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Proficiency in a Language Other Than English

All students are required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English at a level that is equivalent to two years of college-level language instruction.

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.

 

Why study a language?

Knowledge of a language is of immediate practical value in a world in which international commerce in goods and ideas is commonplace. The study of a language also helps you understand cultures different from your own, and become more sensitive to the nature of language. If you decide that you would like to study or work abroad, facility with a language other than English will increase your options.

More information on language study at Northwestern

For information on language study and related opportunities available at Northwestern, as well as contact information for general questions about language study at Northwestern, please refer to the Weinberg Language Resource Center web site. Questions about placement and/or fulfillment of the language proficiency requirement in a specific language can be directed to the applicable placement coordinator (see Language Program Contacts list).

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.

Through AP scores or department testing

Some students are able to demonstrate proficiency in a language before they begin classes at Northwestern. You can do this by earning a high enough score on an AP exam or on a Northwestern placement exam. View a table showing ways to fulfill the language requirement through AP exams or Northwestern placement exams.

Placement examination information is sent to incoming first-year students during the summer. Please refer to Language Placement at the Language Resource Center website for instructions for the placement process in specific languages.

Through Northwestern coursework

Many students have not yet achieved proficiency in a language other than English when they finish high school. Some choose to begin a new language at Northwestern, while others choose to continue studying a language they started in high school, they speak at home, or that they studied independently. If you plan to continue with a language rather than studying a language entirely new to you, be sure to take the appropriate placement exam so that you will know where to start. All incoming first-year students receive information on placement testing during the summer. Please refer to Language Placement at the Language Resource Center website.

Weinberg College offers courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Persian (Farsi), Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu. Though most language instruction includes development of both writing and speaking skills, courses that concentrate primarily on reading are offered in some languages. Some language programs offer individualized instruction or accelerated classes which students may take to attain proficiency more quickly. Several language departments also offer an intensive summer program enabling students to complete a full year of the language during the summer session. There are summer study abroad opportunities as well. For more information on the language programs and instruction at Northwestern, please refer to Language Study at the Language Resource Center website.

To demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English through coursework done at Northwestern, you need to complete the third quarter of the second-year language sequence with a grade of C- or better. All earlier courses must be taken for a grade; they cannot be taken P/N.

View a table showing courses that fulfill the language proficiency requirement.

By attending a high school where English was not the primary language of instruction

If you attended a full-time high school for at least two years where a language other than English was the primary language of instruction, you may be able to demonstrate proficiency in that language without being tested. To seek proficiency for this coursework, submit the Petition for Proficiency Testing Based on Attending a non-English High School and upload the required supporting documentation:

  • transcripts from all high schools attended, translated into English
  • letter of verification from a school official confirming the coursework reflected on the student's transcript(s) was taught primarily in a language other than English

Special Circumstances

Proficiency in a language not taught at Northwestern

Students may request proficiency testing in a language not taught at Northwestern for the purpose of satisfying the Weinberg College language proficiency requirement.

See more information on proficiency validation in a non-Northwestern language.

Incoming Transfer Students

The information above applies to new transfer students. If you have prior knowledge of a language other than English, read Language Placement and follow the instructions. If you have questions about study in a specific language, please contact the program coordinator; contact information can be found on the webpage of the Language Resource Center under Language Program Contacts.

Disabilities Affecting Language Acquisition

In certain cases of diagnosed and documented disabilities affecting new language acquisition, students may apply to seek to satisfy proficiency in a language other than English by using both language and non-language classes. 

In such circumstances, the students should: