English for Academic Purposes - EAP

Hillsborough Community College offers English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses on three campuses: Dale Mabry, SouthShore and Ybor City. The curriculum is designed for students who plan to study at a U.S. college or university or seek better employment opportunities.

Each year, over 1,000 students take EAP courses. Students come from all over the world: South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia. During their studies, students have multiple opportunities to make new friends and to interact with members of the HCC community and the Tampa Bay community as well. 

HCC has a College-wide EAP Student Manager to assist students who are interested in taking EAP classes. 

• The EAP Student Manager's office is located in the Connections Center on the first floor of the Learning Resource Center (DLRC 105) on the Dale Mabry Campus.
• The office provides students and their families with information about EAP classes for all of the HCC campuses where EAP is offered. It assists with enrollment, placement testing, and course selection.
• The office remains attentive to EAP student needs throughout the program by providing individual academic guidance, connecting students to support services, and creating events and workshops to enhance students’ learning and college life experience. 

Steps for Enrollment

1.  Apply to the college. After creating an account, click on undergraduate to open the HCC application. 
2. Within 2 to 3 days of submitting your application, you will receive an email from HCC with a letter of acceptance and your student ID number. 
3. Take an English test to determine your level in the EAP program. The test is computerized and consists of three sections: reading comprehension, language use (grammar), and a writing section that requires students to write about a given topic.  Students are advised to put 2 hours aside to complete the test although they can take longer as the test is untimed. 
4. In order to take the placement test, you will need to obtain a test referral.  Test referrals are available from the Advising office on any HCC campus. Within 3 to 5 business days, your level information will be available to advisors on all campuses.  The advisors will assist you with the next steps.