English Language Proficiency and the Prediction of Academic Success

This article discusses the relationship between English language proficiency and academic success in universities and colleges in which English is the language of instruction. It points out some of the difficulties associated with determining this relationship and summarizes previous investigations of the issue. It is argued that while the research clearly shows that many factors other than English proficiency are important to academic success, there may be for each institution, or even for each program within an institution, a minimum level below which lack of sufficient proficiency in English contributes significantly to lack of academic success. Such a level can be determined by each institution individually, but until it is determined, a number of steps can be taken for establishing reasonable English language proficiency requirements. At many colleges and universities, ESL professionals are called upon by admissions officers for help in making admissions decisions for nonnative speakers of English. ESL professionals may be asked what cutoff scores should be used on standardized tests that have