"I do have a lot of wonderful memories of CWU, where my American life all started. The quality of the ESL program was (I am very sure it is now also)very high and I consider myself very fortunate to learn English in a such a nice environment, with excellent teachers and classmates. If anybody asked me where to learn English, I would definitely recommend CWU."
Nobuko, Japan

Levels

Our program has five levels. Most students enter our program at Level 2 or higher. Sometimes Level 1 has  a very small number of students . In that case, we may make a special schedule  for Level 1 students.  Level 5 is our highest level.
You will have opportunities to develop your reading, writing, speaking, listening, and grammar skills in each course and at each level. Teachers often take students on field trips or create out-of-the class opportunities and assignments.

Types

There are four kinds of classes. For Levels 1-4, we have an Oral Communication class that teaches listening and speaking skills, a Block class which focuses on reading, writing and grammar skills, and an elective class. The elective classes  may include  TOEFL Preparation, TOEIC Preparation, English  through Movies or TV, Film-making, Vocabulary/idioms, Speaking Workshop, Business Communication, and Living in the USA.

For Level Five, we offer the visitation class in place of oral communication. In this class you attend an undergraduate CWU class as a visitor and you meet once a week with one of the UESL Program's teachers to discuss what you are learning. This helps you prepare for entering an undergraduate program at an American university.

Examples of Class Schedules students take:

• Level 2 Oral Communication 2, Block 2, and Living in the USA , Speaking Workshop
• Level 3 Oral Communication 3, Block 3, and an elective class
• Level 4 Oral Communication 4, Block 4, and an elective class
• Level 5 Block 5, an elective class, and a visitation class

Follow this link to see samples of student work from different classes in UESL Program.

Test

You will take a test after you arrive at CWU. This test helps us decide what level in our program is best for you. If necessary, you can be placed in different levels for your Oral Communication class and your Block class.

Classes

You can choose. Click here to see descriptions of elective classes we have offered in the past two years.

Student Writing

You can view some samples of our Student Writing here:

Advice to New Students by Jason, Taiwan

Advice for New UESL Students by Emika Takida, Japan

Advice for New ESL Students by Andy, China

Advice to Students with Families by Sahar Al-Shehri, Saudi Arabia

A Letter for a New Student by Sean, Taiwan

Do You Want to Study Abroad? by Norah Alzahrani, Saudi Arabia

Ellensburg is safe and peaceful by Natalie, China

Essay about Ellensburg by Bader Alanazi, Saudi Arabia

Everyone Can Succeed if We Study in the CWU ESL Program by Jungyung Jang, Korea

How You Can Find a Good ESL Program by Ahmed Alzahrani, Saudi Arabia

Imagine by Huijin, Korea

Jin's Essay by Mijin, Korea

Max's Essay by Max, Taiwan

Reasons to study in Ellensburg by Rick, Taiwan

Reasons to study English in Ellensburg by Hochul, Korea

Reasons to study English in Ellensburg by Kasumi, Japan

Reasons to Study English in Ellensburg by Miku Okubo, Japan

The Best Advantage by Hassan Bujayli, Saudi Arabia

To study in Ellensburg by Hsia-Chih, Taiwan

Why People Study English in Ellensburg by Rian Takamoto, Japan

Why Should People Study English in Ellensburg? by Asako Tanaka, Japan