2022 Language Placement Guidelines

The language placement guidelines described on this page serve three different purposes:

• to identify the appropriate level for the purposes of course enrollment 
• to confirm placement above the intermediate level and fulfill the College’s core requirement in foreign language (note: for SFS students, the proficiency exam is required to fulfill the SFS foreign language requirement. Please consult your advising dean).
• to confirm eligibility for AP and other credits (e.g., for transfer of college language courses from previous institutions)

Placement policies and procedures vary according to language, so please carefully read the specific instructions for each language that you have studied previously and that you anticipate studying, receiving advanced credit for, and/or fulfilling the language requirement at Georgetown College.

After you have reviewed these guidelines and confirmed your language level, please consult the Fall 2022 Schedule of Classes for language course listings, then register for courses as appropriate.

Language programs at Georgetown usually provide language testing once a year for students who believe they will test out of the College’s foreign language requirement, and who do not intend to continue their study of language at Georgetown.

*Note for SFS students: All School of Foreign Service students must take the relevant language placement exam or fill out the google form for fluency regardless of their level. The placement exam does not confer proficiency and will not meet the SFS-language proficiency requirement.

Reminder:

Students with no previous experience in a language should simply register for an introductory course in that language (in most cases, non-intensive introductory courses are numbered 001 and intensive introductory courses are numbered 011).

Click on the appropriate language for placement instructions:

• Arabic
• Catalan
• Chinese
• French
• German
• Greek: Ancient
• Greek: Modern
• Hebrew
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Latin
• Persian
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Spanish
• Turkish
• Ukrainian

Arabic

Students with no previous Arabic language coursework should register for ARAB-011 Intensive First Level Modern Standard Arabic I.

Students who have previously studied Arabic and wish to either continue their language study or place out of the College’s foreign language requirement in Arabic should follow the appropriate instructions below.

Catalan

Students should contact Professor Elena Herburger, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, for guidance in taking Catalan.

Chinese

Students with no previous Mandarin Chinese coursework should register for CHIN-011 Intensive First Level Chinese I.

Students with previous Mandarin Chinese experience who plan to continue with Chinese, or who wish to place out of the College language requirement, are required to take a two-part placement exam:

1. Students should take the preliminary online placement exam (Part I) during the summer. Students who wish to register for a Chinese course in the fall should follow the placement recommendations upon completion of the exam.
2. To confirm placement, students MUST also complete a writing test via Zoom (Part II), which will be scheduled by the Department. Zoom tests will be conducted the week of August 15th.

More information about the Chinese placement exam can be found on East Asian Language & Culture Department’s webpage.

Students with an AP score of 4 or 5 are eligible for credit if they are placed beyond CHIN-112 on the Chinese placement test (Part I and II) and also successfully complete CHIN-211 or a more advanced Chinese course at Georgetown. For additional information about advanced credit, please consult the AP/IB Policies.

There are TWO versions of the Chinese placement exam:

• The simplified Chinese Exam is for those who read simplified characters.
• The traditional Chinese Exam is for those who read traditional characters.

French

Students with no previous French language coursework should register for either:

• FREN-001 Introductory French I, or
• FREN-011 Intensive Basic French (a one-semester, intensive course equivalent to FREN-001 Introductory French I and FREN-002 Introductory French II).
• Students who are advanced speakers of Spanish have the option of enrolling in FREN-009 (French for Spanish Speakers) and completing a full year of French in one semester (3 credits), the equivalent of either FREN-001 and FREN-002 or FREN-011.

Students with previous French experience who wish to continue studying French are required to take the online placement exam during the summer and to follow the placement recommendations at the end of the exam. Here is the French and Francophone Studies department’s placement scale for your reference.

Students who wish to earn AP credit must take the online placement exam and take the appropriate course. For more information, please see: Earning AP credit and Placing out of the College Language Requirement.

Students who wish to place out of the College’s foreign language requirement in French, and who do not intend to continue their study of French at Georgetown, should take the online placement exam at any time prior to August 15, 2022 and complete a Zoom interview, which will be scheduled by the Department. Please contact the Placement Exam and Confirmation Oral Interview Coordinator, Prof. Andrade, at aa1437@georgetown.edu by August 15. Zoom interviews will be scheduled for Thursday, August 18 and Friday, August 19.

German

Students with no previous German language coursework should register for either:

• GERM-001 Introductory German I: Experiencing Germany, or
• GERM-011 Intensive Basic German: Experiencing Germany.

Students with previous German language coursework should determine their preliminary placement by taking the German placement exam online (Three parts: C-test, Listening, Reading) between July 5 and July 31. Placement according to the online placement exam result is by level. For registration purposes, students should consult this list to find the course number that corresponds to the level into which they were placed:

• Level I: GERM-001 Introductory German I: Experiencing Germany or GERM-011 Intensive Basic German: Contemporary Germany
• Level II: GERM-021 Intermediate German I: Experiencing Germany or GERM-032 Intensive Intermediate German: Experiencing Germany
• Level III: GERM-101 Advanced German I: Stories & Histories or GERM-111 Intensive Advanced German: Stories & Histories
• Level IV: Any Level IV Course (GERM-152-199)

Students seeking to place out of the College’s core requirement in foreign language in German should take the online exam (all three parts) over the summer. Students who place into Advanced German I or higher on that exam will be contacted by the department to schedule a Zoom interview.

