Welcome to SSL

Admission is open to all individuals seeking to learn English for college or personal or professional enrichment. Though SSL and courses are primarily designed for students aged 18 and older, we still welcome students aged 16 and above. However, guardians of students under 18 studying at SSL will be asked to complete a parental permission and medical consent form when booking. The school does reserve the right to deny admission to applicants for any reason. To issue an I-20 from SSL, we must receive a completed enrollment agreement, a copy of your passport, financial documentation, a non-refundable application fee, and a level placement test. The Shepherd School of Language is a non-credit, short-term program that does not award academic credit or grades. Therefore, no academic credit is transferred into or out of SSL.

All Applications will be done via Email: DALLAS@SSL.edu

Once you email us, we can send you the link to download the forms required for your application.

In the subject line, please add if you are one of the following:

  1. Apply for F1 Visa outside the U.S.
  2. Apply for a change of status while in the U.S.
  3. Apply for a transfer from another school to SSL
  4. *Apply as an Non-F1 (J1 Visa, B1/B2 Visa, U.S. Resident, etc.) – This is for students who only want the English courses and are not planning to their change current status.

Applicants who have the F1 visa/status or applying to obtain the F1 visa/status -Your application will not be processed until you complete the following steps:

      1. Carefully read the Student Handbook and other information we sent.
      2. Pay an application fee *(Non-refundable), $200.
      3. Fill out and sign an enrollment agreement.
        • This agreement extends automatically when the student pays for the next learning period.
        • Transfers: Tuition: $600/4 weeks.
        • Initial & CoS Applicants: Tuition Deposit: 1,200/session (8 weeks)
      4. The student MUST provide the required documents to Dallas@SSL.edu
        • A copy of his/her passport, visa, and I-94 (including dependents)
        • The student must provide a copy of a bank statement (either a checking or a savings account) showing a minimum balance of USD 20,000.00 for single applicants. Applicants with dependents will add $5,000 per dependent to the minimum balance.
          • (Please note all bank statements or bank letters MUST be in ENGLISH, F-1 Only).
          • A Statement of Support must be provided, identifying the source of financial funds during the student’s enrollment period. This statement is required by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) to prove that the student has enough financial support to remain in the USA without working (F-1 only)
        • Current I-20 (if applicable)
        • The student must pay a courier fee for expedited shipping services that will be used to send the necessary documents to obtain the student’s VISA. *(Non-refundable, unless in case of cancellation and documents have not been shipped)

*Students who are applying as Non-F1 (do not want to change their current status and only want to enroll in English courses)

  1. Carefully read the Student Handbook and other information we sent.
  2. Pay an application fee *(Non-refundable), $200.
  3. Fill out and sign an enrollment agreement.
    • This agreement extends automatically when the student pays for the next learning period.
    • NF1 Applicants: Tuition: $600/4 weeks.
  4. Provide an ID. e.g., passport, driver’s license, state-issued photo ID, etc.

All students will then take a placement test: Written and Speaking. 

        • You will receive an SSL account that looks like firstname20@SSL.edu. You need to log in with this account for the next steps.
        • After the written test, you must reply back to the original email saying you are ready for the speaking test.

If you are ready to take a written test, please click below.

Placement Test

If you would like a some more information about placement test, feel free to visit our placement test tutorial page!

The last stop is the most important! Complete orientation before the program’s starting date. After you complete both the written and speaking test, you will receive information about the orientation dates and times.

After completing all steps, SSL will issue an acceptance letter and an I-20 for F-1 students during the first week of classes.