Institute

Study English in the USA at A.C.E. Language Institute at the University of Rhode Island. This institute is currently only for students who plan on attending the University of Rhode Island but do not meet the University's English proficiency requirements. International students who meet the University of Rhode Island's academic requirements but do not meet URI's English proficiency requirements can receive "conditional admission" to URI to complete A.C.E.'s program and then enter URI directly with no TOEFL score required. A.C.E. students spend 18-21 hours a week in intensive English language classes. A.C.E. students will live in a dorm on campus.

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Read the complete press release from the URI News page.

About Kingston

Located in the historic village of Kingston, the University of Rhode Island is close to the ocean and major beaches. Just 30 miles south of Providence, URI is within easy reach of Newport, Boston, and New York City. Kingston is only 10 minutes to the beach, 90 minutes to Boston and 2.5 hours to New York City. It has convenient access to a train station only one mile from campus. The climate is humid continental, with warm, humid summers and cold winters.

University Info

The University of Rhode Island is a major research institute in a small, beautiful place with really big thinking. URI received the prestigious Simon Award for Campus Internationalization.

• URI has 13,000 Undergraduates and 3,000 Graduate Students
• Over 115 years old, URI was founded in 1892
• More than 80 majors, among the seven degree-granting colleges:
  College of Arts & Sciences
  College of Business Administration
  College of Engineering
  College of Environment and Life Sciences
  College of Human Science and Services
  College of Nursing
  College of Pharmacy
  
• Public research university with land, sea, and urban grant heritage
• 45 states and D.C. represented
• 58 nations represented

Program Cost

Tuition fees for Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 only. Fees may change without notice. One A.C.E. session is equal to half of a URI semester. Students are required to pay tuition and fees for a full semester. If a student elects to leave after one A.C.E. session, only the Intensive Program Tuition for their second session will be refunded.

* URI course will meet one general education requirement towards Bachelor's Degree.

** Student services fee includes campus based services and health service access for fall and spring semester students. The fee in Summer 2013 is $120, which includes campus based services and activities, but does not include on-campus health services.

*** Residence Halls fees are approximate and vary depending on location and single / double occupancy. Students will pay residency fees after arrival. See details on URI campus living here.

**** Students should enroll in the health insurance plan stipulated by URI. Students beginning in the Fall should enroll in 12 months coverage for $1,676. Students beginning in the Spring should enroll in 8 months of coverage for $1039.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

"Cancellation" means informing A.C.E. in writing before the first day of classes of a given prepaid session that the student will not attend. No refunds are offered after the session has started. There is a $250 cancellation fee applied for all cancellations regardless of the number of prepaid sessions. However, all sessions' tuition and refundable charges will be refunded if cancelled before the start of the session. Students must submit a completed Cancellation and Refund Form to A.C.E. No refunds are issued if a student is dismissed for disciplinary reasons. No refunds are issued for application or housing placement fees. Portions of requested refunds may be issued to agency organizations that the student selected. Refunds can also be applied to tuition and fees in future sessions by student request. Should there be any change to the cancellation and refund policy, the policy that was in place at the time of the student's prepayment shall be maintained until the end of the prepaid term.

Financial Documentation for F-1 Visa Students

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requires that students have sufficient financial resources to meet school and living costs while in the U.S. The student, parents, or a sponsor must provide a current bank statement or an official letter from a bank verifying sufficient funds.

Other Expenses

Students should expect to buy books at a cost of $100-$200 per session. Students should budget additional money for personal expenses such as travel or entertainment. These expenses will vary.

Payment of Fees

A.C.E. will accept payment by traveler's check, personal check drawn on a U.S. bank, cashier's check, credit card, or wire transfer. To pay by wire transfer you must add a $30 wire transfer fee to the amount invoiced.

Calendar

The A.C.E. Language Institute sessions closely match the schedule of the university during the school year. During the summer, there is more variation to the schedules, due to shorter university summer terms.

* Applications after the deadline may be considered individually on a space available basis, as time permits for housing and visa processing

** Summer sessions at URI are extra intensive 4-week courses, with additional class hours to match the standard 7.5-week curriculum. Tuition and fees remain the same, but housing will be prorated.

A.C.E. Language Institute Holidays at URI

Housing

A.C.E. students will live in a dorm on campus.

