI. The ELI offers three courses: Textual Communication, Oral Communication, and Accuracy. Courses are offered in various proficiency levels, from beginning through advanced. Course components include reading comprehension, academic writing, grammar, listening comprehension, oral production, and vocabulary development. Students spend 20-25 hours per week in small classes with personalized attention from instructors and many opportunities for practice. In the fall and spring semesters, Academic English courses are supplemented with conversation and mentor groups for students to gain additional English practice. Descriptions of each course are below.
Academic English Courses
Oral Communication
This course allows students to practice academic listening and speaking skills with a focus on listening to academic lectures and preparing academic presentations. . An important aspect of this course is practicing skills and strategies to train students to compete successfully in a North American university by participating actively in class discussions and in group work and correctly interpreting academic content.
Textual Communication
This course places equal emphasis on academic reading and writing skills. The reading component focuses on reading to analyze texts, take notes, and then interpret, summarize, and paraphrase in order to and use the information to discuss those ideas in an academic forum. The writing component focuses on writing clear paragraphs and essays including information from primary and secondary sources (such as journals, books, and newspapers). These academic paragraphs and essays will use and combine a variety of rhetorical forms suitable to particular topics, audiences, and purposes.
Accuracy
This course will engage students in speaking, listening, reading and writing activities to allow practical, realistic opportunities to improve their grammatical accuracy, usage, editing skills, paraphrasing skills, and pronunciation. The expectation is that students will push themselves to take risks and to use the new grammar and structures that they are learning, not only in this class, but also in their Textual and Oral Communication classes.
Partner University Conditional Admission Agreements
Students who enroll at the ELI can receive conditional admission to the following universities:
Once students successfully complete Level 3, and meet all other conditions in the conditional admission offer letter, students will be able to begin his/her degree program at the partner university of their choice.
Academic English Proficiency Levels
Students attend class Monday through Friday. A typical day at the ELI looks like this:
| 8:30 am – 10:00 am EST/EDT | Textual Communication |
| 10:00 am – 10:15 am EST/EDT | Break |
| 10:15 am- 11:45 am EST/EDT | Oral Communication |
| 11:45 am – 1:00 pm EST/EDT | Break |
| 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm EST/EDT | Accuracy (No class on Fridays) |
*EST/EDT= Eastern Standard/Daylight Time
Summer 2024 Schedule
Summer Session I 2024
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Orientation: | Thursday, May 16 and Friday, May 17 |
| First Day of Classes: | Monday, May 20 |
| No Classes-
Memorial Day: Juneteenth: |
Monday, May 27 Wednesday, June 19 |
| Last Day of Classes: | Friday, June 28 |
Summer Session II 2024
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Orientation: | Thursday, June 27 & Friday, June 28 |
| First Day of Classes:
No Classes: |
Monday, July 1
Thursday, July 4 |
| Last Day of Classes: | Friday, August 9 |
Summer 2024 Course Fees
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tuition (Due before the first day of class.) One Summer Session | $4,110 Special 2024 Rate: $2,980 |
| Tuition (Due before the first day of class.) Both Summer Session | $8,220 Special 2024 Rate: $5,960 |
| Estimated Living Expenses (Both Sessions) | $8,500 |
| Incidentals (books, health insurance, etc.) | $1,800 |
Fall 2024 Schedule
Fall 2024
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Orientation: | Thursday, August 22 and Friday, August 23 |
| First Day of Classes: | Monday, August 26 |
| No Classes-
Labor Day: Thanksgiving Break: |
Monday, September 2 Sunday, November 24- Sunday, December 1 |
| Last Day of Classes: | Friday, December 13 |
Fall 2024 Course Fees
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tuition (Due before the first day of class.) | $8,220 Special 2024 Rate: $5,960 |
| Student Activity Fee | $70 |
| Estimated Living Expenses | $8,000 |
| Incidentals (books, health insurance, etc.) | $1,800 |
| Health and Wellness Fee | $425 |