ELS Language Centers - Houston

My experience with the housing and the language institute was a nightmare. The shared room accommodated four people, and each paid $1,200, while independent rooms with a bathroom and kitchen were only $1,300—a huge and unjustified difference. I stayed alone for the first three days. Then someone from the housing administration told me that another person from an external app would be moving in. I said no, it should be a student from the institute. He then showed me another apartment I could move to, and I liked it. I went to school and had a normal day there. Later, while I was away, a staff member took my belongings and put them in a storage closet without any prior notice. As a result, my bank card went missing, and I don’t know if it was lost or taken. This situation was a nightmare for me throughout the three months I stayed at the institute and in the housing. From the start, I decided to make sure no Saudi student enrolls in this institute. I strongly advise everyone to avoid this institute if their goal is to learn the language in peace.

Three months at this institute was a terrible experience. It's an expensive institute, yet its quality is poor, resembling cheap schools in terms of organization and teaching methods. The institute doesn't specialize in developing listening and speaking skills, which are the most important aspects of language learning. In many classes, there's no real teaching; students just sit on their phones or in front of computers without any explanation or interaction. The afternoon classes are useless. The teacher simply says "hi" at the beginning of the class, and then there's no explanation or instruction. Sharing a computer is completely pointless. The teachers are generally unqualified, and there are no specific criteria for their selection. There's no writing, reading, or practical training. Overall, only two classes could be considered even slightly useful. The accommodation situation was extremely bad: the housing was unstable and changed multiple times without notice. Some accommodations were far from the institute, requiring long commutes, and the food was unsuitable. The administration didn't offer any assistance or solutions. The institute's advertisements were completely false, and one of the promises made by the advertisers was never fulfilled. The administration is terrible; they don't care about students' problems, and their only focus is on attendance and absences to force students to fail and pay extra fees. There was only one good teacher, but she retired. I have only one week left of this terrible experience, and this nightmare will end on January 23rd. I do not recommend this institute to anyone. It's a disappointing experience that falls short of all student expectations.

I have recently taken the IELTS test here, and unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. One of the staff members displayed unprofessional and unfriendly behavior, especially toward test takers from other countries. She examined our passports with what appeared to be a disrespectful attitude. I was particularly dissatisfied with the speaking test. The examiner seemed to show a lack of respect for international candidates. He often appeared dismissive or condescending in his facial expressions when I answered the questions. This made the testing environment uncomfortable and discouraging. Although I only received a 6.5 on the IELTS, I believe this result was negatively affected by the testing experience and the unprofessional conduct at the test center. Afterwards, I took the Duolingo English Test and scored 150 out of 160. I highly recommend the Duolingo test to other international students, as most universities in the U.S. now accept it as valid proof of English proficiency.

Hi, my name Nuke Lydia, I was paying for my IELTS test on January 25th, 2026 But the status it's didn't change… they said I need to pay. I already paid for it Why the customer service so bad, I already chatted, call and emailed them….

I was a student of ELS. The school was pretty nice, the teachers were the best. However, I had problems with the apartments since the beginning. These apartment was from ELS. I asked a lot of times to they solve all the problems that I had but only 3 days before I left the city they decided to change me. The apartment had problems with water leak in my bathroom. It took almost 2 month to they solve the problem. After that, I had problem with my roomate and asked them to change me from the apartment since the begging of the December. It took two month to change me, the school new it since the begging and didn’t help me. They only changed the place 3 days before I came home. I got really disappointed with the way they were behaving with me. Also, I heard that someone called me problematic inside of the teachers room. I’m really sad that I’ve been through all of this, because it maid my exchange program bad.

The best English school I had the opportunity to attend. Supportive and friendly staff, interactive classes, and a very diverse community of students and teachers helping each other in order to maximize the experience of learning. I recommend people to take some classes there before going to take IELTS or any other English proficiency exam. It will help you a lot with test methodology, and teachers there will give you so many tips about how to succeed on the test. Please, keep in mind that the experience of learning demands even more effort and engagement from students’ side than anyone else. So, make your decision, call these highly skilled people and experience the American culture along your journey.

My experience at ELS has been amazing. The teachers are supportive, and the interactive classes make learning English both fun and effective. I've also had the chance to meet students from all over the world, which has broadened my perspective and helped me grow both academically and personally.