Standard Ways to Fulfill the Language Requirement
NOTE: Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to the relevant language proficiency table. The information below pertains to students who start at Northwestern after Spring 2023.
This table shows ways to fulfill the Weinberg Language Proficiency Requirement by taking Northwestern courses or by doing sufficiently well on an AP or Northwestern exam. For more information on language AP/IB scores, please refer to AP and IB Language Credit on the Language Resource Center webpage.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- The information below applies to students entering in 2024 but is subject to revision in future years.
- All courses used to attain proficiency in a language other than English must be taken for a letter grade; they cannot be taken P/N.
| Language | Department | Course completed with a C- or Better | AP Score | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic | Middle East & N. African Studies | ARABIC 121-3 | none | Program Test and Interview |
| Chinese | Asian Lang. & Cultures | CHINESE 121-3 or 125-3 or above | none | Dept. Test and Interview |
| French | French & Italian | FRENCH 121-3 or 125-3 or 201-0 | 5, but take dept test if continuing in French | Dept. Test and Interview |
| German | German | GERMAN 102-3, 205-1, 205-2, 221-1, -2, or -3 | none | Dept. Test and Interview |
| Ancient Greek | Classics | GREEK 201-3 | none | Dept. Test |
| Hebrew | Jewish Studies | HEBREW 121-3 | none | Center Test |
| Hindi | Asian Lang. & Cultures | HIND-URD 121-3; 125-2 or 210-0 and above | none | Dept. Test and Interview * |
| Italian | French & Italian | ITALIAN 102-3, or 133/134-3 | 4 or better | Dept. Test and Interview |
| Japanese | Asian Lang. & Cultures | JAPANESE 121-3 or 211-1 or above; course required depends on placement | none | Dept. Test and Interview |
| Korean | Asian Lang. & Cultures | KOREAN 121-3; 125-2 (if taken in 2016-17 through 2023-24) or 125-3; or 211-1 or above. Course required depends on placement. | none | Dept. Test and Interview |
| Latin | Classics | LATIN 201-3 | 5 | Dept. Test |
| Persian (Farsi) | Middle East & N. African Studies | PERSIAN 121-3 | none | Program Test and Interview |
| Polish | Slavic Lang. & Literature |
POLISH 208-3, 358-1, 358-2 (Before Fall 2019: SLAVIC 208-3, 358) |
none | Dept. Test and Interview |
| Portuguese | Spanish and Portuguese | PORT 121-3 or PORT 115-2 | none | Dept. Test and Interview |
| Russian | Slavic Lang. & Literature |
RUSSIAN 102-3 or above. (Before Fall 2019: SLAVIC 102-3 or above) |
none | Dept. Test and Interview |
| Spanish | Spanish and Portuguese |
SPANISH 121-3, SPANISH 125-0, or SPANISH 127 |
4 or better on Lang. and/or Lit. exam | Dept. Test and Interview |
| Swahili | Program of African Studies | SWAHILI 121-3 | none | Program Test and Interview |
| Turkish | Middle East & N. African Studies | TURKISH 121-3 | none | Program Test and Interview |
| Urdu | Asian Lang. & Cultures | HIND URD 121-3 or 210-0 and above | none | Dept. Test and Interview * |
* Hindi-Urdu - Or IB test score of 5 or above and 10th- or 12th-grade Indian Board Exam (including GCE and IGCSE) results of 70% or above. Students with a Hindi or Urdu IB score of 5, 6, or 7 have satisfied the foreign language requirement. Bring a copy of the scores to the Hindi/Urdu placement coordinator.
Updated 6/13/2024
NOTE: Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to the relevant language proficiency table. The information above pertains to students who start at Northwestern after Spring 2023.