Placement Exams

French and Italian in-person departmental exams will be administered during advanced registration on Tuesday April 2, 2024, 10:15 AM, in 204 Williams Hall. Contact the Undergraduate Coordinator to reserve a seat.

Language Requirement for Each School

Students in the Schools of Arts & Sciences, Nursing, and Wharton must fulfill the language requirement specific to their school’s policy.

  • Arts & Sciences students have a 4-semester requirement.
  • Wharton students have a 2-semester requirement.
  • Nursing students entering Fall 2023 and beyond have a 2-semester requirement. Nursing students entering before Fall 2023 have a 4-semester requirement.
  • Engineering students who wish to enroll in a language class may use the online test for placement into the correct level.
  • Students in dual degree programs should consult the requirements of both programs to determine which language requirement applies to them.

Placement Departmental Exams

  • Incoming students who did not place out of the language requirement via the SAT II, AP, or IB HL exams should consult the information linked below to proceed with placement and/or exemption.
  • Be aware that each language has a specific process. French and Italian require students in SAS and Engineering who have previous language experience to take an online language test to determine eligibility for the in-person exam.
  • Detailed information can be found by following the appropriate links in the sections below.
  • Wharton students are not eligible to take the online test and must sit for the in-person departmental exam for French, Italian, or German.
  • After NSO, make-up exams are offered a few times a semester. Contact the Undergraduate Coordinator for more information.

Students in Arts & Sciences and Engineering

French and Italian

German

  • The German exam is mandatory for all students new to the German program at Penn who had previous formal or informal instruction in German. Students who have received advanced scores in external credit exams (SAT II, AP, IB Higher Level), please refer to College website for registration policies.  For questions, contact the Language Program Director for Germanic Studies, Claudia Baska Lynn.

Wharton and Nursing Students

NOTE: Nursing students entering before FALL 2023 have a 4-semester requirement while those entering Fall 2023 and beyond have a 2-semester requirement. 

French and Italian

German

  • The German exam is mandatory for all students new to the German program at Penn who had previous formal or informal instruction in German. Wharton students who have received advanced scores in external credit exams (SAT II, AP, IB Higher Level), please refer to Wharton website for registration policies.  For questions, contact the Language Program Director for Germanic Studies, Claudia Baska Lynn.