World Language Placement Information
Find complete world language requirements and placement information here.
Language Requirement Overview
- The general sequence of language courses is: WL* 101→102→201→202→300-level
- NC State has a general WL requirement of WL* 102. Most students meet this requirement through high school credit of 2 years or more of language courses with a C or better. Please read about NC State’s World Language Proficiency Requirement here.
- Some colleges, including CHASS and programs in the College of Design, require additional levels of language. (Click here for the list of courses that do not count as language courses.)
- Beginning a new language at NCSU? Register for WL* 101.
- Continuing to studying a language that you have previously studied in high school? You might be required to take the placement test in order to determine the correct course in which to enroll. Read on:
You DO NOT take the placement test:
If you are planning to study a brand-new language at NC State.
For students beginning a new language, they should register for the beginning course of that language (e.g. WLGE 101, WLSP 101, etc.) Do not take the placement test.
If you have taken or will take the AP or IB language/literature test.
Your AP or IB test score will serve to determine where you place, as well as any course credit to be posted to your transcript. (Full information found on AP placement here, and IB testing here.) Do not take the placement test.
If you are already enrolled in or have taken a world language course in the language sequence at NC State or any other college or university. You continue in the sequence.
Students are not allowed to take the placement test if they have already taken or enrolled in a course in that language at NC State or another college or university.
This includes transfer students with language credit from a different institution who plan to continue studying that language at State. Instead, you follow the language sequence you are already in. Do not take the placement test.
If you have taken the SAT II Subject Test in a world language and know your score.
Your score will serve as your placement. Do not take the placement test.
If you are in the Colleges of CALS, COD, EDU, COE, CNR, PCOM, COS, WCOT, or COVM, have fulfilled the university’s WL 102 proficiency requirement.
If you have fulfilled that requirement and you are not in a College that requires further language study and you do not wish to take additional language courses at NC State, do not take the placement test.
If you have native fluency in a language other than English.
If you have native fluency in a language other than English, you may be eligible to meet your major’s world language requirement through a Native Fluency Waiver. If you have native proficiency in speaking, reading, writing and listening in a language other than English, please complete the Native Fluency Determination Form. You will be contacted by the Associate Department Head the WLC department to determine next steps.
You DO take the placement test:
- If you are a student who has some previous experience in your language at the high school level but no AP, IB, SAT, or transfer or college credit in your language AND a WL 201 or WL 202 requirement for your degree OR a desire to continue your language studies;
- If you have fulfilled the NC State general world language proficiency requirement through high school work and you would like to continue to study language here at NCSU; this will determine which course to complete next;
- If you studied your language in high school and / or middle school, and you would like to continue studying it at NC State.
How to take the language placement test:
If you had previous high school study of Arabic, Ancient Greek, Hindi-Urdu, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, or Russian, please contact the appropriate language section coordinator who can explain the format and contents of their non-computerized placement exam, which will be conducted virtually or face-to-face. Contact information for the language coordinators can be found on the undergraduate menu of the WLC website.
If you had previous high school study of Chinese, French, German, Italian, Latin or Spanish, you will take a computerized placement test. The exams test grammatical knowledge and reading comprehension, and most are adaptive in nature. These exams normally take anywhere from 5-30 minutes to complete. Most students are placed at the correct level, commensurate with their proficiency. In general, we expect you to place where your previous language studies have helped you arrive. You should not study or cram for this test.
Students who take at least two full years of their language in high school usually place no higher than WL* 101 or 102. Please note: If you place higher than this, you may be required to come to campus and re-take the test in person in a supervised lab to verify your results.
If you plan to take classes at other colleges/universities, or you expect to place high on the placement test because of years of immersion schooling, a robust language program, or additional opportunities to practice your language in depth, come to campus to take your test in person in the CHASS World Language Computing Lab, so that you are not asked to re-take it.
