English as a Second Language - Contra Costa College

In the United States, speaking fluent English is vital if you want to continue your education, advance your career, or even help your children with their homework. And, the stronger your English skills are, the more confident and engaged you’ll be as a member of your community.

Our beginning ESL courses are non-credit, which means you don’t have to pay tuition.

The ESL department can also help you through the application, assessment, and registration processes. Then, we’ll help you find classes where you can succeed, no matter how much or little English you already know. We even offer our own orientation, designed specifically to help ESL students succeed in college.

We offer classes in the daytime and at night, so you can choose times that fit your schedule.

And, when you do want to practice on your own, our library offers digital tools that help you become more computer literate while improving your grammar and pronunciation.

The entire ESL curriculum is research-based, interactive and rigorous.

As you master English, you can earn three certificates, one for each level.

Our advanced courses are also transferable to the University of California, Berkeley and California State Universities, which can be very helpful if you plan to continue your education.