Welcome to the UCLA Summer ESL Program! We offer a range of English courses that are designed to help students meet their English language needs in small, intimate classrooms that facilitate the language and cultural learning experience.

Non-credit

Residential

Commuter

Accepts International Students

The UCLA Summer ESL Program offers a range of courses designed to meet the demands of our international student population. Our program understands that small classes and close relations between instructors and students is the key to success, which is why we keep our courses small and intimate. Each course is also designed to provide students with cutting edge knowledge and materials, in order to keep the learning experience fresh, fun, engaging, and challenging.

ESL 20: Conversation and Fluency
Students who take this course are interested in enhancing their ability to hear and speak in English language interactions. They want to better understand how Americans communicate on a day-to-day basis, and they want to learn to apply this knowledge to their own interactions. For these students, conversational communication, norms, and practices are key.
ESL 21: Pronunciation
Students who take this course are interested in fine-tuning their speaking skills, specifically focusing on their pronunciation of sounds and on how they use and understand larger features of the spoken language, such as rhythm, stress, intonation, and reduction of sounds. For these students, the way in which we articulate the language, in other words mastery of sound-based features, is key.
ESL 22: Public Speaking
Students who take this course are interested in developing their oral skills in public settings, such as in classroom discussions and during presentations. They want to work on organization, clarity, language structures, vocabulary development, with the specific goals of carrying out meaningful public speaking interactions. For these students, the key skills that they wish to master involve leading meaningful public discussions and conducting exciting and unique academic presentations.
ESL 23: American Culture through Film
Students who take this course desire to know more about the culture of the United States and how that culture interacts with language. They want to learn idiomatic expressions and how to apply them in conversation. They also want to better understand why Americans are the way they are, why they believe the things that they believe, how their language reflects their cultural mindset, and how all of this information compares to one’s own culture. For these students, it is the connection between cultural practices and the language we use that is of interest.
ESL 24: Preparation for American University
Designed for international students planning to study at an American university. Students research suitable undergraduate or graduate programs, interview advisors at local universities, and learn to write an effective personal statement. Additional focus on academic reading, vocabulary and speaking skills.
ESL 25: Academic Reading and Writing
Students who take this course want to focus on increasing their reading comprehension and on improving their academic writing skills. They want to read engaging pieces that challenge their own unique thoughts and perspectives, and they draw upon this reflexive process to build new arguments that they develop over short essays. For these students, critical thinking skills and argumentative expression are central.
ESL 26: Business Communication: Speaking
Students who take this course want to polish their oral professional skills in meaningful and impactful ways. They are interested in learning more about everyday business interactions, conceptualizing and leading meetings, pitching new information through presentations, and addressing business-related interactional scenarios. For these students, learning how to successfully conduct spoken business interactions is of the highest importance.
ESL 27: Business Communication: Writing
Students who take this course are interested in surveying language structures as they emerge through contemporary cultural and societal topics. Topics may include gender, sexuality, politics, humor, intercultural communication, media, environmental issues, local/regional identity, etc. This class focuses on developing students’ oral and written ability to use language within authentic contexts through meaningful discussions and assignments.

UCLA’s Summer ESL Program offers two consecutive, yet independent summer session terms to meet your English language needs. UCLA refers to these consecutive summer terms as Summer Session A and Summer Session C. Our 6-week ESL sessions are designed for international students who wish to pursue English language studies abroad, though matriculated UCLA students are also encouraged to enroll as needed.

The university requires that all international summer students enroll in a minimum of 8 units.
Each of our summer ESL courses consist of 4 units, which means that if a student wishes to study only ESL at UCLA, that student must enroll in a minimum of 2 courses offered by the Summer ESL Program.
Students who choose to enroll in a mixture of both ESL and non-ESL courses will need to consult other programs to ensure that they have a combined 8 unit course load.
Please also note that UCLA requires additional proficiency verification before students are allowed to enroll in non-ESL courses.

Session A6

Jun 26 - Aug 04

6 weeks

Commuter

2870 USD

Session C6

Aug 07 - Sep 15

6 weeks

Commuter

2870 USD

Fees, Payment

Unit Fees - $1440
Registration Fee - $350.00
Document Fee - $50.00
IEI Fee - $61.00
Service Fee - $500.00
Health Insurance - $410.00
iStart - $59.00

Please note that the fee calculator is intended solely to help you plan your summer and only provides an estimate of your course or program fees, excluding other costs you may have such as housing cost, living expenses, textbooks, Course Materials fees, or miscellaneous fees that may apply.

Financial Aid

UCLA financial aid is not available to visiting out-of-state high school students.
UCLA is unable to offer financial aid to visiting international students. However, funding options may be available to you from private or governmental agencies in your home country.