Admissions
POLY Languages Institute admits students 18 years of age or older. For a student under 18 years of age, the applicant must have completed high school. In all cases, the applicant must have successfully completed at least one year of English as a foreign/second language or its equivalent.
All applicants must complete the application form and submit it along with applicable fees and a photo identification (ID) online, in person, or by mail to the applicable POLY center. An acceptable form of ID is a passport, or any U.S. state issued driver’s license or identification card.
For a student wishing to attend the school as an F-1 student, the Documentary Evidence of Financial Support (DEFS) is required - showing ability to pay for education and living expenses of the student and the living expenses of his/her spouse and children, if any, traveling with F-2 visas (dependents of student). For each term, the estimated Total Expense (TE) is $2000 (sum of tuition, books, and living expenses) for the student and $1000 (living expenses) per dependent.
For an initial student, an initial student applying for change of status, or a transfer student in need of reinstatement, the DEFS fund for the student must cover at least 6 terms of the estimated total expense for acceptance.
For a transfer student released in status, the DEFS fund for the student must cover at least 2 terms of the estimated expense for acceptance. Additionally for the transfer student, 2 or more bank statements showing regular deposits, along with a letter from the student explaining the sources of the funds to the account, will suffice.
Acceptable forms of financial documentation to satisfy the DEFS requirement are as follows:
- a personal bank statement;
- an affidavit of financial support from a sponsor with a bank statement;
- a letter guaranteeing financial support from the student's employer;
- a scholarship letter from the student's government or other organizations.
In addition, applicants must follow one of the following procedures:
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Applying for a Student Visa outside the U.S. (Initial)
Upon obtaining a Form I-20, the student must pay the SEVIS I-901 fee prior to applying for an F-1 visa. Please visit https://www.ice.gov/sevis/i901 for details. The student must then have a visa interview with the local U.S. consulate for an F-1 Visa. For the interview, the student must bring the Form I-20, evidence of the SEVIS I-901 fee payment, a signed passport which must be valid for at least six months, a completed Form DS-156, and other applicable documents. -
Changing Status to F-1 in the U.S. (Initial - Change
of Status)
Upon obtaining a Form I-20, the student must file a Form I-539with USCIS to change from the student’s current non-immigrant status to an F-1 status. Please visit https://www.uscis.gov/i-539 for details. The payment of SEVIS I-901 fee is also required. -
Transferring with an F-1 visa
If a student already has an F-1 visa, our administrative staff will fax the Notice of Intention to Transfer to the school the student is exiting for release of the student's record. However, it is the responsibility of the student to notify the school about his/her intention to transfer for a proper release. Upon release of the record, the new Form I-20 will be prepared.
Why You Should Choose POLY!
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Small Classes
Generally, we have 8-15 students per class, as opposed to 20+ students per class, which is often the case of ESL programs at community colleges or universities. -
Many Levels
We offer courses that are more diverse. We have 7 levels (6 ESL levels and TOEFL) and a variety of ESL courses to choose from. We are committed to opening a class with even as few as 3 student registrations. -
Conditional Agreement
We have articulation agreements with many colleges. Upon completion of the POLY ESL program, students are accepted to colleges and career schools in place of the TOEFL or other standardized English proficiency tests. -
Assurance Program
We stand by our program and offer free courses if you are not satisfied. We guarantee your English proficiency for your pursuit of higher education, colleges/universities. Refer to the POLY Assurance Program for the details. -
Great Teaching Faculty
We conduct teacher evaluations every term for quality control of our faculty. Teacher performance is our priority! -
Attentive Administration Staff
Our school specializes in catering to academically focused international students. We have a low student to administrator ratio so that we can better cater to the needs of our students. -
Serious Students
Your classmates are very important in creating an environment conducive to your learning. We strive to accept only academically oriented students by discouraging applicants with other goals in mind. -
Web-based Information System
MyPOLY is a web-based information system personalized for the convenience of students. It has comprehensive information, such as transcripts (attendance and grades), airport pick-up services, accommodation arrangements and more. The parents/guardians of a student are able to access MyPOLY to review the student¡¯s performance. -
Low Tuition but High Quality
Our tuition is very affordable for the quality of teaching and amenities you will be receiving. -
Honest and Fair
We keep our promises and are consistent with everything that is said in this catalog. Students have a direct line of communication with the Director through MyPOLY. POLY is the name you can trust.
POLY Assurance Program
After successful completion of the advanced courses, R/W 601 & 602 and L/S 601 & 602, all courses with a "C" letter grade or better, you will be accepted to most community colleges and career schools.
We guarantee your English proficiency for higher education. If for any reason, you are not accepted to the college of your choice because of language skills, or simply feel that your English proficiency is not sufficient for college level studies, you may repeat the advanced courses free of charge.
In order to repeat the courses free of charge, in addition to the minimum grade requirement, you must have maintained 90% attendance for all the advanced courses, and continue to maintain the requirements. The Assurance Program expires after 60 days from the last day of the completion of the advanced courses. You will be eligible for a full refund for the courses registered under the program if you meet the requirements.
We are promising 160 hours of free education. When you choose POLY Languages Institute, we are assuring you that you will receive a quality education.
Who Should Apply?
We believe that students' educational goals can be best achieved if the three parties (the teachers, the student's classmates, and the student) all approach educational objectives earnestly. The teachers must be dedicated, the classmates must be encouraging and motivating, and the student must endeavor to do his/her best.
We have dedicated teachers and committed students who are serious about learning. If you wish to apply to POLY, you have to be committed as well. Oftentimes, many schools have students with different goals in the same class. We will not promise you that we can satisfy and cater to all students the best way unless the three parties all have the same goal in mind.
If you plan to study casually, this school is not the right choice for you. Our curriculum is demanding and is designed for students who share our philosophy: focused on improving language proficiency and serious about achieving their educational goals. We want to be remembered by you as the best place to study for your success.