For a lot of international students, the TOEFL is the wall. You know you want a degree in the United States, your English is improving every week, and then you run into a required score on a standardized test you have never taken. Many students spend a year preparing for that exam before they ever set foot in a college classroom.
There is another route into a Los Angeles college, and it does not involve the TOEFL at all.
Since 2008, AELS has built formal agreements, called Memorandums of Understanding, with accredited colleges and universities across the United States. Those agreements say something simple and powerful: a student who completes Level 5 of our ESL program, the highest of our six levels, is accepted without submitting a TOEFL score.
Your Certificate of Completion from AELS does the job the exam would have done. That is the whole idea. Instead of studying for a test, you spend that time actually learning English in small, conversation-focused classes, and the proficiency you build is the proof.
The list matters if you want to stay in the area. Eight of our fifteen partner schools are Los Angeles community colleges: East Los Angeles College, El Camino College, Los Angeles Pierce College, Los Angeles Harbor College, Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, Pasadena City College, Santa Monica College, and West Los Angeles College. Biola University in La Mirada is on the list as well.
Santa Monica College alone sends more students to the University of California system than almost any other community college in the state. Beyond Los Angeles, the list extends to Fullerton College, Golden West College, Irvine Valley College, Orange Coast College, Santiago Canyon College, and the New York Film Academy.
This is the piece most students do not know about. Many of our partner schools can issue a Conditional Letter of Acceptance while you are still studying English with us. It reserves your seat, conditional on finishing Level 5.
The practical effect is that you stop guessing. You know which college you are going to, you know what you need to finish, and you can plan your visa timeline and your finances around a real date instead of a hope.
Some students hesitate when they see two-year colleges on the list. In California, that route is often the smartest one. Community college tuition is a fraction of university tuition, class sizes are smaller in the early courses, and the transfer agreements into the UC and CSU systems are well established.
We help you plan that far ahead. If your goal is a bachelor degree from a UC or a CSU, we map the community college step as part of the route rather than treating it as the destination.
The agreements are only useful if someone helps you use them. Our team assesses your current English level and maps the fastest realistic route through the six levels toward the school and major you want. We compare partner colleges with you on location, cost, and program, so the choice fits your budget and not just your ambition.
When you finish Level 5, we guide the application and the SEVIS transfer to your chosen school. If you are currently at another school and considering a move first, our step-by-step F-1 transfer guide walks through how that process works.
If you are not sure which of the six levels you belong in, that is what the placement test is for. From there the path is concrete: reach Level 5, collect your certificate, and enroll at a partner college without ever registering for the TOEFL.
Our classes stay small and conversation-focused because that is what actually moves a student from Level 2 to Level 5. The pathway is the destination, but the daily speaking practice is how you get there.
This article is general information about the AELS College Pathway Program. Admission requirements at individual partner schools can change, so confirm current details with our staff and with the college you are considering.
Learn more about our ESL programs at www.aels.edu or visit our AELS Los Angeles location on Google Maps to experience small-group English classes focused on conversation, confidence, and real-life communication.
Published on August 28, 2026
American English Language School (AELS) is a CEA-accredited and SEVP-approved English language school authorized to issue I-20 forms for international students. Located in Los Angeles, Orange County (Fullerton), and Irvine, California, AELS offers small classes, conversation-focused lessons, and proven results through individualized learning experiences. If you’re serious about improving your English, join AELS today!