Accelerated College English Program (ACE)

The ACE Program is a pathway into the University of Cincinnati for students who want to earn a bachelor's degree in the United States and improve English reading, writing, and speaking proficiencies.

UC Student smiling for a pic in her cap and gown on campus.

Apply Now Request Information ACE Brochure UC Brochure

ACE Description

ACE is a one-year program that provides an opportunity for students to take six academic major classes and six English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. This combined curriculum allows students to improve English proficiencies and progress into a chosen academic major after the first year. The second year at Cincinnati, students enter their declared academic major full-time, taking the same classes as all second-year students. Since no additional years are added, students graduate on time with no additional costs.

ACE Benefits

No increased tuition and fees
Greatly improve ability to read, speak, and write in English
Earn a bachelor's degree without adding an additional academic year
One-on-one personalized advisor
Simply transition from one year in ACE to second year in an academic major

"The ACE Program is a nice experience to meet friends because the English as a Second Languages classes are so small. Everyone gets one-on-one attention from the professors and advisers which is really encouraging."

- Qiqi Lu

Class of 2021
International Business
Lindner College of Business

Student sitting on stairs outside for a photo.

"Having an academic adviser that was so easy to access made everything so easy for me. My academic adviser has helped me with registration for my classes, major etc. That was one thing I was stressed about coming into college. My professors at UC are all vibrant individuals who are easy to talk to and enjoy teaching therefore makes me want to come to class with a positive attitude."

- Bonheur “Bobo” Kikonda

Class of 2023
Sports Administration
College Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services

Application Information

Deadlines

Spring 2021

January 3, 2021

Fall 2021

July 1, 2021*

*CCM ACE applications are only accepted for fall semester and must follow direct admission deadlines.

Apply Online

Apply with the ACE Application, except for students interested in the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM).

If interested in CCM, apply for ACE with the Common Application. The CCM Admissions Office will review applications for their majors.

Application Materials

A student will be reviewed for admission once all of the following are received by the Office of International Admissions:

High School Transcripts
- Official transcripts includes all previous years of high school classes and grades and current classes taken. If the transcript isn't written in English, a certified English translation is required. The International Pathway Program is only available to high school graduates enrolling as first-year student.
Proof of Math Ability
- Required for students applying for Business ACE Program and is optional for all others.
- To be eligible for scholarships, students must submit a test of math from the following:
  - SAT-I (520)
  - ACT (21)
  - UC Math Placement Test (520)

Proof of English Ability
- Meet or exceed minimum test score requirements.

How to Send Materials

High School and University Transcripts

Official transcripts may be physically mailed to the Office of International Admissions or electronically emailed to international.admissions@uc.edu by the school counselor. Any transcripts sent by the student will be deemed as unofficial.

Tests of English & Test of Math

Students may submit test of English and test of math electronically to international.admissions@uc.edu. Documents must provide test scores, student’s full name (given and family name) and date of birth.

English Requirement

Minimum test score requirements for ACE Program applicants and Direct Admission applicants.
Test	ACE Program	Direct Admission
ACT	19 18 English Composition	21
Cambridge	162 Recommended exam: B2 First	169
Duolingo	75	95
ELS	109	112
IELTS	5.5 5.0 Writing	6.5
SAT	980 460 Evidence-Based Reading & Writing	1060
TOEFL	50 14 Writing	66

Majors

The ACE Program is integrated into the majors listed in each college below. During the first year students take both, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and classes in the major they selected. Once students complete the ACE Program, they apply to transition into their major full-time from the second year till graduation.

College of Arts & Sciences

Majors

Curriculum

2 Semester Example

Semester 1
Course #	Course Name	Credit Hours
ESL 1068	Foundations of Academic Reading and Writing	3 hrs
ESL 1071	Basic Oral Communication	3 hrs
ESL 1077	Strategies for Academic Success	3 hrs
BIOL1081	Biol 1	3 hrs
BIOL1081L	Biol 1 Lab	1 hrs
CHEM1040	Chem 1	4 hrs
CHEM1040L	Chem 1 lab	1hrs
	Total Credit Hours	18 hrs

Semester 2
Course #	Course Name	Credit Hours
ESL 1069	Success in Undergraduate Writing	3 hrs
ESL 1074	Oral Presentation Skills	3 hrs
ESL 1076	US Culture and Communication	3 hrs
BIOL1082	Biol 2	3 hrs
BIOL1082L	Biol 2 Lab	1 hrs
CHEM1041	Chem 2	4 hrs
CHEM1041L	Chem 2 lab	1 hrs
	Total Credit Hours	18 hrs

College of Business

Majors

Curriculum

2 Semester Example

Semester 1
Course #	Course Name	Credit Hours
ESL 1068	Foundations of Academic Reading and Writing	3 hrs
ESL 1071	Basic Oral Communication	3 hrs
ESL 1077	Strategies for Academic Success	3 hrs
MATH 1044	Applied Calculus I	3 hrs
MGMT 1053	Essentials of Business	3 hrs
	Total Credit Hours	15 hrs

Semester 2
Course #	Course Name	Credit Hour
ESL 1069	Success in Undergraduate Writing	3 hrs
ESL 1074	Oral Presentation Skills	3 hrs
ESL 1076	US Culture and Communication	3 hrs
MATH 1045	Applied Calculus II	3 hrs
ECON 1001	Microeconomics	3 hrs
	Total Credit Hours	15 hrs

College Conservatory of Music

Majors

Select majors by invitation-only.

