Application Fee

$150 (non-refundable; applied towards tuition upon acceptance)

Dates & Tuition

• Click here: https://elc.msu.edu/dates-tuition/  

Terms and Conditions of Payment

• All tuition and housing fees (if housing is requested) are required by the Friday before the first week of classes.
• The fees are considered paid after they have been received by the ELC.

Testing

• Students must take a placement test on the Friday before the official start of the course.

Partial Semester

Interested in joining a class for part of a semester session? 

• Contact us at elc@msu.edu for more  information.

Housing is available. Go to Housing – Rates for more information.

https://liveon.msu.edu/rates

Fees

• Please view the information on the application below for the most up-to-date fees.

Health insurance is required for all students. For more information, visit MSU Student Health Insurance Plan.

Early-Arrival & Late-Stay Students

• If you plan to arrive in the U.S. before your insurance coverage begins or to stay in the U.S. after your insurance coverage ends, the ELC recommends that you purchase health insurance for those dates.

Terms and Conditions of Payment

• All tuition and housing fees (if housing is requested) are required by the Friday before the first week of classes.
• The fees are considered paid after they have been received by the ELC.

No-Show or Withdrawal from the Language Course

• Should the course participant fail to show up for the language course once it has begun or withdraw from the course, he/she shall not be entitled to claim any reimbursement of payments already effected.
• If you cannot arrive by the first day of classes, we encourage you to defer admission to the next semester. Contact elc@msu.edu for first day of class information. 

Refunds

• If you plan to leave your program of study early, you must meet with the ELC Student Advisor before your departure. Failure to do so may result in future enrollment or immigration problems.
• The English Language Center follows the University calendar for issuing refunds. Click on the appropriate semester of the University academic calendar. All refunds are made directly to the student.

Deferred Enrollment

• Any submitted application can only be deferred for one semester (4 months). 
• After one semester, a new application, a new application fee and a new financial statement must be submitted.

Passport and Visa Requirements

• Prospective students must have a passport. 
• Please include a photocopy of your passport information page with your application. 
• To obtain a student visa for enrollment at the English Language Center, students should follow the instructions provided by the ELC with the Certificate of Eligibility (I-20) and become familiar with the visa application procedures as outlined on the United States embassy or consular office website in your country of origin (see the U.S. Embassy website).  

Minimum Proficiency Requirement

• Because the English Language Center does not currently offer language training classes at the beginner level, please take this test to determine if your level is suitable for enrollment in a low-intermediate or higher level course.

Students Seeking Government Sponsorship

• If the Financial Guarantee letter from the sponsor is not submitted with a sponsored student application, the student applicant must pay the tuition and fees according to ELC Intensive English Program application procedures. 
• For details, see the ELC’s Intensive English Government Sponsored application information. 

Part-Time (F2) Studies

• Students interested in part-time coursework (less than 20 class hours/week or 5 classes) must contact an ELC student advisor. Visit our advising page to schedule an appointment. 
• Important points about part-time study: 
  
  • Part-time students are not eligible for an ELC sponsored I-20/student visa. 
  • Part-time students cannot advance from one level to the next.

Future Admission to Michigan State University

• While the English Language Center is located on the campus of Michigan State University, admission to the ELC is not related to admission to Michigan State University in any way. Admission to the ELC does not indicate or imply any future admission to Michigan State University

IEP Levels and  Instructional Hours

Historically, the ELC Intensive English Program (IEP) has offered five levels of non-credit English Language courses. Each level lasts one semester, following the MSU academic calendar (Fall, Spring, & Summer semesters). However, currently, we offer the following levels.

ESL 093 – intermediate
ESL 094 – high intermediate

Students receive the equivalent of a minimum of 20 hours of instruction per week. 

Please note that the MSU English Language Center does not offer beginner classes.
We often are unable to offer low-intermediate level classes, as well.

Regardless of your pre-screening test result, if you know that you are a beginner or feel that you do not yet have an intermediate level command of English language, it is advised that you do not proceed with your application. Your application fee is non-refundable.

If you arrive at MSU and place into a beginner or low-intermediate level which we cannot accommodate, your choices are (1) to arrange, on your own, for a transfer to another school or (2) to return to your home country.

