ESL Support

The ESL Support Program is a program designed for students who have a solid foundation in the English language but who require some additional training in specific areas of academic English in order to make the transition into full-time academic study.

This ESL Support Program combines advanced English-for-academic-purposes courses with academic courses that students take for credit towards their degree programs at UNB Saint John.

The ESL Support Program is designed for:

  • International students who have been conditionally admitted to an undergraduate program at UNB and who have an IELTS (or equivalent) score of 6.0;
  • Academic students for whom English is a second or additional language and who are having some difficulties in their academic work due to language challenges.

Course requirements

Students who are required to take the ESL Support Program as a condition of their undergraduate acceptance to UNB will take 3 advanced ESL courses:

  • ESL 1301: Academic Listening and Note-taking (6 hrs per week)
  • ESL 1302: Academic Reading and Vocabulary (6 hrs per week)
  • ESL 1303: Academic Writing and Research (6 hrs per week)

Students will also be permitted to take one additional credit academic course, typically UNIV 1003: Everything I Need to Know in First Year. This course is a credit course taught by a UNB professor and will transfer to most degree programs at UNB Saint John.

Students already in academic studies at UNB who wish to enroll in one or more of the ESL Support courses in order to upgrade their English language skills for improved academic success can take these courses at the same time as their academic courses at no additional cost and with no impact on their academic GPA.

Start dates

The ESL Support Program is offered three times per year. Semesters begin in September, January and May.

Program fees

ESL Support Program students are considered full-time academic students at UNB Saint John and as a result, pay the same program fees as international academic students.

Accommodations and student services

Residence accommodation is available to international students who study at Saint John College.

How to apply

To join the ESL Support Program, students must have an acceptance to an undergraduate degree program at UNB Saint John. Apply now.