English Language Institute

International Students

Northern Michigan University’s English Language Institute (NMU's ELI) offers English as a Second Language (ESL) courses to international students who do not meet the minimum score on the TOEFL, IELTS, or MELAB in order to be accepted into degree programs at NMU.

All of NMU's ELI courses help to prepare students to take the MELAB for matriculation into Northern Michigan University. The MELAB is the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery - MELAB. Once a student passes the MELAB exam, he/she is able to apply to Northern Michigan University for credit-bearing classes. Northern Michigan University administers the MELAB exam every month.

ELI is a proud member of the American Association of Intensive English Programs

ELI Brochures

ELI Brochure (English) | ELI Brochure (Korean) | ELI Brochure (Chinese) | ELI Brochure (Spanish)

ELI Program

Students can take one or more 7.5-week Blocks (one-half semester) through the ELI program, which consists of six levels of English proficiency. Placement is determined by the ACT Compass Test for ESL. No TOEFL, IELTS, or MELAB test scores are needed to enter the ELI Program. Students may enter the ELI program at one of five times throughout the year.

Classes meet Monday through Friday, providing students with a minimum of 21 contact hours per week with an ESL-certified instructor. Each class only has between 1-8 students, which allows instructors to give personalized attention to each student and be flexible with lessons based on each student's needs.

ELI students enroll in three 90-minute classes daily, Monday - Thursday, in the Core Components:

Reading & Writing
Listening & Speaking
Grammar & Language Applications

Friday is reserved for Team Teaching, in which all students and instructors of the ELI Program meet for three hours of instruction with a cultural focus.

Click here for enrollment dates and length of program study.

Program Features

NMU's ELI Program provides students with extra language practice and cultural immersion at no additional cost:

Accent Reduction/Speech Sessions-- students meet with trained tutors in NMU's Speech Pathology & Audiology Department for sessions to improve pronunciation.
Language Lab Tutor-- students may choose to schedule time with a TESOL student at NMU to work on desired areas of language acquisition.
Conversation Mentors-- students meet with a NMU student, faculty or staff volunteer for informal conversation time every two weeks.
Language Partners-- students are paired with a NMU student as a friend on campus with whom to attend social gatherings, events, and activities while practicing their English skills outside of the classroom.
W.I.N. Program (Wildcat International Neighbors)-- students are connected with a screened local family to meet with a few times a month.
Student Organizations/Clubs: ELI students have access to around 300 student clubs at NMU, including the Chinese Club, International Dancer's Club, Spanish Club, French Club, and All Nations Club.

About Northern Michigan University (NMU)

NMU has around 7,000 undergraduate students and 800 graduate students, with over 100 international students currently studying at NMU. There are over 180 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to choose from.

NMU has free WiMAX Internet coverage over the entire city and surrounding areas for all students with a NMU laptop. All NMU's ELI students receive a NMU laptop.

About Our City

Marquette is safe, friendly city located on the beautiful shores of Lake Superior, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

For more information please contact:

International Programs Office

Northern Michigan University

1401 Presque Isle Ave.
Marquette, MI 49855, USA

Telephone: 1+906.227.2510
E-Mail: ESL@NMU.EDU

To access the ELI application in other languages, please click below.

ELI is a proud member of the American Association of Intensive English Programs

english_language_institute