University English
Our University English course is a full-time general English language course for visiting groups of students. The course is designed to improve the English Language skills of learners for a variety of educational, personal and professional reasons.
Course overview
- Who: Visiting student groups who wish to improve their English language skills in a British University environment
- Duration: Minimum - 2 weeks / Maximum - 40 weeks
- Cost: £459 per student per week in 2024-25 - fee includes all tuition and materials
- Level: CEFR A2 to C1
- Hours: 20.5 per week (see timetable below for details)
- When: Year round
- Minimum age: Adult learning environment. Minimum age 18 years (some exceptions considered).
- Maximum class size: 16 students
- Accommodation: Private and University options available
- Social programme: A combination of in-person and some online activities
Who is the University English Course for?
University English is our full-time General English development course designed to improve the English Language skills of visiting groups of students.
Our experienced tutors will support students to develop their overall English language skills on this intensive course, with flexible start and end dates all through the year.
Classes are provided at all levels from Elementary (A2) to Advanced (C1). The course is not suitable for complete beginners.
Applicants will need to provide some evidence of your current level of English with your application such as an English language test result (e.g IELTS, Pearson PTE, TOEFL iBT or Cambridge English PET/FCE/CAE).
Course outline
Our University English course includes tuition and language practice in the following areas:
- Writing: helping you to improve the accuracy and structure of your written work
- Speaking and Pronunciation: improving the accuracy and fluency in a variety of situations
- Listening: understanding spoken English in academic and general situations
- Reading: developing the ability to deal with longer and more complex texts
- Grammar: consolidation of the main tenses and structures of English
- Vocabulary: learning more words in a variety of different contexts
1 to 1 tutorials
During the course students will also receive regular 1 to 1 tutorials with an ELTC tutor. These tutorials are similar to a private lesson and students can choose which areas of English they would like to focus on.
The ELTC's language tutorials offer students the opportunity to receive individual teaching and be directly involved in setting their own language goals.
Option classes
In these sessions, students can choose to study an area of the language which interests them.
The overall purpose of these lessons is to provide students with further language practice and improve their confidence in dealing with English language. We offer a range of different options classes.
For example, a student could choose IELTS Examination Preparation and Practice, Grammar and Vocabulary Development, Social English and British Culture, or Reading and Speaking. Students may wish to study for a specific purpose, for example, IELTS Examination Preparation and Practice, or Business English.
Please note, there needs to be enough demand from students for an option class to run.
Independent Language and Pronunciation Development
The purpose of these interactive resources is to help students develop their language skills in their own time outside of class. Our teachers will explain how to use these resources and will discuss specific areas for development in individual student tutorials. Students are advised to complete at least 2 hours of independent study each week to fully benefit from this.
Flexible Study Options
In some circumstances we may be able to offer University English with fewer hours per week compared to the standard course timetable. Please contact the University English Academic Director, Helen Johnstone, to discuss your requirements further.
Assessment
Progress will be assessed by each student's class tutor and on longer courses students may be offered the opportunity to move into a higher level class.
At the end of the course students will be provided with a report and certificate showing details of the course and the level they studied at.
The ELTC offers a number of external assessments such as IELTS or Cambridge Linguaskill (charges apply) which can optionally be taken during your course.
Please note that results from University English cannot be used to gain entry onto academic programmes at the University of ºù«Ӱҵ.
Every moment in ELTC is useful. They use modern technology and modern techniques in teaching. They are so supportive and encourage you to improve your skills.
Haider Al-Hamadani (Iraq)
PhD Mechanical Engineering
Example timetable
- Example Class Times
-
Please note this is an example timetable and may be subject to change. (All times UK - GMT / BST)
Monday- 09:30 - 11:00 - Language Development
- 11:30 - 13:00 - Language Development
- 14:00 - 15:30 - Option Class
- 15:30 - 16:30 - Self Study / Tutorial
Tuesday
- 09:30 - 11:00 - Language Development
- 11:30 - 13:00 - Language Development
- 14:00 - 15:30 - Option Class
- 15:30 - 16:30 - Self Study / Tutorial
Wednesday
- 09:30 - 11:00 - Language Development
- 11:30 - 13:00 - Language Development & Lecture Preparation
- 14:00 - 15:00 - Online Lecture
- 15:30 - 16:30 - Self Study / Tutorial
Thursday
- 09:30 - 11:00 - Language Development
- 11:30 - 13:00 - Language Development
- 14:00 - 15:30 - Option Class
- 15:30 - 16:30 - Self Study / Tutorial
Friday
- 09:30 - 11:00 - Language Development
- 11:30 - 13:00 - Language Development
- 14:00 - 16:30 - Self Study / Tutorial
Dates, fees and entry requirements
The course runs through the full academic year. The course start and end dates are flexible, and you can apply to start your course on almost any Monday and finish on any almost Friday* within our standard term dates.
The minimum course length is 2 weeks, and the maximum course length is 40 weeks.
Students do not require an IELTS for UKVI certificate, but we prefer if you can provide some evidence of each student's English level as the course is not suitable for complete beginners. A formal English language certificate is not required.
*It is not possible to start on the final Monday of a term, or finish on the first Friday of a term.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees for University English courses beginning in the 2024-25 academic year are £459 per week.
This fee includes:
- All tuition and course materials
- Course assessments
- Regular 1 to 1 tutorials with your personal tutor
- Individual feedback
- Lectures by University of ºù«Ӱҵ academic staff
- ELTC Student Exclusive social programme
- Educational visits to nearby cities, museums and historical places of interest (in Term 1, 2 and 3)
- Access to 24 hour Library and Computing facilities at ºù«Ӱҵ
- A UCard which you can use to access University facilities and discounts in some shops and on public transport
- Membership to the No.1 Students' Union in the UK since 2017.
Paying your tuition fees
Paying your tuition fees is a crucial part of registration at the University.
For information on how to pay your tuition fee correctly, as well as the things you need to look out for, visit:
Information about your ELTC tuition fee
How to pay your tuition fees and important information
We can also accept payments from sponsors:
Tuition Fees - Sponsored students
Social programme
Our ELTC exclusive social programme is available to all students on our University English course. During Term 4 in the Summer for a small charge we offer weekend day-trips exclusively for University English students to nearby cities such as Manchester, York, Lincoln, Leeds and Liverpool.
What we offer through our social programme
Apply
Please Note - University English is no longer available to individual applicants. We can however still accept applications from organised groups of visiting students from universities, companies and other organisations.
To enquire about the course on behalf of a group please contact eltc@sheffield.ac.uk for further details.
Entry requirements
The course is not suitable for beginners, however there are no set IELTS requirements to join the course.
Please contact us if you are unsure of your suitability for the course.
Deadlines
The usual deadline for applying to our University English course is 4 weeks before your chosen course start date.
Information for Under 18s
Our courses are designed for adults. Applicants who are under 18 are subject to a number of restrictions and administrative procedures.
The standard minimum age for our courses is 18 years. However, we will consider applications from applicants who are under 18 in some circumstances, and subject to satisfactory guardianship arrangements being in place. Please contact us for more information.
For further information on under 18s at the university please visit our "Students under the age of 18" webpage".
If you need more information you can contact us in the following ways:
Email eltc@sheffield.ac.uk
Phone +44 114 222 1780