How to take classes in the English Language Institute

If you are not yet enrolled as a student at Henry Ford College, follow these steps:

Follow the Steps to Enroll to become a Henry Ford College student.

If you are not living in the United States, start by contacting HFC International Student Services for help.

You will also need to take a free, one-hour ESL placement test (CaMLA) in the on-campus Welcome Center.

After you are enrolled as a student at Henry Ford College, you may take ELI classes. Follow these steps:

For-credit classes

If you have a high school diploma or GED, you may take for-credit classes (classes with an ELI prefix).

For-credit classes will count toward an academic program at Henry Ford College.

  • See the ESL / ELI Class Guide below, and choose for-credit classes (with an ELI prefix), at the level that matches your CaMLA English Placement Test results
  • You may choose to take classes part-time or full-time. Full-time students take 3 classes per semester. Part-time students take one or two classes per semester.
  • You might be able to get help paying for your classes. This is called financial aid. Visit the website and follow the instructions.
  • The amount you will pay for tuition and fees is based on how many credit hours (or "credits") you are taking. Each class is 2, 3, or 5 credit hours. See the chart below to find the number of credit hours for each course. The amount you pay will also depend on where you live. If you are a permanent resident of the Dearborn School District, you will pay in-district tuition. If you are from outside the Dearborn School District, you will pay out-of-district tuition. See tuition and payment

Non-credit classes

If you are an international student, or do not have a high school diploma or GED, you will take non-credit classes (classes with an NCELI prefix).

Non-credit classes will not count toward an academic program at Henry Ford College.

  • Enroll in the non-degree English Language Study program
  • See the ESL / ELI Class Guide below, and choose non-credit classes (with an NCELI prefix), at the level that matches your CaMLA English Placement Test results
  • If you are not an international student, you may choose to take classes part-time or full-time. Full-time students take 3 classes per semester. Part-time students take one or two classes per semester.
  • The amount you will pay for tuition and fees is based on the type of classes you are taking:
    • Reading / Listening / Speaking (6 contact (in-class hours) per week) = $700 per class
    • Writing / Grammar (6 contact (in-class hours) per week) = $700 per class
    • Communication Skills (3 contact (in-class hours) per week) = $350 per class
    • American Culture (3 contact (in-class hours) per week) = $350 per class (*only required for international students)

Note for Full-Time International Students
Full-time international students in an Intensive English program must register for a total of 18 contact (in-class) hours per semester to comply with visa laws. (This means you must enroll full-time, for three NCELI courses plus American Culture or TOEFL prep (both are 3 contact (in-class) hours).

Tuition deadlines are very important

All ELI classes require tuition payments. You must pay your tuition before the deadline. Henry Ford College applies the same tuition-payment rules to every student. All tuition payment deadlines are final and cannot be changed. We cannot make exceptions for anyone.

If you do not pay your tuition before the deadline, you will not be able to finish your classes, and you will have to leave the ELI Program.

Please be aware of your tuition payment deadlines. We send information about deadlines through your HFC HawkMail email, and we publish all deadlines on the Academic Calendar. You are responsible to know and meet the deadlines.

ESL / ELI Class Guide

Register for classes at the level that matches your CaMLA English Placement Test results. Full-time students must take all three courses at each level.
For-credit students must sign up for ELI prefix classes.
Non-credit students must sign up for NCELI prefix classes.

Level 1 Classes

Credit Class Name Credit Hours Contact Hours (In-class Hours)
ELI 101C ELL Communication Skills 2 3
ELI 101R ELL Reading & Listening 5 6
ELI 101W ELL Writing & Grammar 5 6
NCELI 101A American Culture (*only required for international students) 2 3

Level 2 Classes

Credit Class Name Credit Hours Contact Hours (In-class Hours)
ELI 102C ELL Communication Skills 2 3
ELI 102R ELL Reading & Listening 5 6
ELI 102W ELL Writing & Grammar 5 6
NCELI 102A American Culture (*only required for international students) 2 3

Level 3 Classes

Credit Class Name Credit Hours Contact Hours (In-class Hours)
ELI 103C ELL Communication Skills 2 3
ELI 103R ELL Reading & Listening 5 6
ELI 103W ELL Writing & Grammar 5 6
NCELI 103A American Culture (*only required for international students) 2 3

Level 4 Classes

Credit Class Name Credit Hours Contact Hours (In-class Hours)
ELI 104C ELL Communication Skills 2 3
ELI 104R ELL Reading & Listening 5 6
ELI 104W ELL Writing & Grammar 5 6
NCELI 104A American Culture (*only required for international students) 2 3

After successfully completing ELI 104C, 104R, and 104W, you may enroll in a regular college class along with ELI 105 co-requisite classes.

Level 5 Classes

Credit Class Name Credit Hours Contact Hours (In-class Hours)
ELI 105C ELL Communication Skills 2 3
ELI 105R ELL Reading & Listening 5 6
ELI 105W ELL Writing & Grammar 5 6
NCELI 105A American Culture (*only required for international students) 2 3

Level 6 Classes

Credit Class Name Credit Hours Contact Hours (In-class Hours)
ELI 106C ELL Communication Skills 2 3
ELI 106R ELL Reading & Listening 5 6
ELI 106W ELL Writing & Grammar 5 6
NCELI 106A American Culture (*only required for international students) 2 3

After Completing ELI

After successfully completing the ELI, students must take both of the following:

Credit Class Name Credit Hours Contact Hours (In-class Hours)
ELL 182 ELL Academic Reading 3 3
ELL 192 ELL Academic Writing 3 3