Language Placement and Testing

Foreign Language Requirement

"The faculty considers competence in a foreign language essential for an educated person. Studying language other than one's own helps students understand the dynamics of language, our fundamental intellectual tool, and enables students to understand another culture. The sooner a student acquires competence, the sooner it will be useful. Hence, work toward the foreign language requirement should be undertaken in the first two years." -- (Cornell University Courses of Study)

Courses in foreign languages and/or literature are taught in the College of Arts and Sciences by the following departments: Africana Studies & Research Center, Asian Studies, China and Asia-Pacific Studies, Classics, Comparative Literature, German Studies, Linguistics, Near Eastern Studies, and Romance Studies. Asian languages offered are Bengali, Burmese, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi-Urdu, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Nepali, Pali, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sinhala, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Tibetan, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

The language requirement may be satisfied in one of two ways: 

• Option 1: Passing (a) a nonintroductory foreign language course of 3 or more credits at Cornell at the 2000 level or above or(b)any other nonintroductory course at the 2000-level or above conducted in a foreign language at Cornell.
• Option 2: Passing at least 11 credits of study in a single foreign language (taken in the appropriate sequence) at Cornell.

Any exceptions to these rules will be noted elsewhere in individual department descriptions. See the section on exemptions below.

Placement in Asian Language Courses

These scheduled placement tests are offered the week classes begin; there is also a make-up exam shortly after the intital exam for students who cannot make it to the initial exam.

Placement tests are used for the purposes of course placement or exemption; no course credit may be earned through a placement test.

A Placement test IS NOT needed for: 

• Students with no background in the language at all. You may enroll directly in the elementary level (some exceptions may apply, so please check individual courses for more information)

A Placement test IS needed for: 

• Students who have had two or more years of high school study in the language.
• Students who are bilingual or native speakers, or who have spoken the language at home.
• Students who have been awarded credit for language work at another college or university and wish to continue with the language at Cornell.
• The placement exam may have been taken in high school (SAT II, taken after the last course, or AP, if the score was 4 or 5) or at Cornell (LP Test). The instructors will still want to test you to judge which level will best suit you.

Exemption: 

• Students whose speaking, reading, and writing competence in a language other than English is at the same level we would expect our entering freshmen to have in English (as shown by completing high school in that language or by special examination during their first year here at Cornell) are exempt from the college's language requirement. (Cornell University Courses of Study)
• Students outside of the College of Arts & Sciences, if granted exemption, should contact their own College Registar.  Each College stipulates their own policy regarding how credits are distributed.

Posting: Placement test results are posted for your convenience and only with your permission, for which we would need to know your Cornell ID number. Please tell the instructor giving the exam if you want your results posted and you will be given a permission slip to fill complete. Placement test results cannot be posted if you do not fill out one of these slips.

For more information, please contact asianstudiesdept@cornell.edu

Schedule of Placement Examinations

Placement tests are scheduled for Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, and Korean at both basic and advanced levels. For testing in other languages, consult the contact for that language listed below.

Sign-up is not necessary for these tests, but please bring a #2 pencil. You will also need to know your Cornell ID #.
 

January 18th and 22nd

*All students with any knowledge of Japanese are required to take a placement test to determine the right course for them. The placement test can be taken anywhere, anytime of the year online. Students can take the test once per semester only. Additional writing test may be required. 

**All students with any knowledge of Korean are required to take a placement test to determine the right course for them. The placement test can be taken anywhere, anytime of the year online. Students can take the test once per semester only. Results from this test cannot be used to pass any college language requirement or to be exempted from that requirement. For exemption in Korean, you must take the Korean exemption test.

*** All students with any knowledge of Chinese are required to take a placement test to determine the right course for them.  For non-heritage students, the online placement test can be taken anywhere, anytime of the year.  Students can take the test once per semester only.  Results from this test cannot be used to pass any college language requirement or to be exempted from that requirement. Students with heritage language backgrounds seeking to place into courses or to earn exemption must take the scheduled test.

Language Contacts