ESL PROGRAM
The program at Heidelberg College Japan is similar to that of the Heidelberg English Language Institute (HELI) at Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, U.S.A. Anyone with a high school degree and a basic understanding of English may apply. Acceptance is based on a written essay and an interview in English plus previous scholastic records and/or recommendations from teachers.
The new school year begins with a Welcoming Ceremony followed by activities which help first-year students to become acquainted with their second and third-year classmates. First-year students also receive a two-week orientation to the Heidelberg College Japan program and American-type classes.
Students are placed into the following levels according to their placement test scores, grades, attendance (80% or above required, and instructors' recommendations:
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Students are promoted to higher levels according to their placement test scores, TOEFL scores, evaluations, attendance (a minimum of 80% is required), and/or instructors' recommendations. An institutional TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is given three times a year. Note that HCJ has no classes for Beginners, that is, those with no proficiency in English.Advanced students are encouraged to take courses for credit, which are open to all high school graduates. Non-native speakers must have a minimum of 500 on the TOEFL to be eligible. A maximum total of 12 credit hours may be transferred to Heidelberg College in Ohio. The courses for credit are offered at the Hokkaido International School campus in Sapporo.
Upon successful completion of the program, most Heidelberg students go to colleges in North America. See Student Advising. According to Toshiyuki Hatta, a former HCJ student who is not attending Heidelberg College in Ohio, "I was not sure if the things that I learned in Japan campus [were] useful or not when I was studying [at the] Japan campus. But I am sure everything that I learned [at the] Japan campus is very useful."
(Also see the Flow Chart in Japanese.)
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