English as a Second Language (ESL)

Learn English for free at Central Piedmont Community College.

What You Will Learn

We help you learn English to help you:

  • go to college
  • go on to get a high school diploma or equivalency
  • communicate with others
  • have better opportunities at work
  • learn important things about living in the US
  • participate in your child’s education

If you need help, email CCR Intake Staff. (Open the options menu to select the email address.)

You will not receive college credit for ESL courses. Contact Academic ESL/English as a Foreign Language if you want to earn college credit for English courses. Learn more about options to learn English at Central Piedmont.

Who Can Enroll

To be eligible for ESL, you must:

  • be 16 years or older
  • be officially withdrawn from your last K-12 public, private, or home school (if you are under the age of 18)
  • not be in the U.S. on an F-1 or J-1 visa

If you are an international student with an F-1 visa or in the U.S. as an “au pair” with a J-1 visa, you are not eligible to take Adult ESL with College and Career Readiness. Contact Academic ESL/English as a Foreign Language if you have an F-1 or J-1 visa or if you want to earn college credit for English courses.

Enroll Now

1. Speak with a CCR specialist to begin enrollment 

Visit one of the campuses listed to speak with a Career and College Readiness Specialist. At the moment, we are only offering walk-ins/in-person for the CCR intake process and do not offer appointments.  

Cato 1
Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Central, Parr Center
Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

Harper, Building 4
Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

Levine 1
Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Visit our Locations' page for each campus' address.

2. Make sure to follow CMS steps

If the individual intending to apply for one of the programs is a minor (16 or 17 years old), a Minor Release form will need to be completed before beginning the intake process. To receive the minor form, please email CCR@cpcc.edu to request a Minor Release form. 

If the last school the student attended was a CMS school, CPCC has a partnership with the Charlotte Mecklenburg School District (CMS) which requires students from a CMS school to wait 90 days after withdrawing from CMS before enrolling into any CCR Program. A CMS Minor form will need to be completed. 

If the last school the child attended was NOT a CMS school, they will need to complete the Non-CMS Minor form and submit a document from the previous school stating the student has officially withdrawn. 

3. Bring a government pictured ID

Passport, State ID 

4. Complete a CCR Application  

5. Register for Placement Testing/Orientation

ESL, GED/HiSet only 

6. Book an Advising appointment 

Only for Adult High School

All applicants interested in Adult High School must submit all official high school transcripts before enrolling in the course. Once we receive it, please allow 3 -5 business days for a completed evaluation.  

If your high school transcript is from a country outside of the U.S.A., it will need to be translated to English and needs to include translation of course by course, course credit and grade.

You may get it translated from here: Contact Us | IEE Customer Support 

Translated enrollment steps

Read through the enrollment steps in Spanish, Vietnamese, French, Russian, Arabic, and Chinese.

Additional Information

Download our Free Read&Write Technology Tool

Do you need help with everyday tasks like translating content, reading text out loud, or understanding unfamiliar words? What about help studying for tests, writing papers, or completing homework assignments?

Download the Free Read&Write Technology Browser Extension

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