ESL programs, schools, and student financial aid resources

What is an ESL program?

ESL programs (English as a Second Language) help non-native English speakers improve their English. They usually cover reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar, and vocabulary. People join them for everyday life, for work, or to prepare for college in an English-speaking country.

Types of ESL programs

• Free community classes — offered by libraries, adult schools, literacy councils, churches, and nonprofits. Usually free or nearly free; no visa needed if you already live in the U.S.
• Community college ESL courses — low-cost, part-time or full-time, often with day and evening options. Many colleges let you start with a simple placement test instead of TOEFL.
• Intensive English Programs (IEPs) — full-time academic programs at universities and private schools, usually 18+ hours per week. This is the usual route for students who come to the U.S. on a student visa to prepare for a degree.
• Online courses and apps — free or low-cost study from anywhere, at your own pace. Good on their own for self-study, or alongside a class.

Choosing the right program

Start with your goal. If you want everyday conversation, a free community class plus daily self-study is usually enough. If you want a U.S. degree, look at community college ESL or a university IEP, because those connect directly to academic courses. Then compare schedule, location, cost, and level — and if a school charges significant tuition, check its accreditation first (see how to check a school below).

Your path from ESL classes to a U.S. college

Most students follow the same five steps. You can start them in any country.

1. Know your level. Take our free English level test to find your CEFR level (A1–C1). Programs and tests all use these levels, so this tells you where to start.
2. Build your English. Join a class from this page and study daily — our study guides by level, daily practice, and free learning resources cost nothing.
3. Prove your level. Most degree programs ask for an English test score (TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test). Practice with our free exam-style reading questions.
4. Apply to schools. Community colleges are the most affordable entry point and many accept students at intermediate English levels. Check every school in the official directories below.
5. Apply for money. File the FAFSA if you are eligible, and apply for scholarships — including the ones specifically for immigrants and international students.

Want it on paper? Print the free Path-to-college checklist and tick off each step as you go, with room to write your own deadlines.

Find free & low-cost ESL classes near you

• USAGov — Learn English — The U.S. government’s official starting point for English learners. Explains where to find free and low-cost ESL classes, online and in person, and links only to trusted programs for adults and families.
• USA Learns — Free online English courses for adults, originally funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Includes video lessons, speaking and writing practice, plus courses for citizenship and job skills. Start anytime, no cost, no classroom required.
• National Literacy Directory — Search over 10,000 free and low-cost programs across the U.S. by ZIP code, including ESL classes, adult education, and GED preparation. Run by ProLiteracy, a national literacy nonprofit. The fastest way to find a real class near you.
• USAHello — Free English and life-skills classes designed for immigrants and refugees, plus clear guides to school, work, and daily life in the U.S. The whole site is available in many languages, so it is easy to use even at a beginner level.

Also check your public library (many run free conversation groups and ESL classes), your city or county adult school, and the continuing-education office of your local community college. These classes are free or very cheap, and you do not need a student visa to attend them if you already live in the U.S.

University English programs — and how to check a school is legitimate

Intensive English Programs (IEPs) prepare students for academic study. If you will pay tuition — and especially if you need a student visa — always confirm the program is accredited and government-certified before you send money. These official directories make that easy:

• EnglishUSA — Find a Program — Directory of 200+ accredited English language programs at universities, colleges, and private schools, searchable by state and program type. EnglishUSA is the national association of U.S. English language programs.
• CEA Accredited Programs — Official list of English programs accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation. If a school appears here, its teaching, facilities, and student services meet recognized standards. Use it to verify any program you are considering.
• Study in the States — School Search (DHS) — The U.S. government’s official map of schools certified to enroll international students on F-1 and M-1 visas. If you need a student visa, the school must appear in this search — no exceptions. Also explains the student visa process step by step.
• EducationUSA (U.S. Department of State) — Free, official advising for students outside the U.S. who want to study in America, with 430+ advising centers in 175+ countries. Advisers explain applications, English programs, visas, and financial aid — and never charge a fee.

Online English courses

• BBC Learning English — Free daily lessons, videos, and grammar courses for every level, produced by the BBC. New material is added constantly, and full courses are organized from beginner to advanced. One of the best free resources anywhere.
• FutureLearn English Courses — Short online courses from real universities, such as basic English and academic writing. Free to study during the course period; you pay only if you want a certificate or permanent access.
• English for Career Development (Coursera) — A popular free-to-audit course from the University of Pennsylvania that teaches job applications, resumes, and interview English. Coursera offers many other English courses you can audit for free the same way.
• Duolingo — Free game-style app for daily vocabulary and sentence practice. Good motivation for beginners, but treat it as extra practice, not a replacement for a class or real conversation.

English tests that colleges accept

U.S. degree programs usually ask non-native speakers for an English proficiency score. (Many community college ESL programs skip this and give you their own free placement test instead.) The three tests colleges accept most widely:

• TOEFL iBT — The classic academic English test, accepted by virtually every U.S. university. Tests reading, listening, speaking, and writing at a test center or at home.
• IELTS — Equally respected worldwide, with an academic version for university admission. The speaking section is a live conversation with an examiner, which some students prefer.
• Duolingo English Test — A newer online test you take from home in about an hour, with results in days. It costs much less than TOEFL or IELTS and is now accepted by thousands of universities — but always check your target school’s list of accepted tests first.

