Who is an English Language Learner?
English Language Learners at CCAC are individuals who speak languages other than English and who are learning to speak, read, and write in English to reach their professional, educational, or personal goals.
Before Applying
The Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) is an Open Admissions Institution. All learners are invited to apply. Students can enroll:
- To earn a 2-year degree or complete a certificate program
- To complete two years of credits before transferring to a 4-year college or university
- As a high school student to earn college credits (called dual enrollment)
- To earn 30 college credits to apply for a high school diploma equivalency
- As a visiting student to just take one or a few classes
Locations
CCAC has 4 campuses and 3 centers:
- Allegheny Campus (Pittsburgh, North Side)
- Boyce Campus (Monroeville)
- North Campus (McCandless)
- South Campus (West Mifflin)
- Braddock Hills Center (Braddock Hills)
- Homewood-Brushton Center (Pittsburgh, Homewood)
- West Hills Center (Oakdale)
Students can take their prerequisite courses (required courses that must be completed
before taking more advanced courses) at most locations. Students may need to travel
to specific campuses for specialized courses. For more maps and addresses of each
campus, visit the Maps & Directions page.
Programs
You can see the areas of study offered on the Academics page of the website. You do not have to decide your area of study before starting
classes at CCAC.
CCAC also offers Workforce Development programs to enter specific industries.
To Apply
If you are interested in applying, complete a free Application for Admissions. Our team will then reach out to help with the next steps.
More information about the application process for international students can be found
on the International Student page. More information about the application process for English Learners already residing
in the United States can be found on the New Student page.
Cost of Attendance
Total cost of attendance = Tuition + Student Fees + Textbooks and Class materials,
See the Tuition and Fees page for the current CCAC costs with downloadable versions translated in Arabic, Dari,
French, Mandarin, Nepali, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Uzbek.
Some programs, like the Workforce Development programs, are paid per program instead of per credit. Each individual program will have the
price listed on its page of the website.
Tuition to attend CCAC is priced per credit hour- most classes are 3-4 credits. The cost of each credit depends on where the student lives. A student is considered “full-time” when they are taking 12-18 credits per semester, which has a flat fee. This means students who take 12 credits pay the same amount as students who take 18 credits.
All students will also pay fees that are explained in the Tuition and Fees document. Some classes may have additional small fees for specialized facilities, equipment, or online resources.
Financial Aid
Federal Financial Aid
If you are a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen, you are encouraged to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) on studentaid.gov. The U.S. Department of Education will review your application to determine if you qualify to receive financial aid. Completing a FAFSA is necessary for requesting:
- Federal Grants (income-based awards that do not need to be paid back)
- Federal Student Loans (borrowed funds with low interest rates you will need to pay back)
- Federal Work Study (paid position as a student worker, subject to eligibility)
- Other non-federal aid that requires a FAFSA (like the Pittsburgh Promise)
Students who are awarded grants or loans are not required to accept them.
To determine if you may be considered an eligible noncitizen who could fill out the FAFSA, see the webpages and graphics below from the U.S. federal government’s Federal Student Aid office for more information.
Federal Student Aid Office: Eligibilty for Federal Student Aid Infographic- English
Federal Student Aid Office: Eligibilty for Federal Student Aid Infographic- Spanish
Federal Student Aid Office: Eligibility for Non-U.S. Citizens
Federal Student Aid Office: Undocumented Students and Financial Aid
Other Financial Supports
Even if you are not eligible to receive federal student loans, you can be eligible for state or college financial aid (like the Pittsburgh Promise award) and private scholarships.
Institutional Work Study includes on-campus jobs at CCAC and may be available for international students who do not qualify for Federal Aid.
new-students
You will receive an email to let you know when you have been accepted as a new student at CCAC. That e-mail will also include the next steps that you will need to complete in order to start as a student.
These next steps are also listed on the New Student Checklist- click here to go to the new student page to download the New Student Checklist in Arabic, Dari, French, Mandarin, Nepali, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Uzbek.
ESL Placement Testing FAQ
The ESL (English as a Second Language) Placement Test is a short exam that English Learners will take to assess their current reading and writing skills in English.
Newly admitted English Learners will take the ESL Placement Test before registering for classes.
You will need to take the ESL Placement Test if:
- English is not your first language and you need help developing proficiency in reading and writing in English, OR IF
- You are an international student and English is not an official language of your home country.
If you are an international student and English is an official language of your home country, you do not have to take the ESL Placement Test. Instead, you will complete a Reading Placement Test and an English Questionnaire.
Your ESL Placement Test results will help CCAC identify the EAL courses that meet your individual English proficiency level. English as an Academic Language (EAL) courses at CCAC cover English structure, pronunciation, reading, composition, and communication for students whose first language is not English.
You can read more about the English as an Academic Language classes below.
