Questions about taking the Grad ELPE

 

The Grad ELPE may be offered online via Canvas or in-person depending on the preference of the program. The Grad ELPE consists of two exercises, one written and one oral. The written Grad ELPE is a two-hour written exercise administered to new international students at UCSB. You will be asked to write a response to a general, academic topic. Your writing is then evaluated by EMS Program faculty to determine whether you should receive specialized instruction in graduate writing. The oral Grad ELPE requires that you respond to a prompt. Your responses are evaluated by EMS Program faculty to determine whether you should enroll in an EMS oral skills course to improve your speaking fluency or pronunciation.

The Graduate Division at UCSB expects all international graduate students for whom English is not the primary or native language to demonstrate graduate-level proficiency in English through the Grad ELPE. The EMS program administers the Grad ELPE as a placement process in order to ensure that students have graduate-level English proficiency or are placed into academic English courses that will support students' success. The EMS program may exempt a student from having to participate in the Grad ELPE if the student submitted qualifying TOEFL or IELTS scores as part of the official application.

Some graduate students are exempted from both the oral and the written sections of the Grad ELPE if they have completed all of their undergraduate degree (equivalent to a U.S. Bachelor’s degree) at a recognized English-medium institution. The Graduate Division determines which students have met this criterion when they review all application materials for admission. If you are a new incoming student and have any questions on whether you are exempt from participation in the Grad ELPE on the basis of undergraduate or graduate coursework/degrees, please contact Graduate Admissions to inquire. Continuing students should check with their departments.

International graduate students who have been offered a teaching assistantship are selected to participate in a special oral English evaluation process called the ITA Evaluation. Students who have participated in or who plan to participate in the ITA Evaluation do still need to take the Grad ELPE. (There are exceptions for ITAs who will teach courses in a foreign language.) 

If you missed the Fall (August 29, 2025) Grad ELPE, you will be required to participate in the December make-up Grad ELPE. Please monitor your email for further information from the Grad ELPE Committee and talk with your graduate advisor. 

Questions about your Grad ELPE result

 

Once you take the oral and/or written Grad ELPE, your result will be sent to you and your graduate advisor by email. It usually takes 12-14 days for your Grad ELPE submission to be processed.

My written Grad ELPE result says I should take a writing course, but I think my writing placement should be higher. May I re-take the Grad ELPE?

Students cannot re-take the Grad ELPE. 

  • If your written Grad ELPE result is Exempt, this means we do not recommend any writing skills course for you.
  • If your oral Grad ELPE result is Exempt, this means we do not recommend any oral skills course for you to be a successful graduate student. NOTE: If you participate in the ITA Evaluation process, you may receive a conditional certification or non-certification which requires you to take oral skills courses (LING 4). This is required because the level of English skills needed to teach differs from those required to participate in graduate courses as a student. 

Questions about which courses to take

 

Yes. However, you should consult with the instructor of the course you wish to take. The EMS faculty want to help you get the course that is best suited to your needs and goals, as well as assess whether or not the class has available space. Students with Exempt placements may be suited for LING 4. See the next section for more about LING 4.

The university and many individual departments expect students to take the LING courses into which they are placed. The EMS Program does not enforce placements; however, your own department may require that you successfully complete any LING courses into which you have been placed as a condition for receiving your degree. Please discuss your Grad ELPE placement with your department’s Graduate Advisor.

LING 4 is a two- or three-unit course that provides individualized instruction for students in specific areas of English for academic purposes. The focus of study is primarily oral English and depends on the student's placement. The EMS program does on occasion offer special sections of LING 4 that focus primarily on other skill areas (e.g. graduate-level reading or writing). 

When students are placed into LING 4 on the basis of the oral ELPE, an area of focus is recommended by one of the EMS faculty. (For example, there may be particular areas of pronunciation difficulty that were identified in the oral ELPE). Students placed in this course will work individually or in small groups with an instructor on targeted skills. 

If placed in LING 4, you should attend the orientation meeting scheduled during the first week of class in order to enroll. More information, including the day, time and location of the orientation meeting are available here.

 If your placement is 2G or 3G, then you should enroll in one of these courses for writing support. LING 4 is typically offered as oral skills support, however, if/when the EMS program is able to offer a writing-focused section of LING 4 (tutorial style), more information will be provided to currently enrolled students as well as graduate advisors.

Questions about enrolling in a course

 

You should check the course search tool to see if the course you need will be offered later in the academic year. We cannot always offer every course during every quarter, so you may have to wait one or more quarters.

Possibly, but you should consult with the instructor before you sign up for a class whose level is lower than your placement. In general, a lower-level class should not be considered to be a substitute for a higher-level class. The EMS faculty want you to get the course that is best suited to your needs and goals. Talk to the instructor to decide if a lower level class is right for you.

If all the sections are full, your first step should be to try to get on the class’s waiting list. Please consult the EMS Wait List Policy. In some cases you may be able to take your course later in the academic year. However, you should check the EMS Program website to find out if the course will be offered later in the academic year. We cannot always offer every course during every quarter, so you may have to wait one or more quarters.

You should contact the EMS Placement Administrator and explain your course conflict. As noted above, not every class is offered every quarter; in some cases, if you fail to enroll in your required class, you may have to wait two quarters or longer. In some cases, a student should enroll in the LING course and drop the other course. You should consult with your graduate department advisor or faculty to make sure.

For students traveling to or arriving from abroad

 

Some courses may be open to visiting scholars and others who qualify. In general, we do not allow auditors in our writing courses; however, it is sometimes possible to audit an oral skills class at the instructor’s discretion. Please consult the course’s instructor to learn more.

Contact your instructor immediately. Sometimes, if there are students on a waiting list, an instructor will have to drop students who miss the first day of class without prior notification. Also, LING courses have a mandatory attendance policy, and this kind of absence may affect your grade.