English as a Second Language (ESL)

A strong command of English can help you thrive in business, academics, and everyday life. UNLV Continuing Education's English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are tailored to fit your skill level and will help you progress from non-speaker to full fluency.

You will learn from qualified, professional instructors at a respected American university. You will study alongside peers who are determined, eager, and focused on learning academic English skills--primarily grammar, vocabulary, reading, listening, pronunciation, speaking, conversation, and writing. 

The three ESL levels will help you improve and develop your English skills while learning about American culture and traditions. Moreover, you will finish confident in your ability to communicate and engage with different kinds of people from around the world. 

Courses are assessed in a pass/fail format.

How do I know which is the appropriate level for me?

You will need to take the courses in order (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced) or take the Duolingo English Test to qualify to enroll into Intermediate or Advanced. We recommend you have a score of 60-115 to enroll in Intermediate and a score of 120-160 to enroll in Advanced. If you score 55 or below, we recommend you enroll in the Beginning class.

The Duolingo English Test is an online English proficiency test that can be taken online, on-demand, in under an hour for only $49. The test is taken via a computer with a camera and includes a proficiency score, video interview, and writing sample which are shared with UNLV Continuing Education when you send your results (make sure to send them to “University of Nevada Las Vegas - Continuing Education ESL”). Certified results are available within 48 hours of the test session. To ensure that we get your results in time, please take the test at least 1 week prior to the start date of the course.

Please note that UNLV Continuing Education reserves the right to cancel courses due to low enrollment or for other reasons. If your course is cancelled and you have already taken the placement test, you can use your results to enroll in a future semester.

Students who (prior to September 2020) took the ACCUPLACER Placement test instead of the Duolingo English Test with UNLV Continuing Education can use their ACCUPLACER test scores and do not need to take the Duolingo English Test. Students who took ESL courses through our department between January 2018 – August 2018 and successfully passed the course(s) are exempt from the proficiency exam requirements and can enter into the next level course (i.e. if someone took ESL Beginning they can take ESL Intermediate but they cannot skip to ESL Advanced without a placement test). Anyone completing courses prior to 2017 must take the proficiency testing and be placed in the course equivalent.