English Language Proficiency
In order to take full advantage of the education that Princeton University affords them, graduate students must demonstrate a level of oral proficiency in the English language sufficient to participate successfully in all the various activities that comprise a graduate education, including classwork, research and research presentations, group meetings and project teams, and teaching undergraduates. The English Language Program (ELP) has been created to determine students' English language needs and to provide instruction and support to non-native speakers of English.
Accordingly, the Graduate School requires that all non-native speakers of English who have not earned their undergraduate degree in a U.S. college or university, and who scored 27 or below on the Speaking sub-section of the TOEFL iBT, have their oral English proficiency evaluated by the English Language Program staff. At the start of the Fall Term, newly-enrolled international students will be given a placement test to evaluate their oral English proficiency. The Graduate School has established that passing either the placement test or the Princeton Oral Proficiency Test (POPT) qualifies a graduate student to be appointed as an assistant in instruction (AI) and attests to the student's basic proficiency in spoken English. The proficiency levels on the placement test are as follows:
· Students who test at the advanced level will be eligible to teach whenever they are appointed as AIs and will not be required to participate in ELP classes.
· Students who test at the high-intermediate level are required to participate in the ELP oral communication classes during their first semester of study. This will include four hours of coursework. These students are eligible to take the POPT upon successful completion of their first term in ELP classes.
· Students who test at the low-intermediate level are required to participate in 5 hours of coursework, plus one tutorial hour during their first two semesters at Princeton, and will only be eligible to take the POPT after successful completion of two semesters in ELP classes.
· Students who do not pass the POPT are required to continue in the ELP until they pass. A six-week summer intensive English program is required for those who have not passed the POPT by the end of their first year of graduate study.
For questions regarding this policy, please contact Associate Dean Cole Crittenden at (609) 258-3902. For questions regarding testing and English Language Program classes, please contact the ELP office at (609) 258-6929.
Rev. 4/17/2013