When applying for admission to UTEP, the Office of Admissions and Recruitment will determine if an applicant should enroll in the ESOL program. Typically, students whose native language is not English, and/or whose post-secondary education was not in English, are advised to enroll in ESOL courses. Enrollment in ESOL courses is by permission of the Department of Languages and Linguistics, and prospective students need to take an English language placement test before they register in an ESOL class.
At present, the SLEP (Secondary Level English Proficiency) test is being used for placement into the ESOL program.
Who is required to take the placement test?
- Non-English speaking students who received their secondary education (high school) in a language other than English.
- Students who attended English as a Second Language or bilingual classes in high school.
- Students who have taken the TOEFL exam but did not attain the score required to be placed directly into regular courses offered in English.
- Students taking the Prueba de Aptitud Academica (PAA) as part of the admissions requirements.
The English language placement exam is administered by the Student Assessment & Testing office. For more information on requirements, procedures, and testing dates, please go to http://academics.utep.edu/testing or call (915)747-5009.
Please take the placement exam as early as possible to secure a space in the appropriate ESOL course, and to be able to find a class that best fits your schedule.
What does the SLEP exam evaluate?
The SLEP exam has three parts. The first part evaluates students’ ability to understand spoken English, while the second section focuses on written English. These two sections are in a multiple-choice format and take approximately an hour and a half to complete. If a score of 57 or above is obtained on these two sections, a third section will be added. This section evaluates students’ ability to write an essay in English, and has a time limit of 30 minutes.
How are the SLEP scores used?The SLEP scores range from 20 to 67. Depending on the score obtained, students will be placed in one or more ESOL courses, as described in the next table:
| Score |
Placement |
| 20 - 36 |
ESOL 1910 |
| 37 - 51 |
ESOL 1610 |
| 52 - 56 |
ESOL 1406 & ESOL 1309 |
| 57 or higher |
Qualifies to take the essay |
If a score of 57 or above is obtained,
the written section should be completed.
|
The essay score will be used to determine
placement in reading/writing ESOL courses. |
If essay score is below 4
|
ESOL 1406 & 1309
|
If essay score is 4 or above
|
ESOL 1311 & ESOL 1310 or
ESOL 1312 & ESOL 1310
|
How do I register to take the placement exam?A space can be reserved online at http://testing.utep/edu, via phone by calling (915) 747-5009, or in person at the Students Assessment & Testing Office, located in the Academic Advising Center Bldg., room 127. Information about test dates, procedures, fees, and required forms of identification are available at http://academics.utep.edu/testing
Note* An official identification card (with photo) is required to take the exam.
Is it possible to re-take the exam?
The SLEP can be re-taken after one year from the previous test date (unless ESOL courses are taken during that period). There is a fee to re-take the exam.
How is the SLEP different from the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)?Students whose native language is not English may opt to take the TOEFL test and submit their TOEFL score when they apply for admission to UTEP. If the TOEFL score is high enough for admission into regular courses offered in English, no ESOL courses need to be taken. More information on the TOEFL test is available at
http://academics.utep.edu/testing or in the Educational Testing Services website
www.ets.org.