English as a Second Language (ESL) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes will help you improve your speaking, listening, reading, writing and grammar skills in English.
Whether you want to learn the basics, develop your workplace communication skills or work on accent reduction, our friendly staff are here to help you succeed with these Continuing Education classes.
Students who qualify can improve their basic English skills by taking WorkReadyU's free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. Students can then enhance their English reading, writing and speaking skills by enrolling in Continuing Education (CE) ESL classes, which are offered at all seven Dallas College campuses.
Our ESOL classes can also help you prepare for college or university entrance exams like the TOEFL while you earn college credit toward a certificate or degree or prepare to transfer to a four-year school.
To get started with ESOL classes, you'll need to take an English placement test, then follow-up with an academic advisor. View rubrics for ESOL courses.
“The Dallas College STEM Institute made a big impact in my life. They gave us mentorship, and they had information about how to transfer to a university. It opened the golden door for me to reach my career goals. I appreciate the STEM Institute from the bottom of my heart.” Read Mai Huynh, Ph.D.'s story.

A Look Inside ESOL
My interest is to be a pharmacist.
I want to apply [for a] Master's Degree in secondary education.
I want to have a bachelor's degree in business. That's what I want to do.
I have the opportunity, now, to start college classes.
I'm studying finance and women's and gender studies.
And after I graduate, I will go back to Cambodia, teaching in the university, and help my people.
I would like to learn about art management, museum management, and curator - to become a curator in the USA.
I'm planning to go to the university and study business management.
Once I finish my studies in tourism, to go there and try to work on the tourism in my country.
My goal is to at least get a master's degree in finance and banking. My goal is to study [medicine],
I'm going to be like a Doctor of Surgery.
Whether you're looking to improve your English or just learn the basics, our English as a Second Language classes have something for everyone.
That is the reason I really enjoy all the ESL program because I really wanted to speak English and [Dallas College] taught me how to speak English.
I can improve my English knowledge through writing, reading, grammar and speaking.
What I like, when I was doing my research, is the fact that they have small classes, many classes are small, So I learned a lot.
Smaller class sizes are specifically designed to help our ESOL students quickly begin learning English.
"The smart phone has become..."
The advisor helped me with the schedule - what class should I take - that helped me - to meet my needs. Like if I work all the morning, so I can take an evening class or even on the weekend, they have a class on weekends.
All my classmates are from different countries, from Asia, from Africa.
Korea, Japan, Venezuela, Brazil.
And I met a lot of people from the Middle East and from Iraq.
I have a friend from Japan, and all around the world.
I think I'm going to be the only one wearing a scarf on the campus But, when I came, I saw all the Arabic people here, and they speak English. I felt comfortable and safe.
It is like a multicultural class, but at the same time, you have to learn to communicate in one language.
I love the atmosphere in the class. We have teamwork which is a really great thing. You can build a relationship with other students, and you just have fun with them, they become your friends, so you get to know everybody.
Everyone is really friendly. It's a really friendly and welcoming environment. You feel like you belong here. They don't make you feel like you are from somewhere else. It's a really inclusive and welcoming environment.
I love the diversity. Diversity is my thing. All people are different and beautiful. I love it!
I speak Spanish, so I tried to speak with Asian people with a native speaker from here - America. And that's why it helped me a lot because my fluency got better.
Your success starts in the classroom with dedicated faculty who are trained to work with multi-cultural students.
The quality of classes are really good because the teachers, they really care about your process and if you're learning.
To share all the knowledge they had, they gave me the time to answer any questions that I had.
They will make their time available for you whenever you seek help, when you have a question, whenever you are confused with the material, they will try to help you in order to succeed in college.
I think is the best choice if you want to study English in USA.
I am a different person, right now because of this. So just come with an open mind, ready to learn.
And that is why I am happy right now, because I am a bilingual person. And I can say, "I speak English," "I learned English." It is not a hard goal. If you focus on that, you can accomplish it!
Find Out More About English as a Second Language (ESL and ESOL)
Sign up to receive additional information about English as a Second Language (ESL and ESOL) or call 972-669-6400.
School of Creative Arts, Entertainment and Design
- 972-860-8912
- PathwaySuccess@DallasCollege.edu
Dallas College
- 972-669-6400
- Text College to 214-978-6457
- StudentHelp@DallasCollege.edu
1Length of time is based on catalog degree plans. Prerequisites may be required, which are not included in this estimate. For most programs, full-time student status is assumed, a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester.
2Cost is based on tuition rates for program hours for Dallas County residents. The price of most required learning materials (books, software, supplies, etc.) is included with the price of tuition. Visit our Paying for College site to learn more about cost, financial aid, scholarships and more.
3Each location offers a unique combination of certificate and degree options. Not all degree and certificate offerings are available for admission/start at all campuses every semester.
4A portion of Lightcast’s data comes from O*NET Online by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Lightcast has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.