UW Undergraduate Advising: Foreign Language (2024)

Not all colleges require foreignlanguage beyond UW admissions requirement of two high school years or two college quarter. However, some majors might. Consult our page onGeneral EducationRequirements by College and Schoolfor more information.

If deafness, speech impairment, or acertifiedlearning disability would interfere significantly with your study of a foreign language, you can petition to be allowed to substitute coursework about a foreign culture for language requirements.

Recommendations

1. If you plan to continue the foreign language you took in high school, we encourage you to complete your foreign language requirement right away,while what you’ve learned is still fresh in your mind.
2. If you’re considering majors in colleges such as business or nursing, which don’t require any foreign language beyond the UW’s admission requirement, you may want to postpone language study—although in most colleges you can count foreign language courses toward A&H if you complete the third-quarter course.
3. You should get started on your foreign language courses right away. Some last-quarter seniors don’t graduate on time because they fail to complete the third-quarter course with at least a 2.0 grade.
4. Although the UW offers 10- and 15-credit intensive language instruction in Summer quarter, many students find these courses more difficult than regular language instruction.

Languages taught at the UW

Language & Intro Course	Department	For more information
American Sign Language ASL 101	Linguistics	Visit Website
Arabic ARAB 411	Near Eastern Languages and Civilization	Visit Website
Bengali BENG 311	Asian Languages & Literature	Visit Website
Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian BCS 401	Slavic Languages and Literatures	Visit Website
Bulgarian BULGR 401	Slavic Languages and Literatures	Visit Website
Burmese JSIS 486	International Studies	Email Department
Chinese (Mandarin) CHIN 101 or 111	Asian Languages & Literature	Visit Website
Czech CZECH 401	Slavic Languages and Literatures	Visit Website
Danish DANISH 101	Scandinavian Studies	Visit Website
Estonian ESTO 101	Scandinavian Studies	Visit Website
Finnish FINN 101	Scandinavian Studies	Visit Website
French FRENCH 101 or 110	French and Italian Studies	Visit Website
German GERMAN 101 or 111	German	Visit Website
Greek (Classical) GREEK 101	Classics	Visit Website
Greek (Modern) JSIS E 111	International Studies	Email Department
Hebrew (Biblical) HEBR 414	Near Eastern Languages and Civilization	Visit Website
Hebrew (Modern) HEBR 411	Near Eastern Languages and Civilization	Visit Website
Hindi HINDI 311	Asian Languages & Literature	Visit Website
Indonesian INDON 111	Asian Languages & Literature	Visit Website
Italian ITAL 101 or 111	French and Italian Studies	Visit Website
Japanese JAPAN 101	Asian Languages & Literature	Visit Website
Kazakh TKIC 414	Near Eastern Languages and Civilization	Visit Website
Khmer JSIS 486	International Studies	Email Department
Korean KOREAN 101	Asian Languages & Literature	Visit Website
Latin LATIN 101	Classics	Visit Website
Latvian LATV 101	Scandinavian Studies	Visit Website
Lithuanian LITH 101	Scandinavian Studies	Visit Website
Norwegian NORW 101	Scandinavian Studies	Visit Website
Persian PRSAN 411	Near Eastern Languages and Civilization	Visit Website
Polish POLSH 401	Slavic Languages and Literatures	Visit Website
Portuguese PORT 101 or 110	Spanish and Portuguese Studies	Visit Website
Russian RUSS 101	Slavic Languages and Literatures	Visit Website
Sanskrit SNKRT 301	Asian Languages & Literature	Visit Website
Slovenian SLVN 401	Slavic Languages and Literatures	Visit Website
Southern Lushootseed AIS 313, 314 and 315	American Indian Studies	Visit Website
Spanish SPAN 101, 110, or 121	Spanish and Portuguese Studies	Visit Website
Swahili SWA 101	American Ethnic Studies	Email Department
Swedish SWED 101	Scandinavian Studies	Visit Website
Tagalog (Filipino) TAGLG 101	American Ethnic Studies	Email Department
Thai THAI 111	Asian Languages & Literature	Visit Website
Turkish TKISH 411	Near Eastern Languages and Civilization	Visit Website
Ukranian UKR 401	Slavic Languages and Literatures	Visit Website
Urdu URDU 311	Asian Languages & Literature	Visit Website
Uyghur TKC 417	Near Eastern Languages and Civilization	Visit Website
Uzbek TKIC 411	Near Eastern Languages and Civilization	Visit Website
Vietnamese VIET 111	Asian Languages & Literature	Visit Website

Grades required

You must achieve at least a 2.0 grade in the third quarter of the foreign language. The third-quarter course may not be taken on the satisfactory/not satisfactory (S/NS) grading option.

Any passing grade, including an S on the S/NS grading option, in the fourth or higher quarter of a language will also satisfy the requirement.

Placement and proficiency tests

If you plan to continue the foreign language you took in high school, you must take a placement test to determine the level at which you should resume the language. In most languages, if you have transferred college credit, you may simply continue the language with the next quarter. Alternatively, if you have no background in a language, for most languages you can just start with the first class in the sequence.

