Program

Levels

We offer five levels in our Intensive English Program:

Level 1—Beginner

English for Academic Purposes

  • Improve your writing by learning basic sentence and paragraph structure.
  • Improve reading and listening skills as you read and listen to academic and non-academic materials.

Foundations of English

  • Study English grammar tenses, parts of speech, and sentence structures.

Level 2—Low-Intermediate

English for Academic Purposes

  • Improve your writing at the paragraph level. Begin learning the basics of academic essay structure.
  • Read simplified academic texts. Outside of class time, you'll read a short English-language novel.
  • Improve your listening skills with short academic lectures.

Foundations of English

  • Understand and produce simple English grammar structures, parts of speech, and sentence structures

Level 3—Intermediate

English for Academic Purposes

  • Focus on the writing process as you write short academic essays.
  • Read level-appropriate articles on academic topics and an English-language novel.
  • Improve listening skills to aid academic lecture note taking and comprehension.

Foundations of English

  • Understand complex grammar structures, sentence structures, and revision techniques.

Level 4—High-Intermediate

English for Academic Purposes

  • Refine your academic writing abilities. Write essays and other academic writings.
  • Read academic articles and an English-language novel.
  • Develop academic listening practices.

Foundations of English

  • Use grammar and sentence structures to add variety to your writing.
  • Improve your revision and self-study techniques.

Level 5—Advanced

English for Academic Purposes

  • Learn to research and write papers.
  • Read English literature and analyze research materials.
  • Build listening skills essential for success in university-level coursework.

Foundations of English

  • Learn and use advanced grammar and sentence structures.
  • Learn self-revision techniques to improve quality.

See a sample schedule.

Outcomes

As you move through the program, you'll build on skills, beginning with language efficiency. You will develop competence. You will use correct and appropriate English in academic and social settings. 

Certificate of completion

Successful completion of the coursework earns you a Certificate of Completion, issued from the ALCI at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.   

Requirements

If you are interested in applying, you must:

  • be at least 17 years old
  • be able to speak, read and write English well enough to benefit from a class taught entirely in English
  • submit a minimum TOEFL score of 46 (IBT), 133 (CBT), 453 (PBT), or 5.5 IELTS. 

Curriculum

We offer 5 levels in our Intensive English program, from beginner to advanced. See sample courses.

Class sessions per week

3 classes per week, for a minimum of 20 hours. See sample schedule. 

Schedule

Classes are typiclally held five days per week. See sample schedule.

Academic Calendar

ALCI students follow the UMassD academic calendar.

Other information

Insurance

The U.S. Department of State requires insurance for J-1 exchange visitors. See insurance requirements.

Tuition & Fees

Tuition for one semester of ALCI courses is $6,128. Additional fees include:

  • Housing (on campus or off-campus)
  • Meals (UMass Dartmouth meal plans are available)
  • Cultural excursions 
  • International student fee ($260 per semester)
  • International orientation fee ($260 one-time charge)
  • Health insurance ($2,086 per academic year, waived with proof of insurance)
  • Books (approximately $250 per semester based on 3 courses per semester)

Housing

We recommend that ALCI students live on campus. 

ALCI students are not required to live on campus. However, it is critical for you to make some type of housing arrangements before arriving on campus.  

Getting to UMass Dartmouth

Directions to UMass Dartmouth

UMass Dartmouth is easily accessible from Boston, MA and points north, and Providence, RI and points west. Directions to UMassD

Airport transportation

There are several ways to get to UMass Dartmouth from the surrounding airports.