Note that in order to receive AP credit, students will need to be placed in an appropriate level and also complete a course at that level. For additional information about advanced credit, please consult the AP/IB Policies.

Greek: Ancient

Students should contact Professor Charles McNelis, Classics placement coordinator, for advice on final placement. A rough guide for preliminary placement is as follows:

• 0–2 years: CLSG-001 Ancient Greek I
• 3 years: CLSG-101 Intermediate Ancient Greek (offered in fall only)
• 4+ years: CLSG-101 Intermediate Ancient Greek (offered in fall only) or Advanced Greek (CLSG 200+)

Greek: Modern 

Students with no previous experience in modern Greek should register for GREE-011 Intensive First Level Modern Greek I.

Students with previous modern Greek language coursework should contact Professor Ismini Lamb for instructions on how to complete the placement exam and a Zoom interview. Zoom interviews will be conducted largely during NSO and will be completed prior to the start of classes. A rough guide to placement (which should be confirmed by placement exam) is as follows:

• 0–2 years: GREE-011 Intensive First-Level Modern Greek I
• 3-4 years: GREE-111 Intensive Second-Level Modern Greek I
• 5+ years: GREE-211 Intensive Third-Level Modern Greek

Hebrew 

Students with no previous experience in modern Hebrew or with a basic knowledge of the Hebrew alphabet but little grammar background should register for HEBR-101 Intensive Beginning Hebrew.

The Placement Exam

The following students are required to take a Hebrew Placement Exam by August 20:

1. All students new to Georgetown’s Hebrew program who have prior Hebrew grammar knowledge.
2. Students who believe they will place out of the College’s foreign language requirement in Hebrew, and who do not intend to continue their study of Hebrew at Georgetown

Please contact Professor Meital Orr to arrange to take the exam.

Hebrew Courses

The Hebrew course offerings at Georgetown (the completion of which constitute the Hebrew minor) are as follows:

• HEBR-101 & 102 Intensive Beginning Hebrew I & II
• HEBR-201 & 202 Intermediate Modern Hebrew I & II
• HEBR-300 & 302 Advanced Modern Hebrew I & II

Language Requirement Information

Students in the College who wish to satisfy the language requirement with Hebrew must complete HEBR-202 Intermediate Modern Hebrew II, or four semesters of Hebrew (two semesters of Intensive Beginning Hebrew, and two semesters of Intermediate Hebrew: HEBR-201 and HEBR-202). For more information about Hebrew courses or registering for exams, please contact Professor Meital Orr or Brittany Fried in the Center for Jewish Civilization.

Italian

Students with no previous Italian language coursework should register for ITAL-011 Intensive Basic Italian.

Determining placement:

Students with previous Italian experience who wish to continue studying Italian are required to take the online placement exam during the summer and to follow the placement recommendations at the end of the exam. 

Students seeking to place out of the foreign language requirement, who do not intend to continue their study of Italian at Georgetown, should also take the online placement exam  during the summer. Students who place into Advanced Italian will be contacted by the department to schedule a Zoom interview. Zoom interviews will be conducted on Tuesday, August 16th. 

Placing out of the foreign language requirement:

Students seeking to place out of the foreign language requirement, who do not intend to continue their study of Italian at Georgetown, should take the online placement exam  during the summer. Students who place into Advanced Italian will be contacted by the department to schedule a Zoom interview. Zoom interviews will be conducted on August 16th.

Earning AP credit:

Students of Italian with a score of 4 or 5 on the AP exam are eligible for credit.  In order to receive credit, these students must place into and successfully complete ITAL-112, in which case they will receive 5 credits for ITAL-111. Students who place into and successfully complete a 200-level Italian course will receive 10 credits for ITAL-111 and 112.

Japanese

Students with no previous Japanese language coursework should register for JAPN-011 Intensive First Level Japanese I.

All other students must take the online placement exam during the summer to determine the appropriate level for purposes of course enrollment.

Students who believe they will place out of the College’s foreign language requirement in Japanese, and who do not intend to continue their study of Japanese at Georgetown, should take the online placement exam during the summer and complete a Zoom interview on August 19. Students taking the Japanese Zoom interview must sign up via this form using their GUID. After signing up, they will be provided with the link to join a Zoom meeting by email.

Students seeking AP credit in Japanese should take the online placement exam. In order to receive AP credit, students must take at least one Japanese language course at the level of their placement (beyond JAPN 112) at Georgetown. For additional information about advanced credit, please consult the AP/IB Policies.

