Course Loads and Advancing Through ESLA Courses

Registration

Success in credit ESLA courses can affect both your course load and how you advance through ESLA courses. It is important to note further restrictions may apply to the ESLA holds seen on Carleton Central (see ‘What Your Hold Really Means‘ section for more information).

How many courses can I take?

The number of additional credits you are permitted to register in along with your ESLA course is limited if you were admitted with an English as a Second Language Requirement (ESLR). Further restrictions may apply to the ESLA holds seen on Carleton Central (see ‘What Your Hold Really Means’ section for more information).

Your initial ESLA placement and course load is based on your student status and the English language test results you submitted during the application process. Returning students ESLA placements and course loads will depend on their student status and their previous ESLA final grade. You should check for your updated ESLA hold at the end of every term. These holds are updated after your final ESLA grade has been officially released on Carleton Central.

Students with an ESLA final grade of B- or higher are normally permitted to add additional credits to their next term of study. Additional credits can not be added until final grades have been officially released and ESLA holds have been updated for the term on Carleton Central (in late August and mid to late December).

What Your ESLA Hold Really Means: ESLA placement/course load including further restrictions:

Fall and Winter Terms

ESLA Hold Type (as seen on Carleton Central VIEW HOLDS/DISPLAY HOLDS)	Undergraduate Degree Student (studying in their program)	Special Student	Graduate Student (studying in their program)
ESLA 1300 + 0.5 credit *Initial placement for the ESLA 1300 level* (Undergraduate/Special)	ESLA 1300 + 0.5 credit per term	ESLA 1300 + 0.5 credit per term	ESLA 1300 + 0.5 credit per term
ESLA 1500 + 0.5 credit Initial placement for the ESLA 1500 level (Graduate Student)	ESLA 1500 + 0.5 credit per term	ESLA 1500 + 0.5 credit per term	ESLA 1500 + 0.5 credit per term
ESLA 1500 + 1.0 credit *Initial placement for the ESLA 1500 level* (Undergraduate/Special)	ESLA 1500 +1.0 credit per term	ESLA 1500 + 0.5 credit per term	ESLA 1500 + 0.5 credit per term
ESLA 1900 + 1.0 credit Initial placement for the ESLA 1900 level (Graduate Student)	ESLA 1900 + 1.0 credit per term	ESLA 1900 + 0.5 credit per term	ESLA 1900 + 1.0 credit per term
ESLA 1900 + 1.5 credit Initial placement for the ESLA 1900 level (Undergraduate/Special)	ESLA 1900 +1.5 credit per term	ESLA 1900 + 0.5 credit per term	ESLA 1900 + 1.0 credit per term
ESLA 1905 + 1.5 credits	N/A (Contact SLaLS)	N/A (Contact SLaLS)	N/A (Contact SLaLS)
ESLA 1905 + 2.0 credits	N/A (Contact SLaLS)	N/A (Contact SLaLS)	N/A (Contact SLaLS)

Summer Term

All students at the university have a course load reduction in the summer term including those admitted with an ESLR.

ESLA Hold Type (as seen on Carleton Central VIEW HOLDS/DISPLAY HOLDS)	Undergraduate Degree Student (studying in their program)	Special Student	Graduate Student (studying in their program)
ESLA 1300 + 0.5 credit *Initial placement for ESLA 1300* (Undergraduate/Special)	ESLA 1300 + 0.5 credit	ESLA 1300 only*	ESLA 1300 + 0.5 credit
ESLA 1500 + 0.5 credit Initial placement for the ESLA 1500 level (Graduate Student)	ESLA 1500 + 0.5 credit	ESLA 1500 only*	ESLA 1500 + 0.5 credit
ESLA 1500 + 1.0 credit *Initial placement for the ESLA 1500 level* (Undergraduate/Special)	ESLA 1500 +0.5 credit	ESLA 1500 only*	ESLA 1500 + 0.5 credit
ESLA 1900 + 1.0 credit Initial placement for the ESLA 1900 level (Graduate Student)	ESLA 1900 + 0.5 credit	ESLA 1900 only*	ESLA 1900 + 0.5 credit
ESLA 1900 + 1.5 credit Initial placement for the ESLA 1900 level (Undergraduate/Special)	ESLA 1900 +1.0 credit	ESLA 1900 only*	ESLA 1900 + 1.0 credit
ESLA 1905 +1.5 credits	N/A (Contact SLaLS)	N/A (Contact SLaLS)	N/A (Contact SLaLS)
ESLA 1905 + 2.0 credits	N/A (Contact SLaLS)	N/A (Contact SLaLS)	N/A (Contact SLaLS)

*During the summer term, Special students are permitted to only register in the required ESLA course unless they have accepted an offer of admission to degree studies in the subsequent fall term. Only Special students with accepted fall admissions can take an additional 0.5 credit along with their ESLA course during the summer.

How do I advance through the different levels of ESLA?

You must show continuous progress in your ESLA courses. This means continuous registration, regular attendance, and grades that show that you are working to improve your English language proficiency levels. If you do not show continuous attendance, registration or progress in your ESLA course(s) you will lose the opportunity to study at Carleton University.

Plagiarism: A Serious Academic Offence

It is a student’s responsibility to be informed about what is and is not an acceptable practice at the university. Please read about Plagiarism/Cheating in an ESLA course and the consequences if you are registered in an ESLA course.