Choose from one of the following options to take the computerized placement test:
I expect to test high, so I will come in person to take the exam to make sure that I can use the results to verify appropriate placement, or for a possible waiver.
During the fall and spring semesters, on any day that classes are in session, placement tests are administered in the CHASS World Language Computing Lab (Language 214) according to the posted hours on their website. When classes are not in session, as well as during the summer, an appointment is needed. (Email Scott Maddox for an appointment time and location.) Students must check in with, be monitored by and have their results printed out and verified by the lab attendant immediately after they complete the test in order for the results to be valid.
If a student places beyond their major’s WL requirement and they would like a waiver of that requirement, they can drop off the verified results/print out in Withers 310 for the Associate Department Head, who will prepare and forward the waiver request to Registration and Records.
I expect my placement to accurately reflect my previous work, placing me into 101, 102, or (in rare circumstances) 201, and I will take it online; results will be used for placement purposes only.
Computerized placement tests are available online for Chinese, French, German, Italian, Latin and Spanish. Online placement testing is for course placement purposes only and results cannot be used for credit.
If you place higher than 201, you will be required to come to campus to re-take the test in person to verify your results. If you believe that you will place beyond your degree’s world language requirement (e.g. beyond WL* 201) and you do not intend to take a language course, please do not take the placement test at home. Come to campus.
After completing the test, if you feel that you have placed too low or too high, contact the WLC Director of Advising or the Associate Department Head. Otherwise, enroll in the course in which you place.
Take the online test at this url: https://go.ncsu.edu/placement_test.
Scores: Placement exam scores are uploaded into the student’s MyPack portal by Registration and Records a day or two after taking the test.
Score Interpretation:
| Chinese | French | German | |||
| Score | Placed | Score | Placed | Score | Placed |
| 0-230 | WLCH 101 | 0-285 | WLFR 101 | 0-315 | WLGE 101 |
| 231-324 | WLCH 102 | 286-345 | WLFR 102 | 316-397 | WLGE 102 |
| 325-371 | WLCH 201 | 346-424 | WLFR 201 | 398-501 | WLGE 201 |
| 372-400 | WLCH 202 | 425-547 | WLFR 202 | 502-667 | WLGE 202 |
| 401+ | WLCH 301 | 548+ | WLFR 3** | 668+ | WLGE 3** |
| Italian | Latin | Spanish | |||
| Score | Placed | Score | Placed | Score | Placed |
| 0-250 | WLIT 101 | 0-16 | WLLA 101 | 0-285 | WLSP 101 |
| 251-400 | WLIT 102 | 17-21 | WLLA 102 | 286-345 | WLSP 102 |
| 401-550 | WLIT 201 | 22-27 | WLLA 201 | 346-424 | WLSP 201 |
| 551+ | WLIT ??? | 28-34 | WLLA 202 | 425-547 | WLSP 202 |
| 35-40 | WL 298 | 548+ | WLSP 3** |
Note: FLF 110 and FLS 110 are no longer available. Students who previously placed into FLF/FLS 110 should enroll in WLFR/WLSP 101.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I just took the placement test but I’m not able to enroll in the class. What’s wrong?
Placement exam scores are uploaded into the student’s MyPack portal by Registration and Records each night at 5 pm, M-F. Wait 24 hours after that before attempting to enroll.
2. All the sections of the language course I want are full. What do I do?
During the add/drop period at the beginning of the semester, spaces sometimes open up in classes. Some courses will have wait lists. First- and second-year Spanish courses are often full.If you’ve already met the university’s WL 102 proficiency requirement through your high school Spanish classes, you have the option to start a different language instead. You’ll earn free elective credit for those courses, and many of our other languages—like Ancient Greek, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Hindi-Urdu, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Portuguese, and Russian—typically have seats available.
