Take ESL Classes Throughout San Francisco
We offer credit and noncredit ESL classes at many of the CCSF campuses throughout the city. You can choose to take classes at the location most convenient for you!
If you can't find answers from our Need Help? FAQs about the ESL Department program at CCSF, contact the Department Chair, Jessica Buchsbaum, at jbuchsba@ccsf.edu or 415-239-3003.
Campuses with ESL Classes
Click on the name of the location below to learn more about the ESL classes they offer.
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Downtown Campus
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Chinatown/North Beach Campus
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John Adams Campus
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Mission Campus
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Ocean Campus
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Online
About the Downtown Campus
Conveniently located, the Downtown Campus offers a full range of English as a Second Language courses, including computer training, clerical training, pronunciation, speaking, writing, and general ESL courses for non-native speakers. There is also a library with a computer lab.
Christa Lewis, ESL Coordinator
Phone: 415-267-6524
Fax: 415-267-6536
Email: clewis@ccsf.edu
ESL Courses at Downtown Campus include:
- General ESL classes, beginning through advanced, Monday through Thursday 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, Friday 8:00 to 1:00, and Saturday 8:00 to 1:00
- Computer classes for ESL students
- Vocational Office Training Program, a 2-semester, 5-hour per day, non-credit (FREE) certificate program which readies students for office work. Many students find jobs immediately after completing this program!
- Speaking, pronunciation, and writing classes
- A healthcare communication class
In addition to ESL classes, the Downtown Campus offers:
- Noncredit business and computer classes and certificate programs
- Culinary Arts and Hospitality Studies
- Evening credit and certificate courses in a variety of areas, including foreign languages, fashion, business, and real estate
For more information please visit the Downtown Campus webpage.
About the Chinatown/North Beach Campus
You can study a variety of English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at Chinatown/North Beach Campus.
CCSF Chinatown/North Beach Campus
808 Kearny Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
415-395-8621 (office)
415-395-8601 (A&E office)
Jeanne Kearsley, ESL Coordinator
Phone: 415-395-8633
Email: jkearsle@ccsf.edu
English for Living and Working in the U.S.
Beginning Level Classes:
- Literacy
- Citizenship
- General ESL: listening/speaking/ reading/ writing and pronunciation
- Vocational ESL: English for the Workplace, Customer Service, Food Service, Housekeeping, English for Childcare, Introduction to Computers
Intermediate Level Classes:
- General ESL: listening/speaking/reading/writing and pronunciation
- Vocational ESL: English for the Workplace, Introduction to Computers, Social Communication
For more information please visit the Chinatown/North Beach Campus webpage.
About the John Adams Campus
Start studying English today! The John Adams Campus offers morning, afternoon, and evening classes Monday to Thursday and Morning Classes on Friday. Our classes are from literacy/beginning, intermediate, to advanced.
Fanny Law, ESL Coordinator
Phone: 415-561-1954
Fax: 415-561-1006
Email: slaw@ccsf.edu
ESL Courses at John Adams Campus include:
- General English as a Second Language (ESL) classes (includes Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing, Grammar, Vocabulary, Pronunciation
8:15 a.m. to 8:35 o.m. Monday to Thursday; 8:15 a.m. to 12 p.m. Friday - Computer / Language Lab for ESL students
- ESL for Healthcare Careers
- Speaking classes
- Introduction to Academic/Credit ESL
For more information please visit the John Adams Campus webpage.
About the Mission Campus
The Mission Campus is one of the seven principal locations of City College of San Francisco. Students may enroll directly at the CCSF Mission Campus, and students enrolled at any other CCSF campuses may take classes at the Mission Campus.
Ingrid Farnbach, ESL Coordinator
Phone: 415-561-1880
Fax: 415-561-1882
Email: ifarnbac@ccsf.edu
ESL Courses at Mission Campus include:
- A full English as a Second Language (ESL) Program, including noncredit and credit classes.
- ESL Literacy day, evening and Saturday classes. The literacy classes are primarily designed for students who have had limited (up to the 5th grade), or no formal education or for students who have limited ability to write in their native language. Literacy classes are available in English or in Spanish.
- An ESL computer class with ESL language programs.
- A comprehensive Transitional Studies Program with classes, tutorial facilities and a drop-in learning center leading to the GED diploma. This is the only place in Northern California where GED classes are offered in Spanish.
For more information please visit the Mission Campus webpage.
About the Ocean Campus
Ocean Campus is the main location for college credit ESL classes at City College, with approximately 220 sections of courses offered each semester, taught by about 80 instructors with about 4,000 students enrolled. Classes are offered from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Saturdays.
Ocean Campus
50 Frida Kahlo Way
San Francisco, CA 94112
ESL Office
Batmale Hall, Room 516
Nicki Anne Trahan, ESL Coordinator
Batmale Hall, Room 516, Box L301
Phone number: 415-239-3427
Fax number: 415-239-3668
Email: nicole.trahan@mail.ccsf.edu
ESL Courses at Ocean Campus include:
Besides the full range of academic writing and reading course levels, popular elective courses include ESL 49 (intensive pronunciation); ESL 66 (advanced academic listening and reading); ESL 69 (accent improvement - a nine-week course for advanced students to reduce their accent); ESL 75 (intermediate editing and grammar review); ESL 85 (advanced editing and grammar review); ESL 79 (advanced speaking/pronunciation - public speaking and communication skills).
Free tuition is available for City College students who have established California residency and live in San Francisco. Students apply for Free City by completing the one-page Free City Application which is included as a screen within the online registration process. After registering, we encourage you to complete either a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a California Dream Act Application. FreeCity is now offered all year around.
After getting certificates and college degrees from City College, many Credit ESL students continue with their studies by transferring to universities such as San Francisco State and UC Berkeley.
The Ocean Campus offers many kinds of support for students taking credit classes: complete counseling services, university-size library and Learning Assistance Center, Student Health Center, Scholarship and Financial Aid offices, Transfer Center, and Career/Placement Center. Foreign students have their own counselors. Of course, students can also choose from hundreds of courses and sections in other subjects at the Ocean Campus while taking ESL classes.
For more information please visit the Steps to take Credit ESL Classes webpage.
Learn from Anywhere in California
Fully online classes provide the flexibility that allows you to take classes that fit your schedule. We offer both credit and noncredit ESL courses online.
Robert Griffiths, Online Noncredit ESL Coordinator
Email: rgriffit@ccsf.edu
For more information about Online Credit courses, please contact Nicki Anne Trahan, ESL Coordinator
Email: nicole.trahan@mail.ccsf.edu
Online Credit ESL Courses include:
100% online
- ESL 75ABC Intermediate Grammar/Editing
- ESL 85ABC Advanced Grammar/Editing
- ESL 95ABC High Advanced Grammar/Editing
Online with required Zoom meetings
- ESL 79 Advanced Speaking and Pronunciation
- ESL 186 ESL Intro to College Reading/Writing
- ESL 188 ESL College Reading/Writing
Online Noncredit ESL Courses include:
100% online: Citizenship, Introduction to Computers, Computer-Assisted Language Learning, Speaking and Listening in Beginning High, Intermediate, and Advanced levels, Social Communication, Healthcare Communication, and ESL for Work.
Online with required Zoom meetings: Beginning Low, Beginning High, and Intermediate High
Check out our online course offerings
