English Foundation Programme

It consists of a number of levels of intensive non-credit courses, which are delivered to small groups of students.

Students entering the programme are tested upon arrival using the Oxford Online Placement Test (OOPT) in order to place students in the appropriate class level.

The programme offers students a minimum of 20 hours of English instruction per week and covers the following subject areas:

• Introduction to College Studies
• Structured Writing and Grammar
• Learning Strategies and Study Techniques
• Vocabulary Development and Intermediate Reading
• Reading and Text Analysis
• Communication Skills
• Critical Thinking and Analysis
• General Hospitality Knowledge

Structure

The programme can be taken prior to commencing any undergraduate or postgraduate programme at any Swiss Education Group school. The length of the programme for each participant depends on his or her personal English level and motivation.

Duration

The English Foundation Programme runs throughout the year in 4-week blocks. Students may join at the beginning of any 4-week block, for a minimum of 4 weeks and a maximum of 12 weeks. Students must achieve the required OOPT score to progress to their programme. Please note, if a student has completed 12 weeks of the English Foundation Programme on campus, but failed to achieve the required OOPT score, it will not be possible to remain on campus.

Location

The English Foundation Programme is currently held at Hotel Institute Montreux. Students from all Swiss Education Group schools may participate in the programme.

IELTS

IELTS is the world’s most popular English language test. Swiss Education Group is a recognized and trusted IELTS test centre, we can advise you on test dates and fees and also give guidance on how to prepare for the test and what to expect on the day.

Other Information

• 2020 Intakes

  • 2020 intakes

    6th January 3rd February 2nd March 6th April 4th May 1st June 6th July 3rd August 31st August 5th October 2nd November 30th November

• 2021 Intakes

  • 2021 intakes

    11th January to 29th January* 1st February to 26th February 1st March to 19th March* 5th April to 30th April 3rd May to 28th May 31st May to 18th June* 5th July to 30th July 2nd August to 27th August 30th August to 17th September* 4th October to 29th October 1st November to 26th November 29th November to December 17th*

    * 3 weeks

• Recommended number of weeks

  • OOPT score	Guideline to achieve an OOPT score of 50+	Guideline to achieve an OOPT score of 60+/70+
    60-69	No course required	4-8 weeks
    50-59	No course required	8-12 weeks
    48-49	4-8 weeks	12 weeks
    46-47	8-12 weeks	12 weeks
    44-45	12 weeks	12 weeks
    40-43	12 weeks	Recommendation to take additional preparatory English programmes prior to joining for 12 weeks.
    1-39	Swiss Authorities require a minimum score of 40 points; Recommendation to take an external English programme before joining any Swiss Education Group school

• Language Level Requirements

  • English Language Academic Entry Requirements
    Campuses	Programmes	IELTS	TOEFL IBT	OOPT*
    SHMS-Caux	Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in International Hospitality Management/and Events Management	5.5	55	50+
    	Master of Arts in International Hotel Business Management	6.0	80	N/A
    SHMS-Leysin	MIB1/PGD In Hotel Operations Management/ International Hotel & Events Management	5.5	55	50+
    	Master of International Business in Hotel, Resort & Wellness Management (MIB 2)	5.5	80	50+
    	Master of Science in International Hospitality Management	6.0	80	N/A
    HIM	Bachelor of Business Administration in Hospitality Management (with Specialization)	5.5	55	50+
    	Master of International Business in Hospitality Management (with Specialization)	5.5	50	50+
    CRCS-Bouveret	Dual Degree: BIB in Hotel and Tourism Management/BA in Hospitality Business Management	5.5	55	50+
    CRCS-Luzern	Dual Degree: BIB in Hotel and Tourism Management/BA in Hospitality Business Management	5.0	55	50+
    CRCS-Brig	Master of Arts in Entrepreneurship for the Global Hospitality and Tourism Industry	6.0	80	N/A
    CAA-Bouveret	Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts	5.5	55	50+
    	Swiss Grand Diploma in Culinary Arts	5.5	55	50+
    CAA-Luzern	Swiss Grand Diploma in Pastry and Chocolate Arts	5.0	46	50+
    IHTTI	Bachelor of Arts in International Hospitality & Design Management	5.5	55	50+
    	Postgraduate Diploma in International Hotel & Design Management (MIB1)	5.5	55	50+
    	Master of International Business in Hotel & Design Management (MIB2)	5.5	55	50+
    All Schools	HD/BA programme/Direct entry Year 3	5.5	65	N/A

    
    Please note that entry requirements into the English Foundation Programme, for students who require a student visa, are as follows:
    
    IELTS Overall score of 5.5, with one branch below 4.5
    IELTS Overall score of 5, with all branches at 4.5 or above
    *Please note that only the Lucerne campus can accept OOPT for student visa applications

    N.B:
    This table is for guidance purposes only, and Swiss Education Group reserves the right to review each application on a case-by-case basis

• English Test Score Comparison

  • ALTE level	CEF LEVEL	CAMBRIDGE	IELTS Range	OOPT Computer based test score	TOEFL Paper IBT internet
    5.0	C2	CPE	8.0-8.5-9.0	100-120	625-680 105-120
    4.0	C1	CAE, BEC Higher	7.0-7.5	80-99	575-624 88-104
    3.0	B2	FCE, BEC Vantage	6.0-6.5	60-79	525-574 68-87
    2.0	B1	PET, BEC Prelim	5.0-5.5	40-59	475-525 53-67
    1.0	A2	KET	4.0-4.5	20-39	425-474 37-53
    0.5	A1		3.0-3.5	1-19	325-424 31-36
    0.0			2.0-2.5		225-325 20-30

    
    ALTE Association of Language Testers of Europe
    CEF Common European Framework
    OOPT Oxford Online Placement Test