Curriculum

2 Semester Example

Semester 1
Course #	Course Name	Credit Hours
VLN1000	Violin Lessons	4 hrs
VLN4050	Violin Studio	1 hrs
	ENSM	1 hrs
ESL1068	Foundations in Academic Writing	3 hrs
ESL1071	Basic Oral Presentation Skills	3 hrs
ESL 1077	Strategies for Academic Success	3 hrs
	Total Credit Hours	15 hrs

Semester 2
Course #	Course Name	Credit Hours
VLN1000	Violin Lessons	4 hrs
VLN4060	Violin Studio	1 hrs
	ENSM
ESL 1069	Success in Undergraduate Writing	3 hrs
ESL1074	Oral Presentation Skills	3 hrs
ESL1076	US Culture and Communication	3 hrs
	Total Credit Hours	14 hrs

College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services

Majors

Curriculum

2 Semester Example

Semester 1
Course #	Course Name	Credit Hours
ESL 1068	Foundations of Academic Reading and Writing	3 hrs
ESL 1071	Basic Oral Communication	3 hrs
ESL 1077	Strategies for Academic Success	3 hrs
IT 1050	Fundamentals of Information Technology	3 hrs
	SS/FA/HP BOK	3 hrs
	Total Credit Hours	15 hrs

Semester 2
Course #	Course Name	Credit Hours
ESL 1069	Success in Undergraduate Writing	3 hrs
ESL 1074	Oral Presentation Skills	3 hrs
ESL 1076	US Culture and Communication	3 hrs
IT 1080C	Computer Networking	3 hrs
PD 1010	Professional Development BSIT	1 hrs
	BIOL/CHEM/GEOL/PHYS NS BOK	3 hrs
	Total Credit Hours	15 hrs

College of Engineering and Applied Science

Majors

Curriculum

3 Semester Example

Fall Semester 1
Course #	Course Name	Credit Hours
ESL 1068	Foundations of Academic Reading and Writing	3
ESL 1071	Basic Oral Communication	3
ESL 1077	Strategies for Academic Success	3
ENED 1100	Foundations of Engineering Design Thinking I	3
MATH1061	Calculus I (C- min)	4
	Total Credit Hours	16

Spring Semester 2
Course #	Course Name	Credit Hours
ESL 1069	Success in Undergraduate Academic Writing	3
ELS 1074	Oral Presentation Skills	3
ELSL 1076	US Culture and Communication	3
ENED 1120	Foundations of Engineering Design Thinking II	3
PD 1011	Introduction to COOP for CEAS	1
MATH1062	Calculus II (C- min)	4
	Total Credit Hours	17

Summer Semester 3
Course #	Course Name	Credit Hours
ESL 1070*	Intro to English Composition	3
CHEM1040	General Chemistry I (C- min)	4
CHEM1040L	General Chemistry Laboratory I (C- min)	1
PHYS2001	College Physics I (Calculus-based) (C- min)	4
	Total Credit Hours	12

College of Design, Architecture, Art, & Planning

Major

Fine Arts

Curriulum

2 Semester Example

Semester 1
ESL 1068	Foundations of Academic Reading and Writing	3 hrs
ESL 1071	Basic Oral Communication	3 hrs
ESL 1077	Strategies for Academic Success	3 hrs
FAA 1001	Drawing Studio	3 hrs
FAA 1002	3D Studio	3 hrs
	Total Credit Hours	15 hrs

Semester 2
Course #	Course Name	Credit Hours
ESL 1069	Success in Undergraduate Writing	3 hrs
ESL 1074	Oral Presentation Skills	3 hrs
ESL 1076	US Culture and Communication	3 hrs
FAA 1003	2D Studio	3 hrs
FAA 1004	4D Studio	3 hrs
	Total Credit Hours	15 hrs

Costs & Scholarships

Scholarships

Scholarship for remote learning from home:

Due to the pandemic coming to the United States can be difficult for several reasons. The University of Cincinnati is offering the Bearcats Everywhere Scholarship (BES) to students studying online in their home country. BES brings tuition from down to the in-state annual rate, $12,138.

Scholarship for In-person learning on campus:

Students who enroll for the spring 2021 semester can qualify for a $15,000 per year scholarship. totaling $60,000 over 8 academic semesters. This ACE Outreach Scholarship is limited and will be distributed to the first 20 students who qualify.

See application requirements to learn more about completing your application to qualify.

Tuition, Housing, & Health

Students applying to the ACE Program pay identical tuition costs as students who are directly admitted to a academic major. Tuition is assessed on full-time enrollment based on two semesters of study (one academic year).

Estimated Annual Expenses
Academic Year 2020-2021	Cost
Tuition & Fees	$28,972
Living Expenses (includes food, housing, travel, books, etc)	$14,958
Health Insurance	$2,360
Total	$46,290

Financial Documentation

In order to expedite the admissions decision, students must submit the Financial Certification Form along with required financial support documentation.

ACE Staff

Sarah Shepherd

ACE Program Manager

Welcome to Cincinnati’s ACE Program webpage! Myself and our staff take pride assisting students achieve their personal, professional, and academic goals. Submit questions on the "contact me" form to learn how the ACE Program can help you.

Request Information

Anuptha Pujari

Academic Advisor

Cielo Zabala

ACE Student Ambassador

Business Finance, Lindner College of Business