International Education

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• Basic Facts about Pierce College
• United States
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Regular college classes

International Students who wish to take regular university level classes at Pierce College may enter the college in one of four ways:

1. Successfully complete all four levels of ESL in our Intensive English Program (IEP). After completing all four IEP levels, the TOEFL® exam is not required for entry into regular university-level classes.
2. Pass the TOEFL® exam with a minimum score of 173/500/61 before coming to Pierce College. Students who have already taken the TOEFL® exam in their home countries and have a minimum score of 173 on the computer-based test (CBT), 500 on the paper-based test (PBT), or 61 on the iBT may skip the Intensive English Program and go directly to university-level classes.
3. Pass the TOEFL® exam with a score of at least 173/500/61 while enrolled in the IEP. A score of at least 500 on the PBT, 173 on the CBT, or 61 on the iBT is required in order to skip completion of level four of the IEP and enroll in university-level classes.
4. There are a few other ways some international students may enter regular university-level classes without achieving a minimum TOEFL® score of 173/500/61 or graduating from the Pierce College Intensive English Program:
   1. In very rare cases, a student who plans to study ESL in the Intensive English Program but who gets an exceptionally high score on the IEP placement test may be recommended for entry into regular university-level classes instead of IEP classes.
   2. International students who can provide proof of graduation and a written recommendation from an accredited high school in the United States may be admitted to regular university-level classes.
   3. International students who can provide proof of graduation and a written recommendation from an approved English language program in the United States may be admitted to regular university-level classes.
   4. International students from countries where the language of instruction in school is English and/or English is recognized as an official language may not need a TOEFL® Exam score for admission to Pierce College.

Degrees and Certificates

At Pierce College, we offer a wide variety of educational experiences to get you to where you want to be. We offer Associate degrees for transfer to a four-year university and professional and technical degrees and certificates.