4. English as a Second Language Requirements (ESLR)
The language of instruction at Carleton University is English. In their own interest, students whose first language is not English must demonstrate that they can cope with the language demands of an English language university, and they can do so by following one of two options:
Option 1
In order to be eligible for admission to an undergraduate degree program at Carleton University without any English as a Second Language Requirement, all international applicants as well as Canadian citizens and residents whose first language is not English or French are required:
- to present official transcripts to indicate that they have studied for the last three years (full-time) in a high school, college or university in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom or any other country in which the primary language is English and where the language of instruction in the relevant educational institution was exclusively English, or
- to present an official minimum 70 band score on the Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Assessment, or
- to present an official minimum score of 86 overall on the Internet-based (iBT) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score in each component of: writing - 22, speaking - 22, reading - 20, listening - 20; or 237 on the computer-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); or 580 on the paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or
- to present an official minimum score of 6.5 overall on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Version, with a minimum score of 6.0 on each band, or
- to present an official minimum score of 85 with a minimum of 80 in each band on the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB), or
- to have completed ESLA 1900 or ESLA 1905 with a final grade of B- or higher.
Applicants whose first language is French must present transcripts to indicate that they have taken four years of anglais (English) in a Canadian secondary school in order to be admitted without an English as a Second Language Requirement.
Option 2
Applicants whose first language is not English who do not meet the requirements stated in Option 1 may be offered admission to an undergraduate degree program or as a Special Student, with an English as a Second Language Requirement (ESLR). These applicants are required to:
- present an official overall score between 30 and 69 on the Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Assessment (with no band below 30) ; an overall score of 30 must also have 40 in writing or 50 in reading or listening, or 50 in speaking and 40 in reading or listening, or
- present an official overall score between 61 and 85 (with a minimum score in each component of 15) on the Internet-based (iBT) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); or between 173 and 236 on the computer-based TOEFL; or between 500 and 579 on the paper-based TOEFL, or
- present an official overall score between 5.0 and 6.4 (with a minimum score in each band of 4.5 and a minimum average of 5.0 over writing, reading, and listening) on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
Applicants with language scores within the above ranges may be permitted to begin their studies by registering in credit ESLA courses(s) and a limited number of credit courses from their degree program until their ESLR is completed.
Students must be registered in and attending the required credit ESLA course(s) to be permitted to register in any other degree courses. Students who have not registered appropriately will be deregistered from all credit courses. This includes those students registered in credit courses without the required ESLA course registration and those registered in more non-ESL credits than their results indicate.
Students are expected to complete the ESLR within one calendar year of their initial enrolment in credit courses. In exceptional circumstances, permission to continue in a second fall/winter term registration in ESLA courses may be granted by the University's School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (SLALS).
Registration will be denied to students who have not satisfied the ESLR if they do not show continuous registration, attendance or progress in their required ESLA courses (as determined by SLALS).
Students who do not achieve the minimum final grade required to advance to the next level of an ESLA course after three attempts will not be permitted to register in any credit courses for one calendar year. Such students must take a SLALS-approved English language proficiency test before returning to their studies and must register according to their new placement.
Students considering a break in study of three terms or longer should contact SLALS to discuss their ESLR standing. After a break in studies, students may be required to re-take a SLALS-approved English language proficiency test before returning to their studies and register according to their new placement.
To satisfy the ESLR, students must earn a grade of B- or higher in either Advanced English as a Second Language for Academic Purposes (ESLA 1900) or in Advanced English as a Second Language for Engineering Students (ESLA 1905). Students are able to satisfy this requirement at any time during the year by achieving the minimum result required on one of Carleton University's approved English as a Second Language assessments. Refer to Option 1 for details on acceptable English language tests.
For further information regarding the English as a Second Language Requirement and admission, contact Admissions Services. For information on English as a Second Language credit courses and placement, contact the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (SLALS).
