
Part-Time Enrollment
The Intensive English Program offers part-time enrollment to anyone (18+) who is interested in improving one or more aspects of their English proficiency. Study with others from around the world from the comfort of your own home, office or preferred quiet place. Depending on the semester schedule, classes may be offered throughout the day or in the evening. Click here to view short IEP student videos.
Benefits of IEP Part-Time Enrollment
Good value ($17 per contact hour)
Enhance academic and professional language skills
Experienced ESL instructors
Convenient location – across from D.H. Hill Library

Time Commitment
The IEP is time-intensive.
The Intensive English Program is not designed for casual or social learners of English.
Generally speaking, for each course hour, you should plan on having up to two hours of work to complete outside of class. The amount of actual homework will depend on the course and the number of hours it meets per week.
Levels of Instruction
4 Intermediate*
5 High Intermediate
6 Low Advanced
*Level 4 is not offered during the summer.
Course Options and Cost
Part-time students can enroll in up to 16 hours/week per semester with the IEP.
Course | Total Course Hours per week | Class Meetings per week | Summer | Fall/Spring |
---|---|---|---|---|
Conversation, Presentation and Listening Skills | 6 hours per week | 4 days per week | $900 | $1485 |
Reading and Vocabulary | 6 hours per week | 4 days per week | $900 | $1485 |
Writing and Grammar | 8-10* hours per week | 4-5 days per week | $1320-$1650 | $1980-$2475 |
Note: The Spring 2021 IEP courses will run online. If you have questions or concerns about attending the IEP classes online, please email iep@ncsu.edu.
*The number of hours per week is dependent on your English level. The cost reflects the number of hours per week.
Notes
- Part-time students can enroll in up to 16 hours/week per semester with the IEP.
- Spring and Fall semesters are approximately 15 weeks and the Summer semester is usually 10 weeks.
- Level 4 is typically not offered during the summer.
- Refunds are issued following the university’s posted policy. A $10 administrative fee will be applied for every class withdrawal processed.
- Because IEP part-time students do not pay university fees, they are not eligible to use university resources such as the recreational center/gym or printing services. In addition, they may not check out or borrow materials from the library.
- NC State does not issue support letters for students wishing to study on a part-time basis in the IEP.
- Part-time students will be in the regular IEP courses with our full-time English language students.
- The IEP primarily serves college-age students wishing to study either at NC State University or other American universities. The majority of students are between the ages of 18-23. These students take the program on a full-time basis and are in classes from 21-23 hours per week.
Frequently Asked Questions
All part-time students are required to take the online IEP placement at the beginning of their first semester in the IEP. The IEP staff will discuss the results of the test with the students and recommend courses that fit the students’ interest, ability, and schedule.
Part-time students MAY take classes at different skill levels to account for their strengths in different skill areas and the result of their placement test. For example, a student with stronger speaking skills may take Conversation/Presentation Skills Level 5 at the same time as Reading/Vocabulary Level 4.
Tentative course schedules will be made available to interested part-time students approximately 2-3 weeks prior to the start date of the next available semester. Final course schedules will be available approximately three days before the first day of class. It is possible, but unlikely, that the schedule has significantly changed during this time period. However, a different instructor may be assigned to course than the one originally indicated or the time of the class may have slightly changed.
Notes:
- The number of sections offered for a given course strictly depends on the total IEP full-time enrollment each semester. Usually, more sections are available in the Fall with fewer options in the Spring and Summer.
- Part-time students are placed in classes with full-time students as long as there are sufficient seats available. Therefore, it is important to register early to secure your seat in a class.
- Part-time students may indicate a preference for a given IEP instructor when registering for courses or in communication with the IEP. Generally, these requests will be honored unless there are insufficient spaces in the section requested. Please note that IEP staff make final placement determinations.
Part-time IEP students will be responsible for all of the work assigned by their instructors. At the end of each semester, they will receive a grade that represents their level of achievement in meeting the student learning outcomes for each course.
In order to advance to the next level for a specific skill, part-time students must achieve a grade of at least 80. This is to ensure that these students have met the student learning outcomes for their course so that they are ready for more challenging material at the next level of instruction. Students may not advance at a given skill level without having passed the course at the previous level of instruction.

Want to learn more about part-time enrollment in the IEP?
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