ELP Foundations: English Language Programs

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ELP Foundations

What students have to say about ELP Foundations:

"It is really a pleasure to attend this course before officially starting my Ph.D. study. For me, this course serves as a bridge between my school life in my home country and in the US, because it keeps pushing me to think, read and understand things in an American way when I am still physically at home...many of the course assignments were very well-designed and caring...I also have some friends and classmates who are also moving to North America for higher education, but not many of them have the chance to be exposed to such courses and gain information in this way."
ELP Foundations student, 2023

"To be honest, it exceeded my expectations. I learned new things that will be useful throughout my program, and I also had the opportunity to meet amazing people, including my roommate, and I can't wait to see everyone in person in September."
ELP Foundations student, 2022

"It was one of the best experience in my life. Extremely enjoyable and helpful. Thank you so much for making us feel welcomed!"
ELP Foundations student, 2021

"I really value that Northwestern University funds programs like ELP Foundations. The insight they provided before coming into the US was very helpful and gave me a lot of confidence on my own abilities."
ELP Foundations student, 2020

"The ELP Foundations served as the best program ever to connect students from different backgrounds, strengthen our English skills, and prepare ourselves to be ready to face American culture. And it is free to participate!"
ELP Foundations student, 2019

ELP Foundations is a hybrid orientation course for pre-matriculating international PhD and MFA students. This special non-degree program pairs a five-week online summer orientation course with in-person experiences in Evanston and Chicago in the Fall Quarter and beyond. 2024 marks the 25th year that Northwestern has offered specialized orientation programming for new international PhD students through this program and its predecessor, the International Summer Institute.

The noncredit summer course, TGS 509: Foundations of American English and Academic Culture, provides academic, emotional, and practical support to new students as they prepare for long term study abroad at Northwestern. Students build friendships as they explore topics related to graduate study in the US, including working with advisers and mentors, teaching, academic integrity, settling into the Evanston/Chicago area, and the cultural and emotional impact of living in the US. Our faculty will also identify individual communication strengths and areas for improvement for students of all levels of spoken English proficiency. Students who need additional linguistic support have the option to videoconference with our full-time staff, or use ELSA™ speech software to access thousands of online lessons on fluency, grammar, and vocabulary with AI-powered feedback. For more information, see our ELP Foundations Curriculum page.

The program is highly interactive. ELP Foundations students begin to build their new support network over the summer through online discussion with current international and domestic student leaders (Online Peer Mentors). Students also interact with ELP faculty who provide feedback and guidance throughout the course. Students who complete the online course will be able to meet their cohort in person, attending social events and exploring Evanston and Chicago together with English Language Programs staff and current students who will serve as Event Guides.

Tuition for ELP Foundations is completely covered by The Graduate School: there are no fees for either students or their departments. Students who complete the course with a grade of 80% or higher also receive a small stipend award. Students are selected for ELP Foundations through nomination by their admitting department and the admissions process for ELP Foundations 2024 is now open. See our ELP Foundations Nomination Process and Eligibility page for deadlines and more details. Departments, download our 2024 nomination guidelines to learn more about how to nominate your PhD and MFA students to the program.

Are you a prospective student with an offer of admission to ELP Foundations? Download our ELP Foundations Factbook to learn more about our program (you will need the password that was sent to you in your acceptance email from English Language Programs to open it).

Admitted to a PhD or MFA program for Fall 2024 but haven't been nominated to our program yet? Contact the admissions officer in your admitting department, or contact us at elp@northwestern.edu for assistance.