The ESL Placement Test has 2 sections.
- Section 1: ESL Reading Skills Test
- This section has 20 questions.
- You will read a few sentences and then answer a question about the information you read. You will repeat this process for all 20 questions.
- An example is below:
-
People have different ways of learning. Some are better at making mental pictures of new ideas. Others are more comfortable with writing lists of things to memorize. Certain people can learn best when listening to music, while others need silence to concentrate.
1. Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
A. Mental pictures help many to learn.
B. Some people prefer lists to making mental pictures.
C. To learn well you need to be comfortable.
D. Different individuals have different ways of acquiring information.
-
- Section 2: ESL Writing Test (called the WritePlacer® ESL test)
- This section has 1 essay question.
- You will be asked to read a few sentences and the essay question. You will write a short essay to answer the assignment question.
- An example is below:
-
Passage
A woman recently received an inheritance of $25 million from an unknown, distant relative. She cannot decide what to do: spend it, save it, or give most of it away.
Assignment
If you suddenly received a large sum of money, what would you do with it?
-
More practice test questions and examples of essay answers can be found on the Placement Testing page under “Placement Testing Steps” and “Placement Test Practice.”
Students are not allowed to use Google Translate, ChatGPT, other translation software, or the help of another person to take the test. Your test results reflect your current understanding of the English language.
You can schedule an appointment to take your placement tests in person or you can walk-in to any campus’ testing center during their open hours to take your tests. See all hours, locations, and contact information at the bottom of the Placement Testing page under “Contact Testing Services” and “Hours of Operation.”
In addition to the ESL Placement Test, you will also take a Math Placement Test.
If you would like to schedule an advanced biology course and would like to attempt to test out of the BIO 110 course, you may also take the BIO 110 Waiver, which is a placement test. This test can only be taken one time and is timed.
The testing center team can assist you with any questions you may have.
Placement assessments can be taken a second time with the approval of an advisor.
Placement tests can be retaken after being away from CCAC for four years.
English as an Academic Language Classes
Your ESL Placement Test scores will help determine which English classes will best support your language learning process. Classes for English learners are called English as an Academic Language (EAL).
There are 6 possible English as an Academic Language (EAL) classes offered at CCAC. They are:
- EAL Pronunciation (EAL 061)
- EAL Communication in English (EAL 062)
- EAL Reading 1 (EAL 070)
- EAL Academic English Structure (EAL 089)
- EAL Composition (EAL 100)
- EAL Reading 2 (EAL 101)
These classes are designed to help you learn how to use English in an academic setting to prepare you for your other courses in English. You may take all 6 classes or fewer depending on your Placement Test results.
Would you like to learn more English before applying to CCAC? Consider signing up for CCAC’s non-credit Community Education English classes or for free English classes with local organizations like Literacy Pittsburgh, Casa San José, and Hello Neighbor.
Learning Help
As a student at CCAC, you will have access to programs and services to help you through
your EAL classes- and all the rest! We encourage all of our students to take advantage
of this help.
CCAC Tutoring and Learning Supports
Tutors are available to work individually with students on materials in any subject area up to two times per week for each class. You can meet with tutors in person at your campus’ Learning Assistance Center or virtually via Zoom.
The Learning Commons is a group space where you can do homework and study with a professional educator nearby to help you when you become stuck or have a question. You can attend virtually or in person and are allowed an unlimited number of visits.
The Math Café is a group space where you can get help with math questions. Visit virtually or in person, no appointment necessary.
The Academic Center (The Writing Center)
In the Writing Center, students may work independently and/or collaboratively with faculty on assignments and projects, creative writing, reading (for class and for fun!), and more. No appointment is necessary. English Conversation groups are also available through the Writing Center.
This guide from CCAC’s library has links to study resources to practice writing, reading, listing, and speaking in English, as well as free translation tools.
Non-credit ESL classes
CCAC’s Community Education Classes
Every semester CCAC hosts community education classes on a wide variety of topics with usually at least one class for English Language Learners. There is a class fee and students are usually asked to buy a textbook for the class.
These classes are not for credit and will not be counted toward a degree or certificate at CCAC.
Online Learning Tools
As a student, you will have access to free online learning programs that you can access 24/7 to help with your learning. Some examples are below:
Brainfuse is a live online tutoring service that is available 24/7 at no cost to CCAC students who are unable to take advantage of our in-house tutoring services.
Pronunciator is the most extensive language library available, with 315 world languages and instruction in 144 home languages. Dive deep with 6 million hours of audio lessons, text and audio chat features, and daily personalized learning.
Connect with a language tutor for help with your foreign language class.
This is a text-to-speech program to help read documents out loud in 13 languages and 18 additional dialects.
Make An Appointment
You are not alone! Our CCAC team is here to support your learning journey. Reach out in English or Spanish at any time.