Placement

If you are beginning your language study at Penn at the 110 - 140 level (elementary and intermediate language) you will only receive credit for the course you have been placed into, either through the SAT II exam, the Transfer Credit Exam (for transfer students only), or a departmental placement exam. 

If you have already completed the language requirement and you wish to learn another language in the Romance Languages department, you qualify to take an accelerated elementary course - 112. You must request authorization from the undergraduate coordinator via e-mail explaining how and in which language you completed the language requirement, as well as for which course you wish to register.

You do NOT need to take the online placement exam if:

• You have never studied the language. 

• You have taken the SAT II exam. If your score is 650 and above, you are exempt from the language requirement and may enroll in 202. If your score is between 600 and 640, you qualify to take an oral exam to be exempt from the language requirement. The oral exam is offered during the first two weeks of a semester only. Please sign up for the exam with the Undergraduate Coordinator. If your score is less than 600, you may use your SAT II score for placement at the 110 - 140 level. Check out the SAT II Placement Scale.

• You have scored a 4 or 5 on either the language or the literature Advanced Placement exam. In that case, you may directly enroll in 200 level courses. AP scores of 1, 2, and 3 are not used for placement purposes. 

• You have scored a 7, 6, 5, or 4 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Exam. In that case, you may directly enroll in 200 level courses.

• You have successfully completed the previous language course in sequence at Penn. 

• You are a transfer student who is seeking transfer credit for French.

You must take the online placement exam if:

• You are continuing a language begun elsewhere, either in middle school, high school or at another college or university. Without a proper placement score you will not be allowed to remain in a course for credit. 

When is the online placement exam given?

• The French placement exam is an online examination which may be taken at any time from any computer with a connection to the internet. An active email address is required. You must print and save your score, as well as the e-mail confirming your score. You will be asked to present this copy of your online score in class. If you do not present a proof of placement, you will not be able to receive credit for the course.
  

• The MCE department placement exam is offered to those students who score above 428 on the online examination at the beginning of each semester. For more information, please contact the undergraduate coordinator.
  

If you feel the placement score does not reflect your level:

• College students: If you wish to take a French course one level higher from your placement score, you may do so without seeing an advisor for approval. You may not, however, move higher than the 140-level in any language.
  
• Wharton, Engineering, Nursing, or CGS students: If you wish to move up a level, you should contact the appropriate course coordinator.
   
• Normally students are not given permission to take a course below the level indicated by their placement score. If you feel you have special circumstances, consult the specific course coordinator.