English for Second Language Learners

About Our ESLL Programs

The ESLL Department at Foothill College offers both non-credit and for-credit courses with five levels of courses to meet the needs of our community.

Free Non-Credit Courses

Do you need practice in English to communicate better at home, at work, or in the community?

Our non-credit ESL courses (level 1–2) are free of charge with no registration fee and designed to help immigrant students develop their general ability to understand, speak, read and write English.

Academic For-Credit Courses

Do you need academic English for your career, or for a certificate or college degree?

Our for-credit ESL courses (level 3–5) require registration fees and are designed for students with academic goals who wish to complete a two-year degree or vocational certificate at Foothill College or to transfer to a four-year college or university.

Prerequisites

Non-credit level 1 and 2 courses do not have any prerequisites, but it is advisable to have knowledge of some basic English.
For-credit level 3: You may begin in level 3 with ESLL 226 and ESLL 227 without a placement test.
To begin in for-credit level 4 classes, students must pass ESLL 226 and ESLL 227 with a “C” or better, or place into the class with an appropriate assessment test score.
To begin in for-credit level 5 classes, students must pass ESLL 236 and ESLL 237 with a “C” or better, or place into the class with an appropriate assessment test score.

Our Students

I have been in the non-credit ESL classes since spring [2016]. My son encouraged me and helped me find Foothill online…I have been enjoying these classes so far. I will study hard and I hope someday I can get a degree.

–Yuwan, from Taiwan.

You'll meet other students from diverse backgrounds in our in our ESL classes. There is no dominant language group, so students will be in classes with others from a number of different countries.

You'll also have access to a range of student services.

Our Faculty

Our faculty members hold Master's Degrees in Teaching English as a Second Language and have had extensive teaching experience both in the United States and abroad. See our ESLL faculty directory to see a list of instructors and their biographies.