Non-English Speaking Applicants

English Immersion Programme

If you are a non-English speaking applicant then please read this page very carefully.

ALU offers an immersive, 6-week long programme to ensure that beginning level non-native English speakers are able to succeed in the English-speaking environment of ALU and to fully prepare them to excel in their ALU courses. Students who enter the programme should be able to score at an A2 level (high beginner) on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Who is required to participate in the EI programme?

The English Immersion programme is a requirement for all students where:

  • The primary language spoken at home is not English
  • The primary language that school studies were completed in is not English
  • University level coursework delivered in English could not be successfully completed without supplemental English classes or lessons
  • Applicants determined to need additional English support based on performance in the English Proficiency assessment *

* Applicants determined to need additional English support may submit TOEFL or IELTS results proving proficiency

Undergrad Admissions

 

Application Requirements

The deadline for our English Immersion Programme has now passed and we will therefore no longer be taking applications in French and Portuguese.

French and Portuguese applications will open again during the next admissions cycle for 2019.

All applications for this admissions cycle going forward will only be accepted in English, and applicants must, therefore, be fully proficient in English.
If you are accepted to ALU, during the post-admission process you may be required to complete an English proficiency test.

Programme Structure

Our adaptive project-based curriculum offers students the opportunity to take ownership of their learning experience by targeting areas of growth where they need the most practice. Students spend the mornings in small classes with experienced English faculty, practicing grammar and vocabulary through interactive activities and assignments. In the afternoons, students work on individual and group projects, meet with faculty, and participate in extension activities to consolidate their learning. The programme offers individualized attention through one-on-one meetings and extensive feedback so that students can quickly improve their skills. Faculty and students work together to form a strong and supportive community where students feel safe and supported to take risks, challenge each other, and learn together.

Student Testimonials

“The English Immersion program represents your first step for an exceptional change in your life. You might feel like you have already mastered some skills that you are learning, but those will be highly valuable once you start your leadership core classes. This program will be fun, and you will enjoy most of your work thanks to wonderful facilitators who will always be around you. It will make more sense over time, and by the time it’s done, you will feel deeply nostalgic.”

“Once at ALC, I started the class with other students from Francophone countries. It was at this time that I discovered that my level in English was not as I expected. Why am I saying that? I am saying that because I couldn’t get anything from the teacher’s words. My God, I was so lost! I was sad most of the time because I was faced with many challenges such as speaking, listening, writing, and the fact that classes would start in February 2016. But today, the impossible has become possible, because I can speak English with native speakers for a long time. I can write, listen to my friends and teachers, and get what they are talking about.”

“I am from Madagascar where we speak only French and Malagasy. I remember the first day I came, I was obliged to use “my bad English” to communicate with people, especially with one of our housemates who spoke only Portuguese apart from his “bad English”. The English Immersion program was a life changing experience. I will never forget these amazing and fun moments when we studied late at night. All of my satisfaction goes down to the point when I realized that we grew together. Today, secretly inside my heart, I am amazed when I am talking, debating, joking, communicating, and convincing people of my complex opinions in English. I am so proud and very thankful to ALC for giving me this opportunity that I dreamed of for a long time. Also, I am flabbergasted by the learning model of ALC because I can pledge that we can be ready to study in English in just two months. All I can say is that if I could go back in time and relive these moments again during the first ALC English Immersion Program without changing anything, I would say “of course!” with no shadow of doubt.”

“The ALC English Immersion programme highly impacted my life. Before joining the program, I never thought that I would be at the level that I am now in less than 3 months. Learning in an environment that totally cares about me helped me improve more quickly than what English training centres in my country could offer to me. I now feel integrated in the English world and ready to socialize with anybody using English on this earth. The ALC Immersion program is the best I had ever seen in my life. It responds to all the learner needs via a model totally unique for the institution.

I recognise the beginning being harder. Connecting with my native speaker classmates was challenging for me. But the everyday help from faculty, my classmates, and personal learning allowed me have a level I now use in my entire life. The programme’s faculty were ready whenever needed, to answer to all my difficulties. Furthermore, every kind of assignment prepared me for every kind of activity that I could find throughout my academic years at ALC. I have not mastered English, but I have a basis that helps me connect with learning materials. I will never forget this program for how it positively impacted my English learning.”