Foundation Program

Strengthen your foundations for university studies in English

The University of New York in Prague teaches exclusively in English, and we therefore require that all students have sufficient English language skills to benefit from our degree programs and contribute to the classes.

The goal of the Foundation Program is to improve the English language skills of prospective UNYP students so that they can qualify for a degree course. Credits awarded for courses on the ESL2 program may be applied towards a UNYP bachelor’s degree.

Admission

Applicants for bachelor’s degrees who score between 49 and 69 out of 120 on the UNYP institutional English language test (or the equivalent on other internationally recognized tests of English listed in the table below, or as approved by UNYP’s Foundation Program Advisor and/or Rector) and who fulfill all other requirements for admission may be admitted conditionally to the UNYP Foundation Program.

Placement

Placement within the Foundation Program is determined by the student’s score on the TOEFL examination, institutional English language test, or other approved internationally recognized English language tests. Students are placed into one of three levels of the Foundation Program, as determined by the score range.

Foundation Program options

English as a Second Language, Level 1 (ESL 1)

• Length: 1 semester
• In‐class hours per week: 15 (6 grammar; 6 reading and writing; 3 listening)
• Expected average hours of external work per week (preparation, homework): 45
• Access to university‐level courses: None
• Course grade: The student is assigned a “Pass” or “Fail“ by the Registrar’s Office based on the results of the final examination.

English as a Second Language, Level 2 (ESL 2)

• Length: 1 semester
• In‐class hours per week: 9 (3 grammar; 3 reading and writing; 3 listening)
• Expected average hours of external work per week (preparation, homework): 27
• Access to university‐level courses: Limited to 3‐4 semester credits/6‐8 ECTS (1 course from the list below):
  • Introduction to University Studies (1 semester credit / 2 ECTS)
  • Computers and Applications (2 semester credits / 4 ECTS)
• Expected progression: Unconditional admission to a UNYP bachelor’s degree program and/or English Composition Skills depending on the test result at the end of the semester
• Composition depending on end of semester test result
• Course grade: The student is assigned a “Pass” or “Fail” by the Registrar’s Office based on the results of the final examination (see Progression chart). The “Pass” level is 72 or above.
   

Progression Chart

* The scores listed are approximations; further diagnostic tests are required in order to accurately place applicants.
**All students must write an entrance essay in case recommendations need to be made for additional writing support such as English Composition Skills.
*** The list of examinations above is not exhaustive. Additional examination results may be considered subject to approval from the Director of Academic Writing, the Registrar and the Rector.

Foundation Program students must obtain permission from the Foundation Program Advisor or the Rector before retaking UNYP’s institutional English language test with the Admissions department. The ESL 1 and 2 courses may be merged to accommodate all the students in the Foundation Program, depending on enrolment numbers.

During the regular scheduled final examination period, the Foundation Program instructors or the Admissions department will administer UNYP’s institutional English language test and/or the official TOEFL to the Foundation Program students. The Registrar’s Office will use these results to pre‐register (or adjust existing pre‐registrations for) the students for the next semester based on the table.

If the student has progressed beyond the Foundation Program but is not quite ready for Composition I, the student will be enrolled in the English Composition Skills course.
Pre-Composition students will have UNYP degree program access but English Composition Skills will not earn credit toward a degree.

Students who have not progressed from their original placement after two semesters of study, or have not qualified for enrollment as full‐time, degree‐seeking, university students after three semesters of study, are dismissed from UNYP.

The UNYP attendance policy applies to the Foundation Program. Students with more than the maximum allowed unexcused absences from any component of the Foundation Program will fail the course; the Registrar’s Office will immediately assign a grade of “F” and the student will not be allowed to continue attending the Program during that semester. The student may re‐enroll in the same level of the Foundation Program in the next semester.