English as a Second Language Program

PROGRAM OVERVIEW:
Comprehensive, Multilevel Program
Classes are offered in speaking/listening, reading/vocabulary development, writing/grammar skills, accent improvement and American culture, toward academic proficiency and social communication. Special emphasis is placed on professional preparation: business and professional writing, vocabulary expansion, and accent correction. Class levels range from beginner to advanced and graduate level. Small classes (8 to 15 people) enable students to advance rapidly.

Great Location
Seton Hall University, in South Orange, New Jersey, welcomes students to study on a quiet campus thirty minutes from Manhattan, and just five hours from Baltimore, Maryland; Washington, D.C.; and Boston Massachusetts.

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Learning Goes Beyond the Classroom
In addition to formal classroom activities, students take trips to New York city and nearby sites of interest, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, United Nations, Museum of Natural Hisotory, Statue of Liberty, Broadway Shows, Wall Street, and the New Jersey shore. Regular trips to Washington D.C., New England, and beyond. Hundreds of activities on and off campus are available through an array of college organizations.

Experienced Instructors with graduate degrees, and many years of teaching ESL and related fields at the university and adult level.

A Wide Range of Student Services
The Office of International Programs (O.I.P.) provides personal academic consultation and assistance to all international students and scholars affiliated with Seton Hall University. I-20 certificates are provided to assist in obtaining the F-1 student visa.

Computer Services
All ESL students are given an email account and have free access to several computer labs. On-campus housing is available for ESL and undergraduate students. Off-campus residences are available for graduate students. Access to recreation and sports facilities, campus activities, excursions, and community events.

Thanks for your interest in the ESL Program at Seton Hall University. We hope you'll take advantage of our many courses for improving your English, in order to enrich your communication skills and help you reach your personal, academic, and professional goals.

ADMISSION:
Testing and Placement International Students
The procedure for applying to our program is very simple. You can contact us directly or print out the application and send it or bring it whenever you like. Click here for an application (For the ESL Program only, print and complete pages 11-12 ; for the F-1 Student Visa, use pages 7 - 10; for undergraduate admission, use pages 1 - 6).

Only the last two pages are the application for the ESL Program. No particular visa is required to study with our program, and you may come with a tourist visa for the summer to study. In that case, just contact us, and we'll arrange a meeting when you arrive in New Jersey, to evaluate your English needs and register you for classes.

The application may also be obtained from, and submitted to, the Admissions Office in Enrollment Services, in Bayley Hall.

We have courses beginning in May, in June, and in July, then from September to December. For the summer, you can take a variety of courses to suit your needs and timetable. We often add new courses and sections, depending on interest, so check back often.

You can also augment your language development coursework with some free workshops and activities, and there is the opportunity to attend subject area-courses from the university. For more information on the various programs at Seton Hall, see the website at http://www.shu.edu

We look forward to hearing from you, to meeting you when you arrive, and to answering any further questions you may have.

Welcome, and best wishes for success!
William McCartan, Ed.D, Director
Adrian DeMuro, Assistant Director

Applying for the F-1 Student Visa
In case you plan to stay longer than a few months, and would like to apply for the F-1 student visa, then you need to fill out the "Request for Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20)" as well as the "Declaration and Certification of Finances" for your sponsor. (These are pages 7 and 9 in the application booklet.) The financial support of your sponsor (or yourself) should be documented by a notarized letter (or a statement) from a bank. The amount required is at least $7,500 along with a letter from your host verifying housing in New Jersey, or $15,000 without such letter. Those documents should be original, not copies.

If you are applying from overseas, then once you are accepted into the ESL Program at Seton Hall, the I-20 "Certificate of Eligibility" will be sent to you. You will take the I-20 and the finance documents, with the housing verification letter, to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your country. For more advice on immigration and visas, contact the Office of International Programs, Telephone (973)761-9072, FAX (973) 275-2383.

If you already have a student visa, you can transfer it to Seton Hall after your acceptance here. Your financial support documents are valid for one year. Before leaving the U.S. , be sure to have an I-20 prepared for your re-entry.

If you're already in this country, and wish to apply for the F-1 student visa, the I-20 can be submitted to the INS Center in the U.S. with the appropriate application for change of status.

The Office of International Programs provides a valuable service to Seton Hall's international population, not only issuing the appropriate documents for immigration, but also assisting them in everyday needs and orientation in this new country, and more, offering them support, encouragement, and company through campus clubs, activities, and organizations, one of which is the International Students Association.

For the F-1 student visa, attendance in 12 hours per week of classes is required. Of course, ESL courses qualify for official immigration documentation.

ESL Program Dates:
Please call (973) 761-9254 for program dates.

Tuition
$375 for each 42-hour course
$500 for each 56-hour course

Housing
If you prefer to stay in a room on campus, the cost (with a roommate) is around $750 per month. They ask for a deposit of $250 to reserve a room. You can also stay in a room off campus, for around $400 per month (single). The Housing and Residence Life Office has more info here, including a list of off-campus rooms.

Testing and Placement
The following students are expected to report for placement testing in the ESL Program:

All F-1 international undergraduate students from non-English-speaking countries, including transfer students, with a TOEFL score of less than 213 (550);
Freshmen who have been provisionally accepted (PE status);
Students who have been accepted only to the ESL Program;
Graduate students who have been provisionally accepted or advised by their programs to pursue language development.

This evaluation of students' English proficiency and needs consists of a 30-minute diagnostic essay, the CELT vocabulary test, a spoken interview, and the Degrees of Reading Power Test. After the tests, they are advised and registered by the ESL Office into their choice of skills areas, and appropriate levels, of courses.

Additional Points

TOEFL scores are recommended but not required for admission to the ESL Program;
Students who do not have a TOEFL score will be required to take the Seton Hall ESL Placement Test to determine eligibility.
Advanced-level ESLP students are permitted to enroll in academic classes three or more hours a week while completing the ESL Program.
Admission to the ESL Program does not guarantee admission to other programs at Seton Hall University, but students who successfully complete the ESL Program may be able to enter degree granting programs without taking the TOEFL.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Contact the ESL Program:

445 Jubilee Hall

Seton Hall University
400 South Orange Avenue
South Orange, New Jersey 07079
Tel.: (973) 761-9254
FAX: (973) 761-7642
Email: demuroad@shu.edu or mccartwi@shu.edu