The English Language Programs of INTO UAB strive to foster communication among cultures through quality English language programs and cross-cultural training opportunities.

In order to do this effectively, the ELP will remain committed to the following:

• Provide English language instruction, using best practices in language pedagogy, that enables non-native speakers to acquire the skills necessary to meet their goals, with a particular emphasis on academic and professional preparation in the higher levels
• Ensure appropriate support services for full-time students to aid in their transition to life and studies in the United States, including access to orientation information, immigration counseling, academic and personal advising, social opportunities, and cross-cultural training
• Offer part-time study opportunities to UAB students, scholars, or employees, and the Birmingham international community at large
• Serve businesses, special groups, or community agencies through delivering specialized English language and/or cross-cultural training services
• Advance UAB’s reputation for excellence through serving as a resource for international education, a venue for cross-cultural encounters, and an extension of UAB’s international reach across the world.

INTO UAB's English Language Programs have been serving English language learners in the Birmingham area since 2001. Established as a special project of a local educational collaboration called the Birmingham Area Consortium for Higher Education (BACHE), the program was developed to provide a professionally-staffed “center” in adult English language and cross-cultural instruction for the member institutions and the region. Named the English Language and Culture Institute (ELCI), the program held its first class in Fall semester of 2001, and BACHE housed the program through December of 2003.

In January of 2004, the ELCI was relocated to the School of Education and Human Sciences of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). In the following years, the program experienced steady growth, both in service to UAB and through meeting ESL training needs in the greater Birmingham region. In 2009, the ELCI received approval from the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama system to serve as a designated "institute" at UAB. In the same year, the ELCI opened its Intensive English Program to pre-degree students and short-term students needing to improve their English for academic or professional purposes. It was renamed the UAB English Language Institute (ELI) in November 2010 and became part of the UAB College of Arts and Sciences.

In 2015, UAB established a new joint venture with INTO University Partnerships called INTO UAB. The ELI became a part of that partnership as the academic wing of the enterprise. The ELI – now the English Language Programs of INTO UAB – looks forward to continued growth, and it remains committed to deliver English language and cross-cultural training programs with the high standard of quality that is the program's hallmark.