All Wake Tech campuses will remain closed Tuesday, January 27, 2026. Students taking in-person classes should check with their instructors for more information. Online classes will continue as scheduled. Many Wake Tech services, including Admissions and Academic Advising, are available virtually at virtualsupport.waketech.edu. Wake Tech employees who can work remotely should do so.
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is an English as a Second Language (ESL) program designed to develop the academic English skills of college-level students who wish to study in the U.S. Most students in the program are immigrants new to the U.S. The program also helps working adults improve language skills for professional development and career advancement.
Wake Tech has students from all over the world and has an office devoted to assisting them. The college's International Students Office has information about obtaining a student visa or handling other matters.
The EFL program offers the following courses in sequence:
Grammar: EFL-081, -082, -083 and -084 Levels 1, 2 and 3 (-081, -082 and -083) cover basic word forms and verb tenses and usage. Level 4 (-084) covers noun, adjective and adverb clauses and sentence structure.
Reading: EFL-071, -072, -073 and -074 Coursework presents increasingly higher-level vocabulary and reading passages.
Composition: EFL-091, -092, -093, -094 and -095 Coursework moves from basic sentences to paragraphs to a five-paragraph essay (-094) and a research paper (-095).
Listening/speaking: EFL-061, -062, -063 and -064
Classes meet for one hour daily, Monday through Thursday, during the 16-week Fall and Spring semesters. Fall semester runs August to December, and the Spring semester runs January to May. Classes meet for 90 minutes daily, Monday through Thursday, during the 10-week Summer term, which runs May to July.
EFL courses provide five credit hours each. The cost-per-credit hour for EFL is the same as for any curriculum course at Wake Tech. Federal financial aid may be used to pay for EFL courses if you qualify, but make sure you are aware of limitations and restrictions that may apply. Contact the Financial Aid Office for advice about using aid.
Sign up for and take the EFL placement test. NOTE: Once you complete the EFL program, you will be able to enter the academic program of your choice without any additional testing.
Meet with an advisor by emailing the EFL Office at [email protected]. The advisor will review your test score and may interview you or request a writing sample to determine your level of skill and recommend appropriate courses.
Register for classes on Self-Service. You will be given a Wake Tech ID and a computer username and password, after which you can log in to the system and register for classes.
"My English skills are improving with their help."
