Participant Qualifications

Overview

The EHLS program is designed for nonnative speakers of English who have professional-level language skills in their heritage language and want to develop similar proficiency in English. Potential participants must also be able to answer "yes" to these questions:

• Am I willing and able to participate in a full-time intensive English program for six months?
• Do I live in, or am I willing to move to, one of the cities where the program is offered? In 2011, the program will be offered in Washington, DC. Please note that a relocation reimbursement is available for qualified applicants from outside the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

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About Heritage Languages

A heritage language is a person's home or ancestral language; the language that was spoken in the person's family. For many individuals, the heritage language and the native language are the same. People who are the children of immigrants, on the other hand, may consider the language of the country where they grew up their native language, and the language of their parents' country of origin their heritage language.

Self-Assessment

To determine whether you qualify for the EHLS program, use the language self-assessment grids. These grids allow you to think about your listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills and rate them according to broad proficiency levels. The grids are not language specific. Use them to assess both your native language proficiency and your English language skills. Read More >