NMC cuts back fees to attract foreign students

The Northern Marianas College has stepped up efforts to attract more foreign students to pursue educational programs in the CNMI, reducing by more than 50 percent the fee for its basic English language classes specifically designed for students from within the Asia Pacific Rim.

NMC Development and Alumni Relations Director Tony Deleon Guerrero said the move is a promotional strategy the college has decided to adopt this summer in fresh efforts to lure more international students to the community college.

One to two weeks session of English oral communication, reading, and writing skills originally amounted to $1,523 per student under NMC’s Intensive English Language Learning program.

NMC now offers the same program for $635 per student, or about 58 percent lower than the previous rate.

“We have been receiving feedback from Japan schools that the previous amount was too excessive. And so we implemented the discount,” said Mr. Guerrero.

The college’s IELL basic English program provides a total of 60 hours of classroom instruction and 20 hours of laboratory work.

“The students can start with a short-term intensive program and learn the language as it is the medium of instruction here,” said Mr. Guerrero.

The IELL program offers intensive courses for students who want to develop conversational English skills, as well as English reading and writing abilities. It is ideal for most students who have had English instruction from schools in the Asia Pacific Rim.

Enrollment in these classes is limited to 15
students to maximize the opportunity to receive individual help from the instructor.

The Oral Communication course provides students with guided practice in expressing needs and opinions in English.

The Reading/Writing course develops skills at the level of most students who have had English instruction in Asian Pacific Rim schools.

An hour of each instructional day is dedicated to the use of computers, tape players, and other materials in the NMC Language Laboratory.

Upon completion of the course, students receive a certificate of completion from NMC stating the amount of English instruction received.

Next year, NMC is expecting a group of students from Marianas High School’s sister institution, the Miyazawa High School of Japan, to take advantage of the newly-implemented IELL fee discounts.