Dormitories are very clean, modern and convenient (near your classes) You will live in the same dorm as American students, make friends, and practice your English every day You can choose to live with one or more other students This environment is most appropriate for traditional undergraduate students. Married student housing is not currently available on campus.

Cost: Approximately $1650 - $2750 per 7.5 week session. Click here for detailed rates.

A.C.E. Language Institute at URI offers Homestay Services, too! Living with an American family allows you to adjust to your new school and culture in a supportive and nurturing environment. Please contact Daniel Carniaux at danielc@cultural.org for information, rates and how to apply.

Meet our Staff

Kimberly Sizelove, Director

Kimberly Sizelove, Director of A.C.E. Language Institute at the University of Rhode Island has recently joined the A.C.E team. She has extensive and varied experience in program administration, curriculum development and ESL instruction. Inspired by teaching EFL in Okinawa, Kimberly completed an MA in TESOL at Ball State University in Indiana.

She developed an international teaching career by moving to the Netherlands where she helped shape the English language program and worked as a team leader at the School of Economics at Fontys University of Applied Science for 18 years. She also published a commercially successful series of EFL textbooks for Dutch college students, became fluent in Dutch, married a Dutchman, and had two children. It won't be surprising to learn that tulips are her favorite flowers!

Upon her relocation to the USA in 2008, she set up a successful semester abroad program between participating universities from the Netherlands and the USA. She expanded her knowledge of the F-1 visa immigration process and improved her recruiting and advising skills in order to become a well-informed student advocate. Her most recent position was as the Program Director of the English Language Program at Brandeis University in Massachusetts.

Kimberly's favorite types of teaching methods are project-based and content-based language instruction. Using social media to enhance student engagement and learning is also one of her interests. She is eager to apply her knowledge and expertise to benefit international students at the University of Rhode Island.

Dan Carniaux, Program Coordinator

Meet Dan Carniaux, Program Coordinator for the new Language Institute at the University of Rhode Island. Dan recently moved from France, where he was pursuing graduate courses in Cultural Translation at the American University of Paris. He is an avid learner of language and culture, and considers travel equally formative to his career; past experiences have brought him to Quebec, Europe, Turkey, Hong Kong and China. He currently speaks Mandarin, French, German and Spanish. After several years of migration, Dan is now home in Rhode Island. As a native to the state's scenic "South County", he enjoys kayaking, fishing and hiking along the region's shores and interior hills. He also takes advantage of the local film and art scenes of Providence and Newport. Dan is eager to share his home state's natural and cultural resources with students, and hopes to make them an integral part of the American experience at A.C.E. He has several projects in store for the Language Institute, and looks forward to its continued growth at URI.

Laura Faria-Tancinco, ESL Instructor

Laura is a Rhode Island native who has been involved in the ESL profession since 2006. Her teaching days began in Quito, Ecuador where she lived and worked for 3 years. Before returning back home to RI, she traveled extensively through South America. Laura is fluent in Spanish and appreciates food, music and dance of all kinds. Here's what she says she likes best about being an A.C.E. instructor:

"My students teach me as much as I teach them. I am always thrilled to learn about the different cultures & ideologies of my students from around the world."

Vicky Holdridge, ESL Instructor

Vicky Holdridge is an ESL Instructor at the A.C.E. Language Institute at URI. Vicky earned a Masters in Teaching from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, VT, and has over ten years of experience teaching English to adult immigrants. She is the co-author of a text book series called Interactive English. Most recently, Vicky spent two years as the Senior English Language Fellow with the US State Department to facilitate professional development trainings for teachers in Peru and Bolivia.

Vicky is an interactive teacher who likes to get students participating, learning, and having fun all at the same time! Outside of class, she enjoys running, travelling, and spending time with her family. She is thrilled to be part of the A.C.E. team!

Sylvia Stipich, ESL Instructor

Sylvia Stipich, a graduate of Boston University, is originally from Rhode Island. She has taught English language learners in South Korea and Croatia, where her family currently resides on the beautiful coastline. She is completing a M. Ed. TESOL program at Rhode Island College, to continue learning how to best serve English language learners. She has taught at both fast-track academic and community-based programs, and believes feedback and meaningful student engagement in conversations and everyday situations are the most important factors in learning.