For Courtesy Scholars

Established since 1990, the English Language Support Program provides high-quality language instruction to international graduate students and Emory research employees. Our mission is to ensure that students advance their language skills as quickly as possible and to encourage ongoing and long-term improvement of academic speaking and writing skills.

Although the majority of our students are PhD candidates enrolled in the Laney Graduate School, classes are also available to full-time, regularly employed postdoctoral and other research fellows who qualify for Emory’s Courtesy Scholarship benefit.

  • Speaking classes are designed to help students improve their general English proficiency, focusing on how to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and how to give effective presentations.
  • Writing classes are designed to provide students with the skills they need to write clearly for an academic audience, focusing on the drafting and revising of a variety of common writing structures.

As our average class size is 8 students, participants in all courses benefit from extensive, individualized feedback.

If you are interested in improving your English language skills through the English Language Support Program, please follow the instructions below. Should you encounter any difficulties, you may contact Heather Boldt of the English Language Support Program at hboldt@emory.edu. You may also wish to consult the ELSP: Frequently Asked Questions document posted to the right.

Application Instructions

  • Confirm that you qualify for the Courtesy Scholarship — follow the instructions below.
  • If you are eligible, contact Heather Boldt (hboldt@emory.edu) for more information on upcoming placement test dates and other details regarding the registration process.

Assessment Requirements

  • All employees who wish to take courses may be required to take both the speaking and writing placement tests. The total test time is 90 minutes.
  • From these assessments, we can help you select the courses that would best suit your needs. See For Students page for a description of courses.

You can find information about these assessments on the ELSP Assessment Information page.

How to Check your Eligibility for the Courtesy Scholarship Benefit

  1. Click the button below to go to the Human Resources Self-Service system.
  2. Log in to the Human Resources System using your regular Emory network ID and password.
  3. Follow these links: Self Service > Benefits > Education Benefit Program > Instructions for First Time Applicants — Employee, Spouse or Same-Sex Domestic Partner > Continue to Projected Eligibility
  4. Scroll down the page to locate the 2nd table, which has the title “How does my eligibility apply to recent and upcoming terms (semesters)?”
  5. If you see “100%” projected for the current or for any future semester, then you are eligible to take classes using the courtesy scholarship benefit.
  6. If you see only “0”s listed for your projected eligibility, you are not eligible for the Courtesy Scholarship benefit.
  7. If you are eligible, please copy or print/scan your proof of eligibility and email it to Heather Boldt at hboldt@emory.edu. She will provide you with instructions on how to proceed with testing and registration.

HR Self-Service System