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Who can take Academic ESL classes?
- Any non-native English speaker who has been admitted to an undergraduate or graduate degree program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison may take ESL courses.
- Special or non-degree students may also enroll in courses when space is available.
Are ESL courses graded? How do they count toward completion of UNDERGRADUATE degrees?
ESL 114 through ESL 117 are for-credit courses and appear on students’ transcripts as college-level credit. They are taken for Credit/No Credit.
The courses may count differently for students depending on the degrees students are earning. In most cases, this credit can be used to meet general degree credit; that is, they count toward the minimum 120 credits required to graduate.
However, they will probably not count toward requirements for students’ majors. For example, in L&S, these credits can be used as part of the up to twelve “free electives” allowed in the BA or BS degree.
ESL 118 is our only graded (A-F) course. It satisfies QR-A (and is therefore contributing to completion of Gen Ed) and certifies English Language Proficiency.
Are ESL courses graded? How do they count toward completion of GRADUATE degrees?
The Graduate 300 level courses are graded Credit/ No credit. These courses count toward your credit load requirement as a grad student, but they do not count toward degree requirements. A grade of CR will not have any grade points associated with it to be calculated into the grade point average calculation. A grade of N will award no credit.
I’m admitted to a University undergraduate degree program, do I have to take a placement test?
All incoming undergraduate students are required to take an English Placement Test.
International students who are required to submit a TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test (DET) will take the online Madison English as a Second Language Assessment Test (MSN-ESLAT) unless English was the primary language of instruction in all four years of secondary school or a college level English composition course was successfully completed at an accredited US institution.
Other students will take the UW System English Placement test (UWEPT).
The ESL program does not oversee the decision process for English Placement test requirements. We only do the administering and rating of ESLAT.
For more information or have further questions about English Placement test requirements, please visit the Office of Admissions and Recruitment: https://admissions.wisc.edu/admitted-international-checklist/
If I’m admitted to a graduate degree University program, and have submitted my English Proficiency test, do I need to take an ESL course?
Any admitted student whose score is lower than the scores required by the Graduate School, they need to take the Online Madison English as a Second Language Assessment Test (the MSN-ESLAT).
Depending on your test result you may be required to register for an English as a Second Language (ESL) course in your first semester. Academic Programs may ask any admitted graduate applicant to take the English Placement test and ESL course after he/she arrives if English proficiency is in doubt.
For more information about the Graduate School Accepted English proficiency test requirements, please visit their website at https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/requirements/.
Who determines whether I should take the ESLAT?
Undergraduate students: The Office of Admissions and Recruitment determines who should take the ESLAT (not the Program in ESL).
You should have received information from the Office of Admissions and Recruitment regarding whether you should take the “UW English” placement test or the “UW-Madison ESLAT”. Information about which test(s) you need to take is also available in the “Placement Exam Report” tile of your Applicant Homepage.
- For Freshmen students: please direct any questions to the Office of Admissions at onwisconsin@admissions.wisc.edu , as they may be able to assist you with your question more appropriately.
- For Transfer students, please direct any questions to the Office of the Registrar’s Credit Evaluation Services. Here’s their website: https://registrar.wisc.edu/transfer-credit/
Graduate students: The Graduate School determines who should take the ESLAT (not the Program in ESL).
It does take some time after the English proficiency test score is reported to their office for the score to be processed. Please contact their office at admissions@grad.wisc.edu if you have further questions about the ESLAT test requirements or your English proficiency test score.
Which ESL course should I enroll in?
Undergraduate Students who are required to take the ESLAT test will be assigned to the most appropriate ESL 114 – 118 course(s) based on the test results. ESL 118 fulfils the Comm A communication requirement for undergraduate students. Students with strong writing skills may be exempted from ESL courses.
Graduate students who are required to take the ESLAT test should enroll in the recommended ESL course in their first semester based on the recommendation given. Successful completion of the recommended course will fulfill the ESL requirement for most students.
Graduate students who wish to work further on their language skills may also enroll in 300 level ESL courses without taking the MSN-ESLAT.