Placement

 

An EAP teacher and student smiling and working at a shared table

 

Taking an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course is required for some new international students and encouraged for other international students who are unfamiliar with the conventions of academic writing in U.S. higher education.  

The EAP requirement for undergraduate and graduate students is determined by GW policy; as a result, the EAP program does not waive individual students from the requirement. 

 

Undergraduate Placement

  • Please see GW's policy regarding which newly admitted international undergraduate students are required to take EAP 1015: Academic Writing for International Students.
  • The requirement to take EAP 1015 will be communicated to students in DegreeMAP. If you think the EAP requirement was placed in error, contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
  • Even if not required, international students who are not familiar with academic writing in the United States are also encouraged to register for EAP 1015 in order to develop their skills before taking UW 1020. 
  • Students need to earn a C- or higher to successfully complete EAP 1015; then after completing EAP 1015, students will go on to take University Writing (UW) 1020 and two Writing in the Disciplines (WID) courses to fulfill GW's general education requirement. 
  • Undergraduate EAP courses are credit-bearing and count towards a degree.

Please contact Professor Siczek with questions about undergraduate EAP courses. 

 

Graduate Placement

  • Please see GW’s policy regarding which newly admitted international graduate students are required to take an EAP course. 
  • Graduate students are initially placed into one of two EAP levels (EAP 6110 or EAP 6111) based on their TOEFL (or equivalent) scores when they are admitted to the university. This placement will be indicated in students’ letter of admission. If you have not received this notification, please contact your school's admission office.  
  • International graduate students who are not required to take an EAP course are encouraged to register if they want to develop their academic writing and research skills, provided there is space available in the class. 
  • Before the new semester begins, students will complete an online diagnostic writing sample to ensure they take the most appropriate EAP course for their needs. Some students may need to switch levels based on their results, but it’s important to note that taking either level (EAP 6110 or EAP 6111) fulfills GW’s EAP requirement. 
  • Students taking EAP should anticipate additional tuition expenses and possibly additional time to complete their degree programs.   
  • Graduate EAP courses are credit-bearing and grades are indicated on students’ academic transcripts.  In most cases, however, EAP does not count towards the credit requirements or GPA for students’ degree program.  Check with your school for their specific policies.   

Please contact Professor Dolgova with questions about graduate EAP courses. 

 

"I had a whole new experience in having class at GW because of the attitude of the professors and the students. My favorite class was Academic Communication. This was the smallest class I have ever taken, so every student had his/her own opportunity to speak. The class was composed of students from different places, hence, I could even learn something from their culture and how they view things. The professor was nice and caring. Although she would give us difficult tasks, she would make sure that we understood what to do and we could email her or meet her when we needed help."

Puiieng (Cherry) Ho

Exchange Student from University of Macau Honours College