Welcome to the Boise State University ESL Resource Page
Boise State University is pleased to serve an increasingly diverse population of students and is committed to bringing together students, faculty, staff, and community members of different language backgrounds. This linguistic diversity enhances the environment for learning and at the same time presents challenges for us all as we seek to understand perspectives and uses of language that are different from our own.

We have two main goals:
    1. To help ensure that students whose first language is something other than English have access to the resources necessary to succeed in their academic lives and beyond.

    2. To raise awareness about the struggles as well as the strengths that multilingual speakers bring to Boise State University and to the community at large.
Who are “ESL students”?

The term “ESL” (English as a Second Language) is not always accurate, since many speakers of English know more than one other language. Most students at Boise State, however, identify strongly with one native language and with English as a second—rather than third or fourth—language. We use the term “ESL” to refer to those people who spent their first 5 or more years of life communicating in a language other than English. 

Some ESL students are international students, who are in the United States on a student visa. Others are U.S. citizens or residents (permanent or conditional) who may have just arrived or may have lived here for decades. Some ESL students have attended school in the U.S. and indeed may be able to write better in English than in any other language.

Proficiency levels of ESL students vary dramatically, from knowing little more than simple expressions like “hi,” “thank you” or “OK” to being able to write a PhD dissertation in English with just a few, minor grammatical mistakes. Having a recognizably “nonnative” accent is not a clear sign that someone is not proficient in English.


This site is FILLED with content to help faculty, staff, students and potential students. There is a comprehensive list of local reources to help ESL students including several campus programs and independent organizations all throughout the city of Boise. We encourage everyone to take advantange of the services offered. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Dr. Gail Shuck via Email at Gshuck@boisestate.edu or at (208) 426-1189.