Classes for F-1 Students

Students who study ESL in the United States on an F-1 visa are required to study full time. Full time is 18 hours of class per week. At HOFT, that means 4.5 hours X 4 Classes per week.

Students can start almost any time.

All F-1 students that study ESL in the United States need a Form I-20, which is a “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status.” HOFT Institute is authorized by the US government to issue the I-20 form. See the list of required documents here.

Getting the I-20 from a U.S. school is not enough to obtain legal F-1 student status. It is necessary to enter the U.S. with the appropriate F-1 documents or approval for a change of status from another type of nonimmigrant visa (see Change of Status).

Our Austin ESL program is for adult learners at all levels of English proficiency, from beginner to advanced.  Students will take reading, writing, grammar, listening/speaking, and elective courses (which change every semester based on student interest).

An ESL placement test of about 1 hour, including a short interview and writing task, will determine your placement, and we recognize that sometimes students have different levels for different skills (for example, they might test into Basic Level Writing but Intermediate Level Listening/Speaking).

We have the only intensive ESL course in Texas that allows F-1 students to do both two-days-a-week (Monday and Wednesday OR Tuesday and Thursday) and four-days-a-week (Monday to Thursday) programs that meet the requirements of their visa.

Free academic advising, student club activities, social events, and daily conversation partner opportunities with American volunteers are all aspects of our Texas ESL program.