French Placement Policy

The following is intended to facilitate your placement in the correct course. Please email Elena Shimanskaya with any questions.

General French language program policies

The Basic French Language Program consists of first-and-second-year French language instruction. The program consists of two four-credit first-year courses (FREN 111 and FREN 112) and two three-credit second-year courses (FREN 211 and FREN 212) for students who are not native French speakers. All four French courses corresponding to the first two years (FREN 111, 112, 211 and 212) must be taken in sequential order; you may not enroll in more than one of these courses during the same semester.

If you want to register in two or more consecutive courses during the summer sessions and the fall semester (ex. FREN 111 in the first summer session, FREN 112 in the second summer session and FREN 211 in the fall), please email Elena Shimanskaya to waive the course prerequisites and to give you permission to enroll in the higher numbered course(s) based on your enrollment in the first course.

If you plan to take upper-division French courses, or to minor/major in French, you should consult with Miriella Melara before enrolling in 300-level courses or above.

Placement in the first-and-second-year French courses is based on the following criteria:

Placement for students without prior knowledge of French

• Students who have never taken any prior French classes (and/or never studied abroad) do not need to take a placement test and should enroll in FREN 111.

Placement for students with prior knowledge of French and who are trying to fulfill credit requirements

• Placement for students with prior knowledge of French is based on either the College Board Advanced Placement Examination (CBAPE), the International Baccalaureate (IB), SAT “French Subject Area Test,” or the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP).
• The College of Liberal Arts foreign language requirement can be satisfied by:
  • A CBAPE score of 5 on the French Language and Culture Exam
  • An SAT French Subject Area Test score above 700
  • An IB score of 5 or higher
• An SAT French Subject Area Test score between 600-699 places you in a fourth-semester course (FREN 212); and when completed, satisfies the College of Liberal Arts foreign language requirement and may count toward minor requirements.
• A CBAPE score of 4 on the French Language and Culture exam places you in a fourth-semester course (FREN 212); and when completed, satisfies the College of Liberal Arts foreign language requirement and may count toward minor requirements.
• A CBAPE score of 3 on the French Languages and Culture exam places you in a third-semester course (FREN 211).
• Students may get credit for two courses, for a maximum of eight credits for CBAPE and IB exams.

Placement for students with prior knowledge of French and who have taken the French placement test

Students who have taken French courses previously and who are not native/heritage speakers must take the French Placement Exam (if you are a native/heritage speaker of French, please contact Elena Shimanskaya. This placement exam score is a starting point and placement may be modified by the department in conjunction with the information on your high school transcript in regards to previous French instruction and/or an oral interview. According to the modified score, they will be able to enroll for the specific French course listed below:

Students with questions or concerns about these policies should consult Elena Shimanskaya.