3. Can I retake the placement test?
No. Students take the placement exam in a given world language only once. They do not take the test in a specific language if they have already taken a course in that language at NC State. (Once the course sequence is started, here or at another college/university, the student continues to follow the sequence.) It is a violation of NC State’s Code of Student Conduct for a student to try to take the exam a second time, to try to take the exam after they have taken an WL course in that language, or misrepresent their placement information in any way. Students who feel that they have placed too low or too high should direct this concern to the Associate Department Head of World Languages and Cultures.
4. I’m a transfer student. Do I take the placement test?
Transfer students do not take the placement exam if they have taken equivalent courses at another university, college, or community college. They transfer in those courses where possible and take the next WL course in the language sequence. (i.e. WLSP 101→102→201→202→300-level). If you are a transfer student who would like to study a language you have never studied previously, then yes, take the placement test.
5. I believe I have fulfilled my world language proficiency based on my high school courses, but this is not showing up on my degree audit. What should I do?
For students during New Student Orientation: it will take until the fall semester for your high-school transcript to be fully processed by Records and Registration staff who verify your high-school world language grades. Your degree report should show the correct information by the fall advising session.
For all other students: contact the Transfer Credit team (transfercredit@ncsu.edu) in Registration and Records. They can double check your transcript. (The WLC Department does not handle high-school transcripts nor make the determination of WL 102 proficiency.)
6. I’m not an NC State student. Can I take the placement test?
For non-NC State students who wish to take one of the computer-based placement exams, contact the Associate Department Head for World Languages and Cultures by email with your inquiry and the number of one of your personal identification card (a high-school id, employment id, or driver’s license); you will be registered to take the exam and be sent an email with your registration ID that you will use when you take the computerized test.
7. I took the placement test but forgot my score. How do I find what class I am placed into?
If you have forgotten which class you placed into, or have lost your paperwork, follow these steps: In MyPackPortal go to: Student Home Page > Academic Records > Transfer Credit Report > Test Credits. You should see there either the course you placed into or the raw score (see score interpretation below) that you received. (Note: You are not able to see your score, but you will only need to indicate the course you placed into and not the score as you fill out the prerequisite form.) You can also follow these instructions in order to find your course placement.
8. I placed into a course that is either too difficult or too easy for me. What should I do?
The placement test generally places students where they belong. The Department’s goal is to have students enrolled in the course that is at the right level for them. Contact the World Languages and Cultures Director of Undergraduate Advising (Alexandra Marano) or Associate Department Head (Dr. Scott Despain) during the first week of the semester to discuss your world language experience if you believe you have been placed incorrectly.
9. I placed slightly below the next level on the placement test. May I still register for the course?
Contact the Associate Department Head to discuss your world language experience and interest in continuing to study a world language.
10. Can I take the placement test in more than one language?
If you have previously had high school courses in more than one language, you may take the placement test for each of those languages.
11. Do I earn retroactive credit based on my placement test?
Students who place into WL* 201, WL* 202 or WL* 3** with the NC State placement test will be awarded three hours of retroactive credit for the previous course in the sequence upon completion of the course they placed into with a grade of C- or better on the first attempt. Registration & Records awards the retroactive credit in the semester following the one during which the course was taken.
Note: The awarding of retroactive credit does not apply to students who transfer in world language courses from other institutions, and the placed-into course must be the first course the student takes in the language sequence. And students receive retroactive credit either based on placement test results or AP/IB/Cambridge scores, but not both.
12. I took the placement test between March 18, 2020 and August 15, 2021. Can I receive credit for my placement?
Due to the circumstances associated with COVID-19, computerized placement tests for Chinese, French, German, Italian, Latin and Spanish were offered exclusively online, and for course placement purposes only.
If students took the test during this period of time and placed beyond their language requirement and did not have the testing session monitored by the Associate Department Head, they will need to contact him to work out retesting in person with him in order to verify the results.
