It is recommended that students begin to satisfy the Language Requirement in their first semester and continue to take courses consecutively until the requirement is fulfilled. Students planning to continue with a language that they have studied previously should read about language placement below. Students who decide to start a new language at Penn should anticipate that it will require four full semesters of course work to achieve competency in the language and to fulfill the Language Requirement.
At the time they first enroll in a beginning- or intermediate-level language course, all students who have previously studied that language must have a placement score. The only students exempt from having a placement score are those who have never studied the language before. Credit will not be given for a language course taken at a lower level than a student's placement score indicates.
Some language departments offer online exams for placement in the summer or on a rolling basis. Other language departments offer in-person exams at the beginning of each year. Students should check the departmental and the New Student Orientation websites for information on individual exams.
Students wishing to be evaluated in a modern language other than those taught by the language departments should consult the Penn Language Center.
Students who feel their placement scores do not accurately reflect their language level, or students who have other questions about their language study, should make an appointment to speak with the coordinator of their particular language program.