Frequently Asked Questions
Course Information
Please visit our Tuition and Fees page for detailed information.
Check out our page detailing our other fees.
Since American English Language School is on a quarter system, classes are 3 months long. The beginning of each quarter starts on the first Monday of January, April, July, October. Check out our daily and yearly schedule page for more information.
The deadline to apply is about 4 weeks prior to the start of the quarter for which you are applying. Deadlines are set to allow students enough time to complete the visa process and pay for tuition on time. Read more about AELS’s application deadlines.
An I-20 form is needed to apply for an F-1 visa. To obtain an I-20 form, you must first fill out an application and pay the processing fees.
A student must attend 80% of his or her classes every quarter for their I-20 to remain valid with American English Language School.
An I-20 form is needed to apply for an F-1 visa. To obtain an I-20 form, you must first fill out an application and pay the processing fees.
Yes, American English Language School is accredited by the CEA (Commission on English Language Accreditation). The CEA is one of only two English accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. government.
Once you arrive in the United States, you will come to American English Language School before your start date to take a placement test that will determine what level of English proficiency you are. Based on your results, we will place you in the appropriate class level.
Our program from start to finish (Basic, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, Level 5) is generally 18 months (6 quarters) long. However, a student’s length of study at AELS is dependent on what level of English they start at. For example, if a student starts off at Level 3, then that student’s time studying at American English Language School will be shorter compared to a student starting out at the Basic Level since the Level 3 student will only have to complete Levels 3 - 5.
All of our teachers are native English speakers who hold at least a bachelor’s degree in an English-related field and are TESOL certified. Along with their passion for teaching English, they use their knowledge as a native speaker to help our students master the language.
Our Guarantee Program is extended to students who commit to 1 year of improving their English at American English Language School. Students who complete our ESL Level 5 class are guaranteed a TOEFL score of 70 or a TOEIC score of 700! If you don’t achieve these scores, you will be allowed to take a free class for 1 quarter! For more information, please visit our Guarantee Program page.
Our FREE eLearning course is offered to help students prepare to begin studying at AELS. Read more about the benefits of our FREE eLearning program.
Policies
It is important to us that students build up their skills through consistent use of the language in a comfortable environment. This requires that students get to know each other well and focus on their language education together, rather than having to constantly change classes. Read more about the reasons behind this policy.
It is our belief that the most important factor in language learning is the amount of conversation (speaking and listening) practice you get. With our limited class sizes, we are able to ensure maximum speaking and listening practice. Read more about the benefits of our small ratio classes.
No. Because we do not have rolling enrollment, you will need to follow our quarterly schedule. Our schedule allows for one week of break time between each quarter. We care about the progress our students make and have found that breaks longer than a week can cause learning loss and a decrease in motivation. This is why we only allow for longer breaks after a longer sustained period of learning. Find out more about our vacation policy.
We want to make sure that you (or your child) are in a safe environment at all times with us. To be sure of this, we require that all of our teachers be fingerprinted and background checked by the Department of Justice and FBI. Read more about how we administer teacher background checks for our students’ safety.
Yes, we strive to provide our students with an environment that will allow them to cultivate their English learning skills. We sincerely care about the success of our students so with the utmost integrity, so we make it a priority to cap all of our classes at 8 students or less.
Visa Application
We have the same type of accreditation and authorization as schools much larger than us. Embassies are only concerned with the accreditation and authorization a school has, not its size. Many agencies use scare tactics (such as convincing students that the size of a school will affect their chances of getting an F-1 visa) to try to persuade students to apply to larger schools. They do this because they can get a higher rate of commission for each student they send to schools like Kaplan, EF, and ELS. Any government, providing that it is not corrupt, will treat accredited and authorized schools equally, regardless of their size.
If you are here for travel or business purposes, it is possible to study at American English Language School. However, you would be limited to studying for less than 18 hours per week until the time you are required to go back to your home country.
An I-20 form is needed to apply for an F-1 visa. To obtain an I-20 form, you must first fill out an application and pay the processing fees.
We will process your I-20 form right away so that you will receive it at your home within one week from the time you are accepted to AELS.
Yes, someone who wants to change their visa status may do so through obtaining an I-20 form from American English Language School. For more information on the “Change of Status” process, please visit our blog.
If you are coming from overseas and you have dependents (spouse or children) with you, then they must also obtain an I-20 form from AELS and fill out a DS-160 application as a dependent.
Transferring
To transfer to American English Language School, please visit our transfer student application page and our blog for detailed information.
No, you will need a new I-20 Form. When we have all the documents needed, we will be able to issue you a new I-20 Form.
We will need an application form, copies of your current passport, F-1 visa, current I-20 Form, certificate of bank balance of you or your sponsor, and proof of your highest level of education completed.
If you are transferring from your current school to AELS, you will only need to pay the $100 application fee and tuition. Please visit our Tuition and Fees page for more information about tuition.
Yes, if you are within your 60-day grace period. Please visit our transfer student application page and our blog for more detailed information about transferring after completing a program.
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