Korean

Students with no previous Korean coursework should register for KREN-011 Intensive First Level Korean I.

Students with previous Korean learning experiences who plan to continue with Korean, or who wish to place out of the College language requirement, are required to take a two-part placement exam:

1. Students should take the preliminary online placement exam (Part I) during the summer. Students who wish to register for a Korean course in the fall should follow the placement recommendations upon completion of the exam.
2. To confirm placement, students MUST also complete the confirmation test comprised of an oral interview and writing test with a Korean faculty members via Zoom (Part II). The confirmation test will be conducted during the week of August 15th. To make an appointment for the interview, please contact Prof. Choi at mc1783@georgetown.edu.

Latin

Students with no previous experience in Latin should register for CLSL-001 Latin I.

Students with previous experience in Latin must take the online placement exam during the summer to determine the appropriate level for purposes of course enrollment.

Students who believe they will place out of the College’s foreign language requirement in Latin, and who do not intend to continue their study of Latin at Georgetown, must take the online placement exam at any time prior to August 20th. Individuals who score above CLSL 101 should contact Professor Charles McNelis for a follow up exam.

Students seeking AP credit in Latin for an AP score of 4 or 5 must take the online placement exam over the summer. Students are eligible to receive four credits for CLSL 101 (Intermediate Latin). In order to receive credit for Intermediate Latin, a student must place into and successfully complete one course in Latin (CLSL) at the 200-level or above. Students who place into or take CLSL 001/002 or CLSL 101 will not receive AP credit.

Persian

Students with no previous background in Persian should register for PERS-011 Intensive First-Level Persian I.

Students with one year of Arabic, equivalent of 12 credits, without knowledge of Persian should register for PERS-009-01 Persian for Arabic speakers I.

All other students should contact Professor Farima Mostowfi.

Polish

Students with no previous background in Polish should register for PLSH-001 Beginning Polish.

All other students should contact Professor Iwona Sadowska in the Department of Slavic Languages.

Portuguese

Students with no previous Portuguese coursework, who have completed an advanced level of a Romance language, or who are heritage/native speakers of a Romance language should register for:

• PORT-050 Accelerated Portuguese

Students with previous coursework in Portuguese should determine their level as follows:

• Less than 2 years: PORT-050 Accelerated Portuguese or PORT-101 Advanced Portuguese I. Take the placement exam during New Student Orientation to confirm the appropriate level.
• 2-5 years: PORT-101 Advanced Portuguese I. This is a required course for majors and minors. All majors and minors must take PORT 101 regardless of the order in which they take Portuguese courses. Heritage speakers are placed here also.
• 5+ years: PORT 199 Literature & Culture of the Portuguese-speaking World, offered every semester, or PORT 151 Advanced Conversation, offered every fall.

Students who believe they will place out of the College’s foreign language requirement in Portuguese, and who do not intend to continue their study of Portuguese at Georgetown, should take the Placement Exam during the summer and contact Prof. Sarah Lucena to schedule a Zoom interview.

Please contact Professor Vivaldo Santos or Professor Sarah Lucena in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese if you have questions about how the guidelines above may apply to you specifically or for more information.

Russian

Students with no previous Russian coursework should register for RUSS-011 Intensive First-Level Russian I.

All students with any previous knowledge of Russian MUST take the proctored placement exam during the summer. You may not place yourself into a language class. The results of the placement exam will indicate what class a student should register for.

Students who believe they will place out of the College’s foreign language requirement in Russian, and who do not intend to continue their study of Russian at Georgetown, should also take the proctored placement exam during the summer. Students who place beyond RUSS-012 on the placement exam will have met the College language requirement.

The Russian placement exam will be available online as of July 15. All test takers should contact Prof. Lioudmila Fedorova to take the Russian Placement exam (written/online and oral/Zoom). You will then receive instructions for taking the exam. Both parts must be completed by Aug. 10 at the latest.

Spanish

Students with no previous Spanish language coursework should register for:

• SPAN-001 Beginning Spanish, or
• SPAN-003 Introductory Spanish I, or
• SPAN-011 Intensive Basic Spanish.

In order to receive credit for advanced exams (AP, IB, SAT II, etc.), students must take the online placement test on Canvas and enroll in (and pass) a course at Georgetown. SFS students must place in at least SPAN 161 or above in order to receive credit for SPAN 101 and 102, which can be done by taking the Spanish Validation Exam

For additional information about advanced credit, please consult the AP/IB Policies.

Turkish

Students with no previous background in Turkish should register for TURK-011 Intensive Beginning Turkish I

Students should contact Professor Sylvia Onder, Head of the Turkish Program, for guidance in taking Turkish placement tests or testing to place out of the College’s foreign language requirement in Turkish.

Ukrainian

Students with no previous background in Ukrainian should check the fall 2022 schedule of classes and register for UKRN-301, Beginning Ukrainian, or contact Professor Elena Boudovskaia for more information.

All other students should contact Professor Boudovskaia in the Department of Slavic Languages.