Proficiency in a Language Other Than English
Does this apply to me?
Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to the relevant degree requirements pages. The information below pertains to students who start at Northwestern after Spring 2023.
What is proficiency?
Consistent with widely-accepted current approaches to language learning, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences views language proficiency as consisting of a broad set of abilities, including:
- the ability to read and write a language;
- the ability to speak and understand a language;
- knowledge and understanding of the history and culture of the community or communities in which the language is spoken;
- the ability to function in culturally-appropriate ways within a community or communities in which the language is spoken.
In fulfilling the language requirement, all students are required to achieve some measure of ability in each of these areas.
Ways to Demonstrate Proficiency
The level of proficiency required to fulfill the language requirement is equivalent to two years of college-level language instruction, demonstrated in one of the following ways.