Transitioning From ESL to Corequisite English Courses at CUNY
By Julia Raufman, Selena Cho & Andrea Lopez Salazar | January 2026
This report examines how multilingual learners (MLs) at five CUNY community colleges navigate pathways from English as a Second Language (ESL) into corequisite and other credit-bearing English courses—a critical yet understudied transition in higher education. Drawing on interviews and institutional documents, the study describes how placement processes, departmental structures, ESL course sequences, and instructional models shape MLs’ access to and experiences in corequisite or standalone college-level English.
The findings suggest that, while the corequisite model—along with changes to ESL placement and ESL course structure—can help many MLs by accelerating their progression into credit-bearing coursework, rigid placement systems, departmental silos, and the elimination of prerequisite developmental English may compress timelines in ways that do not always benefit some MLs and that reduce the number of entry points that MLs have into lower-level ESL courses.
Yet the findings also highlight promising practices—including the use of ESL-specific corequisites and paired ESL/general education courses, extended instructional time, and culturally affirming pedagogy—that integrate language development with credit-bearing coursework. The report concludes with considerations for strengthening ML pathways, emphasizing the need for flexible, coordinated, and linguistically responsive approaches that balance acceleration with sustained language development.
Funding for this research was provided by Ascendium Education Group.
Key Findings
Departmental silos can lead to inconsistent curricular alignment and limited shared planning for ML pathways. Considerable effort is required to bring departments together.
Instructional structures explicitly designed to bridge noncredit ESL coursework and credit-bearing English composition can be helpful, especially in reformed environments that may not otherwise provide consistent support to MLs transitioning to college-level courses.
MLs’ academic success depends not only on access to college-level courses but also on the availability of ongoing, embedded language development and culturally affirming instruction, especially as students transition from ESL into college courses through corequisites.