Office of Undergraduate Curriculum, Policy + Records
Undergraduate Academic Affairs
The College of Arts + Sciences
Q: Which languages departments consistently offer their first semester introductory course in both the fall and spring semesters, allowing students to begin a new language at any time during the academic year?
A: American Sign Language (SPHS)
French (FRIT)
German (GER)
Hebrew - Modern (JSTU)
Italian (FRIT)
Latin (CLAS)
Portuguese (HISP) * Intensive Introductory course, combining first two semesters, in Spring
Spanish (HISP)
Turkish (CEUS)
Q: Which languages/departments consistently offer all 4 courses in their basic language sequence in the summer?
A: American Sign Language (SPHS), Arabic (NELC), Chinese (EALC), French (FRIT), Italian (FRIT), Korean (EALC), Russian (SLAV), Spanish (HISP), Turkish (CEUS)
Q: Which languages/departments offer accelerated or intensive courses, allowing a student to complete a language sequence in less than 4 semesters?
A: Dutch: GER-N105: Accelerated Elementary Dutch – Recommended for motivated students or those with proficiency in another foreign language.
French: FRIT F115: Accelerated Elementary French; FRIT F265: Accelerated Second-Year French
Italian: FRIT M115: Accelerated Elementary Italian; FRIT M215: Accelerated Second-Year Italian
Portuguese: HISP-P 135 Intensive Portuguese - For students from secondary school placed into the second semester of first-year study or those with prior knowledge of another Romance language.
Spanish: HISP-S 105 First-Year Spanish - For students with any prior experience in Spanish.
Turkish: CEUS offers Introductory Turkish I and II as 1stand 2nd 8-week courses in the Spring, allowing students to complete a year’s worth of language in one semester. Other CEUS languages may be offered, but not on a regular basis.
Ukrainian: SLAV-U182 and SLAV-U282 Ukrainian Through Russian I & II - Each semester covers a full year (two semesters) of language, but these courses are not offered regularly.
See also: Language Workshop
Q: Which languages/departments offer online or hybrid options for some/all introductory language courses?
A: Dutch (GER), French (FRIT), Italian (FRIT), Pasto (CEUS – summer only); Portuguese (HISP); Spanish (HISP); Zulu (AFRI)
Q: What’s the difference between a placement test and a proficiency test?
A: A placement test score indicates which IU language course is most appropriate for the student’s current level of language learning. Proficiency tests are intended to give students an opportunity to demonstrate language proficiency (exemption) without having to enroll in additional language coursework. Students interested in this option should contact the appropriate language department as soon as possible upon matriculating to IUB to determine if a proficiency test is available.
Q: What is the policy for special credit?
A: Degree-seeking students can earn a maximum of two semesters of special credit for foreign language and this special credit is limited to two semesters of second-year study (the third and fourth semesters). The number of credits varies according to the language. To earn special credit, students must take the placement test offered by the appropriate department at IUB, complete a validating course on the IUB campus with a grade of C or higher, and apply for the special credit to be posted retroactively. If a student earns a grade of C- or below in the validating course, s/he will not earn special credit. Students interested in special credit in foreign language should complete their validating course as soon as they begin their studies at IUB. For more information, refer to the full policy in the College Bulletin.
Revised April 2024
The Recorders in the College of Arts & Sciences review admission documents submitted to the Office of International Admissions by students when they apply to IU. College Recorders review these documents for new matriculants and add a proficiency notation to students’ records if the documents meet the criteria for satisfying the General Education World Languages and Cultures requirement and the CASE Foreign Language requirement (for students in the College). If additional documentation is needed to establish proficiency, the College Recorder contacts students via email with additional information and instructions.
Please Note: The documentation review process can take ten weeks or longer after an international student matriculates, but the student will receive an email from the Recorders to inform them of the review’s outcome. Their Academic Advisement Report will also be updated by the Recorders should the student fulfill the General Education World Languages and Cultures requirement or the CASE Foreign Language requirement.
If international admissions documents are not available (e.g., for students who transfer to IU Bloomington from other US institutions), students should compete the Foreign Language Proficiency form, which is available in the Undergraduate Student Portal on the College of Arts and Sciences website ([Home] Student Portal Information for Undergraduate Students Forms). Students should submit the form to the College Recorder’s office as soon as possible after matriculation if they have been notified that supporting documentation is required.
International students who are unable to provide one of the documents listed above and are speakers of languages for which a test option is not available (see chart below) or whose native language is English:
Native speakers of Chinese, Japanese, or Korean who do not have high school documentation from their home country but who completed middle school (5th through 8th grade) in their home country:
Test options are currently available in the languages listed in the chart below; however, the list is subject to change, and tests may not be available each year. International students who are native speakers of the languages listed below should complete the Foreign Language Proficiency form rather than taking a proctored test, when possible. Establishing proficiency through the application process is generally much quicker and easier for students.
Language | Department | Language | Department | Language | Department |
Akan/Twi | African Studies | Hungarian | Central Eurasian Studies | Persian | Central Eurasian Studies |
Arabic | Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures | Indonesian | Southeast Asian Studies | Sanskrit | Dhar India Studies Program |
Bamana | African Studies | IsiZulu/Zulu | African Studies | Tagalog | Southeast Asian Studies (subject to availability) |
Bengali | Dhar India Studies Program | Japanese | East Asian Languages and Cultures | Tajik | Central Eurasian Studies (subject to availability) |
Burmese | Department of Linguistics (Prof. Kelly Berkson) | Kazakh | Central Eurasia Studies | Tamil | Dhar India Studies Program (subject to availability) |
Chinese | East Asian Languages and Cultures | Kiswahili/Swahili | African Studies | Thai | Southeast Asian Studies |
Dari | Central Eurasian Studies (subject to availability) | Korean | East Asian Languages and Cultures | Tibetan | Central Eurasian Studies |
Dutch | Germanic Studies | Kurdish | Central Eurasian Studies | Turkish | Central Eurasian Studies |
Estonian | Central Eurasian Studies | Kyrgyz | Central Eurasian Studies | Urdu | Dhar India Studies Program |
Finnish | Central Eurasian Studies | Maya | Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies | Uyghur | Central Eurasian Studies |
Haitian Creole | Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies | Mongolian | Central Eurasian Studies | Uzbek | Central Eurasian Studies |
Hakha Chin/Hakha Lai | Department of Linguistics (Prof. Kelly Berkson) | Norwegian | Germanic Studies | Yiddish | Germanic Studies |
Hindi | Dhar India Studies Program | Pashto | Central Eurasian Studies | Yoruba | African Studies |
Office of Undergraduate Curriculum, Policy + Records
Undergraduate Academic Affairs
The College of Arts + Sciences