Requirements for full-time admission into English language training include an application form with accompanying $60.00 application and testing fee, proof of high school graduation (or equivalent) and documentary evidence of financial support.

The college is authorized under Federal law to enroll non-immigrant alien students (F-1 Visa). Admission to the English Language Center is separate from admission as a matriculated student at Concordia College. Students who meet all qualifications for admission to a degree program except for English proficiency may receive conditional academic admission. Because some international students are interested in programs of study not offered at Concordia, the Career Development Center provides a counseling service to help students find a college or university which suits their needs after they complete ESL (English as a Second Language) courses.

The International Center for English as a Second Language has three terms annually; two are a semester in length and follow the regular college academic calendar.

At the beginning of each term, students are placed into the appropriate level of the program through testing. Proficiency is determined by a standardized oral and written test and an essay. Progress through the levels is based on testing and teacher evaluations. Final grades are letter grades. ICESL students who are admitted into a degree program receive 6 credits for each semester of successfully completed full-time ICESL study, up to a maximum of 12 credits.