If you place into the fourth quarter of a foreign language, or higher, your placement test score alone exempts you from the Arts and Sciences foreign language requirement. Placement tests taken at other universities or colleges do not exempt you from the UW's language requirement.

See Also

Washington State University Vancouver - Vancouver, WA, USASchedules, Dates & DeadlinesApplication Guidelines - Undergraduate Admissions | Washington University in St. LouisGraduation Plan

Humanities Academic Services coordindates placement and proficiency testing for many languages, but not all. In some cases you will need to contact an individual department or school to make arrangements. Consult the above 'Languages taught at the UW' to make that determination. If the language that you are proficient in is not offered at the University of Washington, you can go through theUW Language Learning Centerto be tested for proficiency .

Overlap with other requirements

Courses used to satisfy the foreign language requirement can also count toward your major, if applicable. They may also count towards theArts & Humanities (A&H) component of your Areas of Inquiry requirement. See below.

All colleges

• Language instruction courses at the second-year level and beyond may be counted toward the A&H requirement.

College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Social Work

• The entire first year of the language used to meet the foreign-language graduation requirementcannotalso count toward A&H.
• First-year coursesin a language that is not being used for the foreign-language requirementmay be counted toward A&H, butonly if you complete the third-quarter course.

All other colleges

• First-year courses may be counted toward A&H, butonly if you complete the third-quarter course.

In other words

If your major is in a College or School that requires the foreign language graduation requirement, none of the first-year courses you take to meet the foreign language requirement — first, second, and third quarter — count toward the A&Hrequirement. All courses in asecondforeign language can be counted toward A&H, provided you complete at least the third college quarter of the language. You may choose which language to use for the language requirement and which to count toward A&H.

If your major is in a College or School that doesnotrequire the foreign language graduation requirement, then all of your first-year foreign language courses count toward the A&Hrequirement, provided you complete at least the third quarter.

All courses at the second-year level and beyond will count toward A&H— if taken for a grade and not S/NS.

AP and IB

If you achieved a score of 3, 4, or 5 on aCollege Board Advanced Placement foreign language examination, you will receive 5, 10, or 15 college credits at the second-year level. This satisfies the foreign language requirement, and the credit also counts toward A&H. See the AP tables for more information.

See Also

WSU Pullman Admissions

If you achieve a score of 5, 6, or 7 on anInternational Baccalaureate ProgramHigher Level foreign language exam, you will receive 5, 10, or 15 credits at the second-year level. This satisfies the foreign language requirement, and the credit also counts toward A&H. See theIB tables for more information.

For transfer students

Transfer college credits in a foreign language satisfy this requirement if you complete the third quarter or second semester with at least a 2.0 grade (or a higher-level course with any passing grade), and if the entire first-year sequence would transfer as at least 12 quarter credits.

Transfer students who completed college coursework in their high school language of admission are allowed credit for the first quarter of the language, if the course was taken before admission to the UW.

Students who enter under the Direct TransferAgreementarenotexempt from the foreign language requirement.

For postbaccalaureate students

Postbaccalaureate students are not required to complete the foreign language requirement.

High school duplication

If, after your admission to the UW, you start over again in the foreign language you took for two or more years in high school and used for admission, the first college quarter is considered a duplication and you are not awarded college credit. The course and grade will appear on your college transcript, but will not count toward your credit total or your GPA. You will receive credit for all language courses from the second quarter on.

Even when the first quarter of the language is considered high school duplication, the courseiscounted in your credit total when tuition is assessed, and is also counted for the purposes of quarterly financial aid, veterans benefits, or a student visa. (Note, however, that it will not count toward the 36 credits per year required by financial aid.)

If you take the placement test and place into the first quarter of your high-school language, and you wish to continue studying that language, you must start with the first quarter even though it will not count toward the total credits required for graduation.

English as second language

You are exempt from the foreign language requirement if you spoke a language other than English in your home during the first six years of your childhood, and it was the language in which you received instruction in school through the seventh grade. See theOffice of Admissions to have it recorded in your record that you are a native speaker of another language.

If you do not meet this definition, you may still be able to pass a proficiency testin your language.

Making up an admission deficiency

You have an admission deficiency in foreign language if you lack the University admission requirement of two units (years) of one foreign language in high school. If you lack this admission requirement, normally you must make it up with college coursework before transferring to the UW. A passing grade in the second college quarter of a foreign language removes the admission deficiency. UW Placement into the third quarter of a foreign language will also remove the deficiency.

Students with foreign language deficiencies are occasionally admitted by petition. If you are a prospective student, contact the UW's Office of Educational Assessment to learn about taking a foreign language placement test. Contact theOffice of Admissionsif you have questions about the foreign language admission requirements.

The foreign language courses you take to remove an admission deficiency can also count toward the foreign language graduation requirement. Although courses taken satisfactory/not satisfactory can be used to make up an admission deficiency, you must take thethirdquarter of the foreign language for a grade, and receive at least a 2.0, if you plan to use the course to satisfy the foreign language graduation requirement.