The Intensive English as a Second Language Program has been a well known and highly respected program in the academic community for over 25 years. We offer small classes and personal attention from qualified instructors. Most students in the E.S.L. program at Coe are planning to study in a college or university in the U.S., so our program is directed towards academic English. Students study structure, reading, listening, academic skills, writing and pronunciation, and students may also choose a special TOEFL Preparation course. There are also opportunities for field trips, fun, and friendship. Students can practice their language skills with English-speaking conversation partners as well as meet American families.
Students in the Intensive E.S.L. Program live with American students in double rooms in campus dormitories, and they eat in the Coe cafeteria. Since Coe is a small college, the atmosphere is friendly and supportive. Cedar Rapids is a safe and pleasant city, and you will have opportunities to meet many Americans.

About Cedar Rapids:
Cedar Rapids, located in the rolling terrain of eastern Iowa, is a pleasant, safe, and clean city, with a metropolitan population of 135,000. It is big enough to offer opportunities in the arts and in business yet small enough to get around in easily. Within 250 miles of Chicago, Minneapolis, and St. Louis, Cedar Rapids is served by the Eastern Iowa Airport and United, TWA, Northwest and America West airlines. Students coming from other countries will find that people who live in Cedar Rapids are friendly and interested in meeting people from other cultures. Many local residents invite international students to share holiday activities and meals with their families. Cedar Rapids has excellent recreational facilities with many parks, two large shopping malls, and a convenient downtown shopping and banking area. Within walking distance of Coe College, a new civic center offers entertainment ranging from popular music concerts and sports exhibitions to traditional Midwest family events. The entertainment facilities also include the oldest symphony orchestra west of the Mississippi River, a major community theater, an art museum, a science museum, and more than 20 movie theaters.