通用ESL计划面向不希望在哥伦比亚大学注册学术课程但希望在学术环境中提高英语水平的学生。学术预备英语和普通ESL课程分为五个级别。每个级别通常在十四周内完成，尽管水平卓越的学生会更快地上扬。期望并鼓励所有学生充分参与所有课堂活动。我们的计划基于以学生为中心的模型，该模型要求学生以小组形式工作并在教室内进行演示。
You will be placed at the English level that is right for you before entering a high school or university program. You can take a high school or university-level course at the same time based on your English level. The Columbia College English Language Centre (ELC) is for students wishing to improve their English in an academic setting. Students in the ELC have full access to Student Services and college facilities. Programs are offered part-time or full-time (25 hours a week), and cover core skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing, plus additional elective courses. Programs start six times per year with a minimum program length of seven weeks. Once you progress beyond English 097, you can begin registering in high school and university-level programs, and advance further into high school and university-level English. Students do not need to submit external language scores, as Columbia College offers its own language tests. Our Language Programs are proudly accredited by Languages Canada.