Description of IEP Courses

Courses in the Intensive English Program are designed to offer level-appropriate skills development, grammar instruction and practice, and vocabulary-learning experiences for students aspiring to improve their academic English. Students are placed into levels consonant with their performance on the MSUELT placement test and are promoted through the program in accordance with a combination of class performance and test results. For more details, see the complete sets of objectives, learning outcomes, and suggested methods of assessment that follow the overall descriptions.

The IEP Curriculum is reviewed on a regular basis by the ELC Curriculum Committee.

Currently Offered In Person

ESL 093 – Level 3

Courses at this level are for intermediate students. The emphasis continues to be on developing skills for success at a U.S. college or university, and students work in their skills courses with academic topics that are abstract, timely, and complex. Materials allow for speculation and prediction. Course focuses include:

Reading

• Comprehension of both explicitly stated and implied factual information
• Applying critical thinking skills to what one reads
• Improving fluency so as to deal with a larger volume of required reading
• Solidifying vocabulary for a basic form-meaning facility with the 570 headwords from the Academic Word List.
• Observing basic collocational and usage restrictions on learned vocabulary

Writing

• Transitioning from paragraph-level to essay-level production
• Continuing to observe an effective writing process
• Using peer/instructor feedback to improve pieces of writing from draft to draft
• Writing paragraphs and essays that display unity, focus, and cohesion

Listening

• Continued practice in listening during social encounters
• Improvement in understanding longer lectures and presentations
• Dealing with structural expectations in digital sessions (e.g. Zoom, recorded PPT, etc.)
• Recognition of main ideas and supporting details in longer passages
• Note-taking skills in academic listening situations
• Evaluating listening passages by using critical thinking skills

Speaking

• Precisely expressing thoughts, opinions, and reactions to listening and reading inputs
• Refining stress and intonation on the phrasal, sentence, and multi-sentence levels
• Developing longer-form presentations, especially for digital sessions
• Structuring and pacing presentations to meet expectations of an academic audience

Grammar instruction is provided contextually as part of every skills class. Some grammar topics emphasized at this level are a continuation of tense and aspect, modals, conditionals, gerunds and infinitives, adverbials, and complex sentence structures.

ESL 094 – Level 4

Courses at this level are for upper-intermediate students and are meant to bring a student’s proficiency close to the level required for taking mainstream courses in a U.S. university. Sophistication of language—both receptive and productive—is a characteristic of materials used at this level.

Reading

• Dealing with longer passages (up to about 1200 words) about academically significant topics
• Developing efficient reading habits to deal with greater volume than at any lower level.
• Improving fluency as a basic skill for handling such volume
• Expanding vocabulary toward a 3K level, with much of it derived from incidental exposure and uncontrolled by any frequency list.
• Strengthening skills in making inferences
• Strengthening critical-thinking skills

Writing

• Composing essays in various genres, as appropriate to meet the requirements of a prompt
• Structuring a piece so as to meet the expectations of academic audiences
• Applying cohesive devices to interrelate ideas within a written piece
• Establishing unity, cohesion, and flow among paragraphs
• Summarizing and paraphrasing

Listening

• Working with longer and more complex reports, lectures, instructions, etc.,
• Dealing with features—like hedging, backtracking, pauses, and digressions—that make natural academic speech difficult to comprehend
• Improving the recognition of thought groups
• Strengthening effective note-taking and using notes effectively after listening

Speaking

• Expressing doubts, hedging, and supporting an argument
• Using all one’s language skills in group work
• Making formal reports and presentations to larger audience in digital and face-to-face settings

Grammar instruction is provided contextually as part of every skills class. Some grammar topics emphasized at this level are complex sentences, cohesive devices, structures of reported speech, and patterns that combine various verb tenses/aspects.

Who can enroll in Intensive English courses?

