Advanced Placement

Some entering students, because of their high school preparation in foreign languages, are able to begin the sequence of university language courses at a higher level than the first introductory course.  The advanced placement policy will grant these students the credit hours for any courses they skip, provided they earn a C or better in the university course in which they enroll.  This applies to any course up to the following third year courses:  French 301 or 302, German 301 or 302, Spanish 301 or 302.  First- and second-year UI language courses carry 4 credits each.  It is therefore possible for a student to receive 4, 8, 12, or 16 vertically related credits in any one language as explained below.  Vertical credits are available only to undergraduate students.

The chart below will help you determine where to begin your Foreign Language studies at UI based on the number of years you have studied a language in high school.  However, the numbers of years of high school study are not always an accurate indicator of placement.  For this reason, we ask that students with previous language study verify their placement by taking a computer-assisted placement exam at the beginning of the semester in which they enroll.  When possible, students should take this placement exam before enrolling in their first UI language course.  These tests are available to suggest proper placement in foreign language courses, however they do not allow you to “test out” of courses.  The university’s policy requires that the student earn a C or better in the university course to be awarded vertically related credits.