English Proficiency Guidelines

English Proficiency Guidelines

Overview

Undergraduate international students are required to submit a TOEFL or IELTS score as a part of the application to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB).  Their English language proficiency may also be evaluated upon arrival.  Students who do not meet the minimum score for undergraduate academic work will enter the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program.

Graduate international students must submit a TOEFL or IELTS score as a part of their application.  Students whose scores do not meet the minimum requirements for admission to graduate academic work will be evaluated upon arrival.  Students who do not meet the minimum score for graduate academic work will enter the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program.

If the score is above the requirements for admission to the undergraduate or graduate programs (as described below), the student will be admitted to his/her academic program without further ESOL restrictions.

The ESOL program is designed to help students prepare for academic coursework at UMHB. Students who are placed in the ESOL program take only ESOL courses unless placement testing results indicate that they may be successful in combining ESOL courses with other courses.  Based on the results of the placement testing, the chair of the Modern Foreign Language Department or designee will determine the ESOL courses in which students are required to enroll

English Language Proficiency Standards for Admission to Graduate and Undergraduate Programs

The standards for undergraduate students to enter the academic program of his/her choice without any ESOL restrictions are below.

Graduate students must submit a TOEFL or IELTS score as a part of their application.  English language proficiency standards are different for admission to graduate programs due to the rigor of the academic work.  The standards for graduate students to enter the academic program of his/her choice without any ESOL restrictions are below.

If an international student has attended an English-speaking college or preparatory school prior to admission to UMHB, the ESOL requirements may be waived. Please contact the Chair of the MFL Department for information regarding waivers. 

Students Who Do Not Meet English Language Placement Standards for Admission to UMHB Undergraduate or Graduate Programs

Upon arrival, the student will be given a 3-part English placement test.  Parts 1 & 2 are the Listening and Reading Comprehension components. Part 3 is a writing sample administered and graded by UMHB faculty.  Students are scored on accuracy of grammar, coherence of writing, and skilled use of written English. Based upon the results of placement testing, students will be enrolled in the appropriate combination of ESOL and/or academic courses. 

The ESOL program offers several classes of 3 credit hours each:  Grammar, Reading, Writing, and Oral Communication.  In addition, there are basic, intermediate, and advanced levels of each class to meet student needs. ESOL tuition is 50% of the cost of undergraduate tuition.

In order to progress from the ESOL program to other classes, a student must meet ALL of the following exit requirements: 

1. Score at or above the designated cut-off on the English Proficiency exam.
2. Score at least 75% in all ESOL classes.
3. Pass an oral interview with a team of UMHB faculty members.

The interview team will evaluate the communication skills of the student and make the decision as to whether the student can be released to all regular classes or remain in a specified number of ESOL courses. Students must enroll in all ESOL courses recommended by this interview team.

After an ESOL student has completed these exit requirements, he/she will be released from the ESOL program.