Conversation & Fluency

Who should take this course?

Students who would like to focus on conversation, fluency-building, and American culture topics will benefit from the Conversation and Fluency program. In addition to structured lessons in grammar and vocabulary development, students will have many opportunities to interact with other international students and UC San Diego Conversation Leaders who are native English speakers and members of the community. Two cultural field trips, plus presentations made by guest speakers are integrated into the classroom experience. For a less intensive conversation program, try our 10-hour per week Conversation Program. All levels of English proficiency are welcome to take this program. A student’s English proficiency is determined during orientation at the time the student arrives at UC San Diego English Language Institute (ELI).

Can I use my tourist (B) visa or ESTA to attend this program?

If you plan to come to the U.S. mainly for tourism, but you also want to improve your English, you can apply to this 4-week program with reduced weekly hours. Instead of 20 hours of instruction per week, you will have 15 hours per week.

In the 15-hour/week part-time Conversation & Fluency schedule, the reading and writing component will be omitted; guest speakers and field trips will vary according to availability during the schedule of this less intensive program.

2019 Dates (click here for complete list of program dates):

• January 7 - February 1
• February 4 - March 1
• March 4 - 28 (March 29 is a holiday)
• July 1 - 26
• July 29 - August 23
• August 26 - September 20
• November 18 - December 13

Program Schedule:

• Monday – Friday
• 20 or 15 hours per week
• Schedule varies depending on English level

Cost (in U.S. dollars):

• Application Fee: $150 (nonrefundable)
• FedEx fee: $50 (optional, but recommended) - not necessary in the 15 hours per week program
• 2019 Tuition:  $2,000 (20 hours per week / 80 hours total)
• 2019 Tuition:  $1,800 (15 hours per week / 60 hours total)
• 2019 International Student Service Fee: $175
• UC San Diego Extension medical insurance: $180
• Books/Materials: Approximately $150-175 (Payment CANNOT be made in advance. Books and materials must be purchased upon arrival at UC San Diego.)

Advisory About Variable Enrollments

Enrollment numbers in our Academic, Conversation, and Conversation and Fluency programs vary greatly from month to month. If our placement tests indicate that your English proficiency level does not permit placement in the original 4-week program class, we may place you in 4 weeks of study in a corresponding 4-week or 8-week program, or we may provide a combination of classes and individual tutoring to ensure a program of 15 or 20 hours per week for 4 weeks. Alternatively, we may decide to place all 4-week program students in level-appropriate classes in a corresponding 4-week or 8-week program in order to provide a program of 15 or 20 hours per week for 4 weeks. When this happens the students’ 4-week program will have the features described for the new 4- or 8-week program, not the features described for the original program. The tuition and fees for the students’ 4-week program enrollment will remain the same.