Attendance

Attend all your ESLA classes starting from the first class of the term. Attendance in ESLA course(s) is mandatory. ESLR students who do not attend their ESLA classes may be denied access to future registration at the University. Lack of attendance will also affect your final grade in the course.

Number of Allowable Attempts at a particular ESLA Course Level

Students who do not achieve the minimum final grade required to advance to the next level of an ESLA course after three attempts, at the same ESLA course level, will not be permitted to register in any credit courses for one calendar year. This means they may not take any course at the University for three (3) terms.

Break in Study

Once you begin taking credit ESLA courses, if you are not planning to study at Carleton University during a term, you must complete and return a Break in Study and/or ESLR Extension Request form to the School of Linguistics and Language Studies (SLaLS) office or email credit_esla@carleton.ca from your MyCarleton/Connect email account. If you take a break in studies for 3 terms or longer, you must take a SLaLS-approved English language proficiency test before returning to your studies and register according to your new results. You may only return to your ESLA studies if your ESLR deadline has not passed or you have been granted an extension.

ESLR Deadline

Every student admitted with an English as a Second Language Requirement (ESLR) has an expected ESLR deadline. This is the date by which you are expected to satisfy the ESLR, either through a grade of B- or higher in ESLA 1900 or by completing a School of Linguistics and Language Studies (SLaLS) approved English language test and receiving official results high enough to satisfy the ESLR. Students are expected to satisfy the ESLR within one calendar year of their initial enrollment. Note that taking a break in studies, withdrawing from an ESLA course, and/or having to repeat a course level does NOT extend the expected finish date. Your expected finish date can be found in your ESLR Deadline hold in CARLETON CENTRAL under DISPLAY HOLDS. In exceptional circumstances an extension (maximum of one or two terms) beyond this one calendar year may be granted by SLaLS. Your registration, attendance and/or progress in your required ESLA courses are considered. If you require an extension, you must apply for it using the Break in Study and/or ESLR Extension Request form. If your deadline has passed and you have not been granted an extension, you will need to satisfy the ESLR before returning to studies.

Withdrawing from an ESLA Course

Once registration for a term ends, students are not able to withdraw themselves from their ESLA course on Carleton Central. After withdrawing from all other courses on Carleton Central, students need to contact the Registrar’s Office, 300 Tory, 613 520-3500, registrar@carleton.ca, to request they be withdrawn from their ESLA course.

Very Important Information Pamphlets

Every term, registered ESLA students receive an electronic message with the following important information about ESLR, registration issues, ESLA courses and available support. Some areas of the pamphlet change significantly depending on the term, especially the Registration section.

How is my final ESLA grade used?

Students admitted with an ESLR have their ESLA final grade used in two ways.

1. To determine if you can move to the next ESLA course level

For a placement into ESLA 1500, you must have a C or higher in ESLA 1300. For a placement into ESLA 1900/1905, you must have a C+ or higher in ESLA 1500. To satisfy the ESLR, you must have a B- or higher in ESLA 1900 or 1905**. (Students can also satisfy the ESLR by submitting English language test high enough to meet the requirements.) **Some Graduate programs may only require an ESLA 1500 final grade of B- or higher to satisfy the English as a Second Language Requirement (ESLR). Graduate students should check with their department. TIPS for Registering:

Space in ESLA courses is limited; register as soon as possible.
Students registered in summer ESLA courses are permitted to register in the next level of ESLA course in the fall and winter terms before they receive their final ESLA grade.
If you plan to study in both the fall and winter terms, please remember to register in the winter term immediately after completing your fall term registration. You do not have to wait until you have your fall ESLA final grades before you can register. Space in ESLA courses is limited.

2. To determine if you can increase your current course load

Once ESLA final grades have been officially released and ESLA holds have been processed and updated on Carleton Central, eligible students who receive a final grade of B- or higher in their ESLA course may be permitted to add additional credit in their next term of study. ESLA holds are updated in late August (summer term) and in mid to late December (fall term).

ESLA Course Registered In	ESLA Final Grade for Current Term	ESLA Hold for Next Term of Study (See ‘What Your Hold Really Means‘ section for further restrictions.)
ESLA 1300	A+ to B-	Can move to ESLA 1500; credit load listed in Carleton Central will increase to 1.0 credit.
	C+ and C	Can move to ESLA 1500; no increase to credit load.
	C- or lower	Must repeat ESLA 1300; no increase in credit load.
ESLA 1500	A+ to B-	Can move to ESLA 1900; loads listed in Carleton Central will increase to 1.5 credits.
	C+	Can move to ESLA 1900; no increase in credit load.
	C or lower	Must repeat ESLA 1500; no increase in credit load.
ESLA 1900	A+ to B-	ESLR Satisfied; No more ESLA required or credit load restrictions.
	C+ or lower	Must repeat ESLA 1900, no increase in credit load.
ESLA 1905	A+ to B-	ESLR Satisfied; No more ESL required or credit load restrictions.
	C+ or lower	Must repeat ESLA 1900/1905, no increase in credit load.

Graduate students have different exit requirements as the English as a Second Language Requirement (ESLR) varies from program to program.

Please note your final ESLA grades can also impact your ability to remain registered in your degree program.

Undergraduate students may be able to use their ESLA credit(s) towards their degree (see the Undergraduate calendar).