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There is much to know about Academic Transitions (AT).
This page contains the answers to questions that we often receive from students. It contains information about the admissions process, pricing, requirements, and more.
If your question is not answered here please use the contact form and we will get back to you in 1-2 business days.
Please choose a topic to begin:
Admissions
How can I be admitted to AT?
Academic Transitions is required for all students who are conditionally-admitted to an undergraduate program at the University of Delaware. All undergraduate programs at the University of Delaware participate in conditional admissions (except for nursing).
Students must meet admissions requirements of the University of Delaware; however, they are not required to submit a TOEFL or IELTS exam score in order to be conditionally admitted. They will be considered for conditional admissions based on the rest of their application (e.g., their academic background, extracurricular activities, etc.).
In order to determine whether you are eligible for Academic Transitions, you must apply for conditional admission to the University of Delaware.
Is there an application deadline for AT?
There is no application deadline for any student that wishes to apply for conditional admission to the University of Delaware. This is one of the advantages of the program–it is flexible and convenient!
There are 3 start dates for Academic Transitions each year. In addition, students at lower levels can begin the ELI on 6 different start dates during the year.
Is there an option for AT on the application?
Students applying to AT will complete just one application, the new UD Online Application.
Which major should I apply for if I want AT?
All undergraduate programs at the University of Delaware participate in conditional admissions (except for nursing).
Does the ELI have GPA requirements to be admitted to AT?
There is no minimum GPA requirement for students to enter Academic Transitions; however, all students in AT must have been conditionally admitted to the University of Delaware.
This means that all AT students must meet the University’s admissions requirements (except for their English scores).
The University’s Office of Admissions is the only department that determines whether a student is admissible to the University of Delaware’s undergraduate programs.
Who makes the admissions decision for AT?
The University of Delaware’s Office of Admissions is responsible for determining whether a student is admissible to UD’s undergraduate programs. The ELI does not make admissions decisions for degree programs at the University of Delaware.
All AT students must have been conditionally-admitted to the University of Delaware. This means that all AT students must meet the University’s admissions requirements (except for their English scores).
Can graduates from an American high school enroll in AT?
Yes! Any student who meets all admissions requirements for the University of Delaware except for the English requirements is eligible for conditional admission, and therefore can take AT. This includes students who graduate from American high schools.
Minimum English requirements for the University of Delaware are:
☑ TOEFL: minimum score of 79 (Internet-based TOEFL – IBT)
For more information:
Should I choose my track of study in AT at the time that I apply?
There are three tracks of study in Academic Transitions: business, engineering, and arts and sciences. Students will take ELI and UD courses based on their track of study.
You do not have to select the track of study on the ELI application when you apply for Academic Transitions; instead, the ELI will automatically place you in the correct track of study based on the major that is listed on your UD acceptance letter.
Who will issue the I-20 Form -- the ELI or UD?
Who will issue the I-20 Form — the ELI or UD?
All I-20 Forms for ELI programs are issued by the University of Delaware’s International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).
What is the program level that will be listed on the I-20 Form?
Students who show a test score that potentially qualifies them for AT will be issued an I-20 Form with a “program level” that says “Other: Pathway Program.” This follows the U.S. laws about issuing I-20 forms for pathway programs.
A note about placement: Only students who are eligible for Academic Transitions (based on the ELI’s placement process) will receive an I-20 Form for Academic Transitions. Students who do not meet the ELI’s English requirements to enter AT will receive a “Language Training” I-20 Form with an admission to Pre-AT.
What will the I-20 Form show as the duration of my AT program?
Academic Transitions students are typically expected to complete the program in 2 semesters (i.e., 8 months). As a result, the I-20 Form for AT will show a program duration of 8 months.
However, if a student is required to complete an extra 4-month semester of AT (i.e., if a student must complete AT 3), we can extend the I-20 Form for an additional 4 months.
This process is very simple, and students will receive the instructions for this in advance.
I was conditionally admitted. Is there a deadline to accept the offer?
There is no deadline to accept the offer, however, we may not be able to guarantee your desired session start date until you complete the ELI Study Confirmation Form.
In addition, UD’s International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) will not send your Welcome Package and I-20 Form until you complete the Study Confirmation Form and have paid the express mail fee is paid (US $35).
TOEFL/IELTS Exams
Should I take the TOEFL?
We strongly recommend that all students submit a recent, official TOEFL or IELTS score to us.
Although these scores are not required for you to be conditionally admitted to UD, giving these scores to ELI will help students know their placement level before they come to Delaware.
Learn more about placement in AT
Learn more about the advantages of taking a TOEFL or IELTS exam
I submitted a test score. Do I need to take the ELI entrance assessment?
All students are required to take the ELI’s entrance assessment. This includes students who submitted accepted test scores before coming to Delaware.
For students who submit a recent, official accepted test score, this will not change their placement.
The information that we collect on the placement exam helps us determine whether you may need extra support with specific English skills.
For students who do not submit an accepted test score, the placement test will help determine their placement.
Learn more about placement in AT
Learn more about the advantages of taking a TOEFL or IELTS exam
I have a conditional admission. Can I submit a TOEFL/IELTS score to change to direct admission?
For direct admission, the University of Delaware requires a minimum score of 79 on the TOEFL or a minimum score of 6.5 on the IELTS.
