CUNY Language Immersion Program (CLIP)

Science Building, Room 114
718-262-3766
CLIP Website

Admissions policy changes within CUNY have resulted in diminishing opportunities for students whose native language is not English. In response, the University established the Language Immersion Program to meet the needs of entering freshmen whose limited English proficiency is likely to be a barrier to their academic success and who choose to spend more time learning English in an academic environment before formally enrolling in their college courses.

Housed in the Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Humanities at York College, CLIP-York, established in 1996, is designed to improve the participants' overall preparedness for college study and enhance their understanding of the non-academic aspects of the college experience. CLIP offers 25 hours a week of instruction in day and evening sessions for three cycles. As participation in the program is voluntary, students may wish to exit the program and join their home campus at the end of any given cycle. Enrollment in the program allows students to not only improve their skills, but to save their financial aid for courses that fulfill graduation requirements.

The program's instructional philosophy reflects a holistic approach to language development that integrates listening, speaking, reading, and writing in the context of academic preparation. Students are also introduced to the use of libraries and the internet for research purposes, with an emphasis on developing the skills of enquiry, critique, and analysis. Another programmatic focus of CLIP is to facilitate CLIP students' interaction with the larger college community and to enhance their awareness of the multiple facets of the college culture. To this end, numerous orientation sessions and workshops are organized in any given cycle.

York College is the only college where CLIP is housed in an academic unit, the Department of Dept World Languages, Literatures, and Humanities. This ensures that the students make the smoothest and most successful transition to the regular campus programs. Since its establishment, CLIP-York has contributed to the academic success of thousands of students who came in with substantial linguistic - and often academic - needs.