EAP Program Placement
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Before you can begin to study in one of our EAP courses, we need to know your level of English
The EAP Placement Test is used to make sure every student is in the level where they will learn the most. Please enquire at els@dal.ca about our class placement equivalents. Registering for the EAP Placement Test takes place when you apply to the EAP Program.
Four Possible Placements in the EAP Program
Each level is 12 weeks and 288 hours. The cost of tuition is $4,650. 24 class hours per week.
If you have been placed in EAP Level 2 and wish to begin your degree program in September, you may be interested in our EAP 2 Academic Connections program beginning in July. Learn more.
Intensive Summer EAP Courses
Each level is 8 weeks and 192 hours. The cost of tuition is $3,100. Class times consist of 24 hours per week.
Important Details
If you have an IELTS of 6.0 or TOEFL iBT of 80 or Pearson Academic score of 51 or CAEL CE 50, you will be placed directly into EAP Level 2.
A (pdf/jpeg) copy of your test report can be submitted anytime before the first day of class. Any standardized English exam test report is not acceptable once a student has been placed in a level in the EAP Program and the course has begun.
If you don’t have an IELTS score of 6.0 or above OR a TOEFL score of 80 or above, you must write the Placement Test at Dalhousie to determine which level you will begin in. Registering for the EAP Placement Test takes place when you apply to the EAP Program.
Applicants to Dalhousie Faculty of Graduate Studies who successfully complete ECLC UAP 500 with 80% or above can enter EAP Level 2 without taking an EAP Placement test.
EAP Level 2 Bridging Program
For students who have been conditionally accepted into certain programs at Dalhousie University, while students are enrolled in EAP Level 2, they are permitted to enroll as a special student at Dalhousie and take one undergraduate credit course at the same time. The credit course must take place outside of EAP 2 class hours. For more information or to enroll in the EAP Level 2 Bridging Program option, please send a message to els@dal.ca and/or indicate this option when registering for EAP 2.
EAP Placement Test Format
The test is approximately 2 hours long and is completed on a computer. There is also a short writing task or a 15-minute interview.
Your test scores and writing will be reviewed by an instructor and you will be placed into one of the 4 levels in the EAP Program. No moving of levels is permitted.
The placement test is very accurate. Ninety-nine percent of the time, this placement test places students into the level that is most appropriate for their current English language skills. However, on rare occasions, if the instructional team has observed that a student’s real skills and abilities do not correspond with the level they have been placed in, they have recommended a level change up or down to the Associated Director. The Associated Director's decision is final.
Once a student has been placed in a level in the EAP Program and the course has begun, they cannot use an IELTS or TOEFL test score to skip a level. The only way a student could use a test score in this way would be to present an IELTS 6.5 (for an undergraduate program) or IELTS 7.0 (for most of the graduate programs) and therefore gain full acceptance into their degree program and no longer have to finish the EAP Program if they choose to do so.
Low Scores
If you take the placement test and your score is too low to enter our lowest-level course (EAP Foundations 1), we will make arrangements for you to study at another language school in Halifax. The Dalhousie University EAP Program does not offer an A1 level course. This doesn’t affect very many students; fewer than 10 students per year find themselves in this situation.