After you have been conditionally admitted to UD, if you achieve the minimum score on one of these exams, you can request for your admission status to be changed to a direct admission if you meet ALL of the following requirements:
☑ You must submit an official TOEFL or IELTS exam score to the University of Delaware’s Office of Admissions before May 1.
☑ You must not yet have begun your courses at the ELI. After conditionally-admitted students begin their ELI courses, they are no longer permitted to submit a TOEFL or IELTS exam score to the University to be considered for direct admission; instead, they are required to meet all conditions of their admission.
Can I submit a TOEFL or IELTS score to satisfy my conditional admission requirements?
After conditionally-admitted students begin their ELI courses, they are no longer permitted to submit test scores to the University to be considered for direct admission; instead, they are required to meet all conditions of their admission.
General Questions
When can I start AT?
Qualified students can enter Academic Transitions three times per year.
Each AT semester lasts 4 months and 3 semesters are offered each year.
Is each AT phase offered each semester?
Yes! Each AT phase (i.e., AT1, AT2, AT3) is offered each AT semester.
Academics
How do I earn university credits?
Students can earn up to 28 university credits through the courses that they take in Academic Transitions.
These credits can count toward the requirements for the students’ major, general education requirements, or degree.
What kind of resources are available to help me pass AT?
Academic Transitions is a challenging program. Fortunately, we make many resources available to help students to be successful!
These include:
- Academic advisors
- Academic Success Center (ASC)
- Private and/or cluster tutoring
- Individualized Education Plans
- Cultural activities – opportunities to practice your English and learn about American culture
- Special housing with Americans
- The ELI Women’s Group
- Opportunities to meet privately with teachers for extra support
Housing
What are the housing requirements for AT?
One of the advantages to being a conditionally-admitted student is the opportunity to live with Americans!
All students attending Academic Transitions in person are required to live with Americans either in the ELI’s Global Community, with a homestay host, or in the residence halls on campus.
For the 2021-2022 academic year, AT students can choose ELI’s Global Community or homestay.
Here are some important things to know:
- Students who begin AT in the fall semester will have priority placement in the Global Community.
- Students who begin AT in the spring or summer semester will be placed with a homestay host or in the Global Community, if space allows.
- Pre-AT students are also required to live with Americans in a homestay or in the Global Community.
- Housing is considered an integral part of the Academic Transitions program. Therefore, AT students are required to live in ELI housing or they can risk losing their conditional admission to UD.
Will I be required to live on campus after I finish ELI?
Update: ELI students who matriculate for the 2021-2022 academic year can, but are not required to, live on campus. Please check this page again in Spring 2022 for the 2022-2023 requirements.
Yes! All University of Delaware students are required to complete one academic year in on-campus housing.
This is a wonderful opportunity for international students to become engaged (i.e., involved) in the life and culture of the campus, and it will lead to many fun and enriching experiences!
If I meet AT requirements in the fall, will I be required to live on campus afterward?
Yes! If you are living in the residence halls on campus and you complete AT requirements in December, then you will be required to continue living on campus until the end of that academic year (i.e., until the end of the spring semester in May).
If you live in the Global Community or with a homestay host while in AT and you finish the ELI in December, then you will be required to live on campus for one academic year after you begin your full-time university studies (i.e., you will live in the residence halls during the following spring and fall semesters).
Update: ELI students who matriculate for the 2021-2022 academic year can, but are not required to, live on campus. Please check this page again in Spring 2022 for the 2022-2023 requirements.
Will I lose my university admission if I don't live in ELI housing?
Yes! Conditionally-admitted students have amazing opportunities to live with Americans via our homestay program, the Global Community, or on campus in a residence hall.
Living in these facilities can be very enriching–and fun!
Housing is considered a vital part of the learning experience for conditionally-admitted international students. Therefore, the housing requirement is built into Academic Transitions program and the requirements that must be met in order to graduate from the ELI and to begin full-time university studies.
Students who do not satisfy the housing requirement will not be considered to have completed Academic Transitions. In addition, they risk losing their conditional admission to the university.
Financial Information
AT includes university courses. Do I have to pay tuition and fees to both the ELI and UD?
One of the advantages of the ELI is that it is an official part of the University of Delaware!
This means that, with Academic Transitions, you will pay all of your fees directly to the ELI. The tuition paid to ELI will include both ELI and UD academic courses.
This makes the payment process more simple for our students, and it also makes it easier to know who to go to for help with your bill!
Tuition bills are sent to students by email approximately 1-2 weeks before the beginning of the session. The bill will contain instructions to pay online with a credit card or via a bank wire transfer.
If you have a question about your bill, contact elibilling@udel.edu (remember to include your Student ID number and your name written exactly as it appears in your passport).
Why is AT3 so much cheaper than AT1 and AT2?
The tuition of AT3 is much lower than the tuition for AT1 and AT2. This is true even though AT3 includes up to 12 university credits!
The reason that AT3 is so much cheaper is because it is less expensive for the ELI to offer AT3 than it is to offer AT1 and AT2. Students spend more time using ELI resources in AT1 and AT2 than they do in AT3.
In addition, most students will graduate from the ELI after AT2, so fewer students will need (or choose) to continue in AT3. Since the ELI is a non-profit institution, we pass our cost savings to our students!
Do you have a question about the program price? Contact ud-eli@udel.edu or elibilling@udel.edu.