An EAP program focuses instruction on skills required to perform in an English-speaking academic context across core subject areas generally encountered in a college or a university setting.
In the former case, sometimes EAP courses may be intended to raise students' general English levels so that they can enter a college or a university.
In the United Kingdom, this often means endeavoring to help students get a score of 6 or above in the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) examination.
Outside Anglophone countries, English-medium universities may have a preparatory school where students can spend a year or two working on their English and academic skills before starting degree courses.
This trend has become more prominent as the numbers of foreign students attending UK universities, and other institutions across the English-speaking world, has increased over the last decade.