Academic Writing
This course helps students whose first language is not English develop their academic writing skills. The course covers:
- Essay structure
- Rhetoric
- Grammatical accuracy
- Paraphrasing
- Citing sources
- Critical thinking
- Editing and revising work
The course is thematic: you will explore different topics and themes (current affairs, social issues, etc.) by reading, listening, and discussing material, and then write essays about that material. The instructors will provide extensive feedback to help you edit and revise your own writing.
Dates and Prices
Tuition and fees are subject to Board of Trustee approval and may change.
ALP points/credits information
This is a non-credit course. Students will be billed by points, not credits. Academic Writing is billed as 6 points.
For a full explanation of fees, see below.
Explanation of Part-Time Fees*
Important note: All part-time students studying in Fall and Spring are required to have Columbia Health Insurance and pay the Health and Related Services Fee. See below for details.
Health Insurance: Columbia Medical Insurance is required for all students. Those with comparable U.S. health insurance may submit a waiver request to avoid the health insurance charge. Visit the Columbia Health website for complete information.
Health and Related Services Fee: All ALP students are required to pay the Columbia Health and Related Services Fee.. This fee covers access to Columbia health services such as medical, counseling, wellbeing, sexual violence response and disability services. The Health and Related Services fee is mandatory, even if students successfully apply for a health insurance waiver.
Activity Fee: this covers SPS expenses relating to handbooks, events and activities.
Instructional Support Fee: this covers class materials and expenses such as playbooks, novels, newspapers, photocopying.
Technology Fee: this covers SPS technology expenses, including access to online course management software, Canvas, and tools used to develop online course content.
Estimated Textbook Cost: Instructors may assign books or media materials during the session. Students are not billed for books and materials but purchase them independently.
*Note: not all fees are refundable if students withdraw from the course. For a full explanation see the Withdrawal and Tuition Refund page of the ALP website.
Application Requirements
Level
This course is open only to advanced learners. All new applicants must take the ALP's online placement test before admission, and test into ALP level 7 or higher.
Part-time courses and the F-1 Student Visa
Students who are not US residents or citizens must have a student visa to enroll in the ALP. To qualify for a student visa, you must be enrolled in full-time study (18 hours or more per week). ALP part-time courses do not qualify you for a student visa.
Matriculated Columbia Students
The application fee is waived. The tuition quoted is for ALP registrants only. Students registering through other divisions of Columbia will pay at the per-point rate of their home schools.
Columbia Employees
Columbia University employees may be eligible to receive Tuition Exemption Benefits and/or the Reduced Employee Rate.
To review your eligibility and coverage, go to CUBES, the CU Benefits Enrollment System, and log in with your UNI and password, then select Tuition. If eligible, the Tuition Exemption Benefit usually covers one ALP course per term, up to a maximum of two per academic year, but please confirm this first.
For information about all of the available tuition benefit programs visit the Tuition Programs page of the Human Resources website.
Connect with Us
Learn more about American Language Program at Columbia University, or contact the program advisor.
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