Individuals who are not seeking a degree at MSU, but who want to improve their English skills, can enroll. They will join already enrolled, degree-seeking international MSU students who need to improve their English language skills before beginning academic coursework. Please note that the MSU English Language Center does not offer beginner classes. We often are unable to offer low-intermediate level classes, as well. Regardless of your pre-screening test result, if you know that you are a beginner or feel that you do not yet have an intermediate level command of English language, it is advised that you do not proceed with your application. Your application fee is non-refundable. If you arrive at MSU and place into a beginner or low-intermediate level which we cannot accommodate, your choices are (1) to arrange, on your own, for a transfer to another school or (2) to return to your home country.

Can I study in Intensive English classes part-time?

• Students interested in part-time coursework (less than 20 class hours/week or 5 classes) must contact an ELC student advisor. Visit our advising page to schedule an appointment. 
• Important points about part-time study: 
  
  • Part-time students are not eligible for an ELC sponsored I-20/student visa. 
  • Part-time students cannot advance from one level to the next.

Most courses follow the MSU Academic Calendar. If you are looking to start at a different time of the year, please contact us at elc@msu.edu. If you cannot arrive by the first day of classes, we encourage you to defer admission to the next semester. Contact elc@msu.edu for first day of class information.

How long do I have to wait to receive my I-20?

You may need to may wait a minimum of 2 weeks from the date we receive the application. Please note there are very strict deadlines for requesting an I-20. Please go to https://elc.msu.edu/dates-tuition/

I am 17 (16) years old; Can I still apply to the ELC?

High school graduates are eligible to apply for admission to the ELC. If you have not yet graduated from high school but are interested in studying at the ELC, please consult with an ELC Advisor.

Do you offer scholarships?

Students in the ELC are eligible for these scholarships.

How much do books and other class materials cost?

The cost for books and class materials varies and the university estimates most students pay $500 to $1,200 a year for books and supplies.

Can I live off-campus?

Yes, you are welcome to live off campus and there are many choices around the Greater Lansing area.

How many times can I take the screening test?

You are encouraged to take the screening test one time per application cycle (every 4 months). Multiple screening test attempts will be questioned, and we will contact you to discuss your results as we process your application.

Why do I have to take a screening test?

Before applying to the MSU English Language Center, you must take a screening test to help us determine whether your current English language proficiency level is sufficient for enrollment and successful completion of our currently offered language program.

More Questions?

Contact us at elc@cal.msu.edu or by filling out the form below. 

Applications are due 4 weeks before the start date of each semester. To apply, you must complete all six (6) steps:

1. Complete, sign, and submit your Application Form
2. Complete, sign, and submit your separate Financial Information Form
3. Scan a copy of the information page of your passport (which must include name and date of birth) and submit it.
4. Take the  Online ELC Screening Test here. This pretest takes 15 minutes and it assesses basic grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. There are no listening, speaking, or writing questions.
5. Submit the non-refundable application fee of $150. Payment of balance will be due upon arrival for classes. If you plan to study for less than four weeks, please send full amount of tuition costs and housing costs. If paying by check, make the check out to Michigan State University.
   1. Please review updated information on I-20 Issuance here.

Fees are non-refundable

Additional Documentation Required for Government Sponsored:

• A completed and signed, separate financial guarantee letter from your sponsor in English 
• A photocopy of your current passport visa page
• A photocopy of your current I-20 (if you have one already)

Note that when you apply for government sponsorship it can be applied for the current semester only. That is, if government sponsorship is received during any given semester, the ELC will cooperate fully in making sure the student receives the applicable refund and will bill the sponsor for tuition accordingly. If the government sponsorship is obtained by the student on or after the first Saturday following Finals Week (at the end of the semester), the ELC will not be able to initiate a refund for the completed semester.

~Additional Information about the ELC Pre-Test.

• (Note that we are not currently able to offer a beginner course level at the ELC)
  • A score of 9, 10, or 11 may be eligible for the lowest level English language course offered by the ELC. However, we cannot guarantee that, with standard effort and attendance, you can be successful at this level. Students who are not able to pass all classes in a level are required to repeat the same level in a subsequent semester. Please be mindful of this information in continuing to pursue admission to the ELC.
  • A score of 8 or below means we do not have a class to accommodate your current level of English language proficiency. We recommend that you continue to study English at another institution and welcome you to look into our program again in the future