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    English Proficiency Requirements and Conditional Acceptance

  • English Language Requirements and Conditional Acceptance

    International students are required to demonstrate proof of English proficiency before they can be accepted to CIA. This can be done in the following ways:

    1. Through an approved English proficiency exam.
    2. By completing a program of study at an approved language school.
    3. By meeting the eligibility requirements of our waiver policy.

    1. English Proficiency Exams

    You may complete and submit your scores from one of the following language exams as proof of English proficiency:

    Exam score results must be dated within two years of the intended start date.

    2. Language School: Conditional Admission to CIA

    Conditional (or provisional) admission means that there are still terms that need to be met before your CIA acceptance can be finalized, in this case: English skills. If you do not have the skills to successfully complete a language exam, you may select a conditional admission pathway to CIA. CIA works with the following language schools:

    Local to CIA: SUNY New Paltz Haggerty English Language Program (HELP)

    A residential Intensive Academic English program right here in New York’s beautiful Hudson Valley! Complete the HELP Level 4 Academic Pathway Program at the State University of New York at New Paltz to meet CIA’s English Language Proficiency requirement.

    Learn More Now

    The process to apply for conditional admission is as follows:

    1. Apply to CIA using our online application form.
    2. Submit all application materials along with an email to admissions@culinary.edu indicating your intention to study English at one of our approved schools. Please indicate which partner school in your email.
    3. If you meet our academic admissions criteria, you will be issued a letter indicating your provisional acceptance.
    4. Apply to one of the language schools listed above.
    5. Upon completion of your course of study at the language school, send CIA your certificate of completion or transcript.
    6. Students who complete language programs are expected to enroll at CIA on the next available entry date.

    3. Proof of English Waiver Policy

    All international applicants whose education has been primarily outside the United States of America must provide objective evidence of proficiency in the English language as indicated with our above requirements. However, the following exceptions apply:

    • Applicants who have received a score of A, B, or C (6–9) on the GCE O-Level, A-Level, GCSE, or IGCSE English Language (First Language) exam within the past two years.
    • Applicants who have taken IB English Lang and Lit, SL/HL, within the past two years and with a minimum score of 5.
    • Applicants who have studied in U.S. accredited high schools or universities with grades of C or higher in (non-ESL) English courses. Must have studied in the U.S. within two years of the intended start date. Transcripts will be reviewed by the Admissions Office to determine eligibility.
    • Applicants whose educational curriculum at a foreign high school or university was taught entirely in the English language. The transcript must indicate English as the language of instruction, or a signed and stamped letter from the school indicating that English was the language of instruction must be sent to the Admissions Office.
    • Applicants primarily educated in English in the following countries/territories:

      Anguilla Ghana* Nigeria*
      Antigua and Barbuda Gibraltar Sierra Leone
      Australia Grenada Singapore*
      Bahamas Guernsey South Africa
      Barbados Guyana St. Helena
      Belize Ireland St. Kitts and Nevis
      Bermuda Isle of Man St. Lucia
      Botswana Jamaica St. Vincent and the Grenadines
      British Virgin Islands Jersey Tanzania
      Canada (except Quebec) Kenya* Trinidad and Tobago
      Cayman Islands Lesotho* Turks and Caicos Islands
      Dominica Liberia Uganda*
      Eswatini (Swaziland)* Malawi* United Kingdom
      Falkland Islands Micronesia United States Territories
      Fiji Montserrat Zambia
      Gambia, The New Zealand Zimbabwe

      *English language proficiency test only waived for applicants from English language educational systems.

    Any questions regarding a waiver of the English language proficiency requirement can be submitted to admissions@culinary.edu.

    The Culinary Institute of American reserves the right to require evidence of English language proficiency for all applicants, the adequacy of which shall be at the sole discretion of the CIA Admissions Office.

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