Before you pay for any test, practice free: our exam reading practice uses the same question styles as IELTS and TOEFL (True/False/Not Given, matching headings, summary gap-fill) on B2–C1 academic passages.

Financial aid basics

Financial aid is money that helps you pay for college: grants, scholarships, work-study jobs, and loans. Some aid is based on financial need, some on grades, talent, or background. The three words to know:

• Grants — free money, usually based on financial need. You do not pay it back.
• Scholarships — free money based on merit, talent, background, or field of study. You do not pay it back.
• Loans — borrowed money you must pay back with interest. Use them last, and prefer federal loans, which have lower rates and flexible repayment, over private bank loans.

FAFSA — the one form that starts everything

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at studentaid.gov is the application for U.S. federal grants (like the Pell Grant), work-study, and federal student loans — and most states and colleges use it for their own aid too. It usually opens on October 1 for the following school year. File it every year, as early as you can. U.S. citizens and eligible noncitizens (such as green card holders, refugees, and asylees) can file.

One limit to know: federal aid pays for degree and certificate programs. It generally does not pay for stand-alone ESL classes — but community ESL classes are usually free or very cheap anyway, and ESL courses taken as part of a degree program at a college can be covered.

CSS Profile — for aid from the colleges themselves

Several hundred colleges — mostly private — use the CSS Profile to award their own (non-federal) aid. Unlike the FAFSA, international students can submit it — at many private colleges this is exactly how non-citizens receive large aid packages. Fee waivers are available for low-income families.

Financial aid words to know

Aid letters and forms are full of jargon. Here are the words you will meet most often, in plain English. Tap Save all to My Flashcards to review them later at My Flashcards.

Free scholarship search tools

• Fastweb — One of the oldest and largest scholarship databases. Make a profile and it matches you to scholarships you actually qualify for, with deadline reminders.
• Scholarships.com — Millions of scholarships, searchable by background, state, major, and more. Half its database is location-based awards, which usually have fewer competitors.
• College Board BigFuture — Clean, trustworthy search from the makers of the SAT, with no ads or spam. BigFuture also runs its own monthly scholarship drawings for completing college-planning steps.
• CareerOneStop Scholarship Finder — A U.S. Department of Labor tool listing 9,500+ scholarships, grants, and fellowships. Completely free, no account needed, no marketing — a good first stop.
• Bold.org — Newer platform with exclusive scholarships you can only apply for there, many with short essays and specific categories (first-generation students, immigrants, and more).
• Scholarships360 — Free, well-edited lists of vetted scholarships plus plain-English guides to financial aid. Their curated “scholarships for you” lists save a lot of searching time.

Tip: apply for many small, local scholarships — a $500 award from your city or library has far fewer applicants than a famous national one, and small awards add up fast.

Aid for immigrants, refugees & international students

Federal aid has citizenship rules, but plenty of real money exists outside it. These programs are made for students who were born outside the U.S.:

• TheDream.US — The largest college scholarship program for undocumented immigrant students (including DACA recipients), with multi-year awards for tuition and fees at its partner colleges across the country.
• Immigrants Rising — Scholarship List — A regularly updated list of scholarships and fellowships that do not require proof of U.S. citizenship. Essential if you are undocumented or in a mixed-status family.
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund — Scholarships plus mentoring and career support for students of Hispanic heritage. DACA students are eligible to apply.
• IEFA — International Education Financial Aid — Searchable database of scholarships and grants specifically for international students studying abroad, filterable by nationality and field of study.
• Fulbright Foreign Student Program — The U.S. government’s flagship award: full funding for graduate study in the U.S. for students from 160+ countries. Very competitive; apply through the Fulbright commission or U.S. embassy in your country, usually about a year in advance.

Two more things international undergraduates should know. First, most aid for you comes from the colleges themselves — some U.S. colleges meet full financial need even for international students, so research each college’s international aid page (the EducationUSA advisers help with exactly this, free). Second, undocumented students cannot receive federal aid, but many states offer in-state tuition or state aid — check your state’s rules and your college’s financial aid office.

Student loans — borrow smart

Loans should be your last source of money, after grants and scholarships. If you do need to borrow, the order matters:

• Direct Subsidized Loans — federal loans for students with financial need; the government pays the interest while you are in school.
• Direct Unsubsidized Loans — federal loans for all eligible students, with no need requirement.
• Parent PLUS and Grad PLUS Loans — federal loans for parents of undergraduates and for graduate students.
• Private loans — from banks and online lenders. Usually higher rates and fewer protections, so compare carefully and read every term.

You apply for all federal loans with the same FAFSA — there is no separate application. International students are not eligible for federal loans, but a few lenders, such as MPOWER Financing and Prodigy Finance, offer no-cosigner loans to international students at U.S. universities. Whatever your status, borrow only what you truly need.

Ways to cut college costs

• Start at a community college — complete two years at a fraction of the cost, then transfer to a university and earn the same degree.
• Compare net price, not sticker price — every U.S. college publishes a net price calculator; an “expensive” private college with strong aid can cost less than a state school.
• Use work-study and campus jobs — FAFSA work-study jobs are designed to fit around classes.
• Ask your employer — many employers (including large retail and fast-food chains) pay tuition for part-time workers.
• Apply for many small scholarships — local awards have less competition, and they add up.
• Spend less on books — rent, buy used, or ask professors about free open-textbook (OER) versions.
• Graduate on time — meet your academic adviser every term and take only the classes your degree requires.