Foundation Certificate in English for Academic Purposes (FCertEAP) is ideal if you have met the academic requirements for the University of Auckland or some other New Zealand tertiary institutions, but have not reached the English language requirements.

This programme ensures you gain the English proficiency and academic literacy needed for undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses. Successfully completing the FCertEAP programme with the required grade for your academic study programme will meet the English language requirements for entry to a number of New Zealand tertiary institutions¹.

For the duration of 2022, this course is being offered online (as well as face to face for students in New Zealand).

Course length              
20 weeks (17-week² courses commence in September and November)

Total hours
400 hours

Course dates 
22 November 2021 – 1 April 2022 (17 weeks)
24 January – 17 June 2022 (20 weeks)
11 April – 2 September 2022 (20 weeks)
27 June – 18 November 2022 (20 weeks)
12 September 2022 – 20 January 2023 (17 weeks)
21 November 2022 – 31 March 2023 (17 weeks)

¹More information on the New Zealand tertiary institutions that recognise the FCertEAP is available on request.

²Due to the Christmas break, the FCertEAP course commencing in September and November is typically 17weeks long, but the course hours remain 400 hours in total.

The ELA is committed to the continuation of your English language learning during this challenging Covid-19 period. To support your study goals, the ELA is pleased to offer Foundation Certificate in EAP (FCertEAP) online. For the duration of 2022, Foundation Certificate in EAP (FCertEAP) is available online (as well as face to face for those students who are based in New Zealand)¹.

Online FCertEAP classes are mix of offline activities such as discussion forum posting, and live interactive Zoom sessions on coursework topics between students and tutors. Zoom sessions can sometimes be one-to-one or small group tutorials in addition to whole-class activities. Your classes are from 1 pm to 5.15 pm NZT* for all levels. 

* PLEASE NOTE: These times are local New Zealand times.  NZ daylight saving ends at 3am on Sunday, April 3rd (NZ time) and commences again at 2am on Sunday, September 25th.  This will affect your lesson times in your home country. Please ensure you adjust your times accordingly - this link will calculate the correct time difference for you - Click here.

Technology and other learning requirements: 

•    Laptop or PC with Microsoft Word or other document producing capabilities and functional webcam. This is essential for Academic English and Pathway courses 
•    Headset/ear phones/microphone for listening/speaking/recording purposes
•    Stable internet connection (recommended speed of 3Mbps)
•    Designated quiet study space especially required for completing assignments/assessments

Find out why you should study an online university English pathway course with us HERE.

Frequently asked questions about our online English courses HERE.

¹Disclaimer: If student numbers do not allow us to run a completely online or face-to-face class, then a hybrid class may need to be run. A hybrid class is one which is made up of a combination of both face to face and online students where one teacher leads both students online and face-to-face may have to be run.

To be eligible for FCertEAP, students must:

• Hold a conditional offer of place from a New Zealand tertiary institution that recognises FCertEAP.*
• Meet the English Language entry requirements for FCertEAP through one of the below test results (see table)**. IELTS Indicator can also be accepted during 2022 until further notice. 

Minimum Entry Requirements 

Students who do not meet the above requirements can still apply and will receive an offer of place for two blocks (20 weeks) of Academic English. They can be accepted into FCertEAP if they gain an acceptable score in the ELA placement test. Students who do not reach the required level in the ELA placement test can join FCertEAP after successfully completing EAP Intro (undergraduate) or EAP 1 (postgraduate). In order to ensure success, candidates ideally should enter with an IELTS score no lower than 1.0 band away from their conditional offer language requirement.

If you would like to get an idea of what your English level is before you enrol, please click HERE to complete our Online Placement Test.

* More information on the New Zealand tertiary institutions that recognise the FCertEAP is available on request.
** The Academic IELTS score must have been issued within 2 years and 6 months of the FCertEAP commencement date. Please note this is a temporary extension from 2 years due to the Covid-19 situation. 

Please note this is a sample timetable only. Your classes may run in the morning session or afternoon session.

All online classes are from 1pm to 5:15pm NZT for all levels.

• Students may commence their studies no later than the Friday of the first week of the course.
• No late starts are allowed for Summer School – students must begin on the Monday of the first week of the course.
• Students repeating the course need to confirm their place with the Enrolments Manager no later than the first day of the course.

• Students must pay the tuition fees for their Study Programme to ELA at least four (4) weeks prior to the commencement of their Study Programme, except in the following case: Students from the People’s Republic of China are not permitted to pay the tuition fees before INZ has granted “Student Visa Approval in Principle”

• Please note students taking a Pathway course will need to have their own device, i.e. laptop or tablet.