Additional information for students in CHASS and some students in Design and Agriculture Life Sciences (CALS) | Design (DSN) | Education (EDU) | Engineering (COE) | Natural Resources (CNR) | Poole College of Management (PCOM) | Sciences (COS) | Wilson College of Textiles (TEX)
FOR STUDENTS IN Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) | Design (DSN) | Education (EDU) | Engineering (COE) | Natural Resources (CNR) | Poole College of Management (PCOM) | Sciences (COS) | Wilson College of Textiles (TEX)
University General Education Requirement: All students are required to demonstrate proficiency at the WL* 102 / Elementary II level.
Some degrees (e.g. Design Studies BA) have a higher WL requirement.
Freshmen may satisfy this requirement before entering NC State in one of the following ways:
- Score of 510 or above on the College Board World Language Achievement Test (SAT Subject Test)
- Advanced placement score of 3 or above (College Entrance Examination Board AP Test)
- A grade of C or better in each of two years/two units of high-school study of the same language.
- Students are notified during New Student Orientation and will receive a notation on their Degree Audits stating that they have met the university world language proficiency requirement – the administrative “equivalent” of WL* 102 / WL Elementary II – as “WL* 100 High School *** PF.”
Proficiency at the WL* 102 level after entering NC State may be demonstrated as follows:
- Completion of a WL* 102 course with a passing letter grade
- Transfer credit equivalent to WL* 102 from an accredited institution or university-approved study abroad program
- Placement into WL* 201 or higher on the placement test (taken on campus, in the language lab) of one of the languages offered by the Department of World Languages and Cultures
Freshmen are notified during New Student Orientation and will receive a notation on their ADA whether or not they have met the university world language proficiency requirement. Students who have not met the university proficiency requirement must take the placement exam. Students who place into WL* 101 will not receive credit towards graduation for WL* 101.
Want to keep studying a language as a double-major or a minor and grow your skills and build your resume?
If you received the notation of proficient in a world language at the high school level and have thus fulfilled the university requirement, but wish to continue studying the language, please take the placement test, so you can be placed accurately.
Students who receive a notation of proficient in WL at the high school level, and then place into the WL* 101 level on the NC State placement exam, can continue in the same language as the one studied in high school, but will not receive credit towards graduation for WL* 101.
Credit hours toward graduation will be given for WL* 101 if:
1) the language was not taken by the student in high school
2) the student has met the university world language proficiency requirement with another language, and
3) the language is not the student’s native language.
The Department of World Languages and Cultures offers fourteen+ languages from which to choose. Please reach out to us if you have more questions!
Students who wish to continue a world language begun in high school should take the placement exam.
Students who receive a notation as proficient in WL at the high-school level and who then place at the WL* 101 or 102 level on the NC State placement exam can do one of the following:
- Enroll in WL* 101 (or WL* 102) of the same language that they took in high school (in preparation for WL* 201).
or
- Enroll in a different language from the one they took in high school. This new language will count as free elective credit toward graduation for both WL* 101 and WL* 102 of the new language.
Additional information for students in CHASS and some students in Design
The University General Education Requirement for World Language says that upon admission to NC State, all students who have earned a grade of C or better in each of two years/two units of high-school study of the same language are notified during New Student Orientation and will receive a notation on their Degree Audits stating that they have met the university world language proficiency requirement as “WL* 100 High School *** PF.”
This notation does not mean that students may enroll directly into WL* 201, which is the minimum college requirement for CHASS and some students of Design, since high-school proficiency is not equivalent to WL* 102 completed at NC State or at another accredited college or university.
In order to be sure that students have the prerequisite knowledge for WL* 201 or above, students in these colleges are required to take the Placement Test if they have not taken the SAT II FL, the AP, or IB test in world languages or do not have previous college or transfer credit.
Note: B.S. in CHASS follows WL* 102 Proficiency.
Students who receive a notation of proficiency in WL* at the high school level, and then place into the WL* 101 level on the NC State placement exam, can continue in the same language as the one studied in high school, but will receive no credit towards graduation for WL* 101.
Credit hours toward graduation will be given for WL* 101 if:
1) the language was not taken by the student in high school,
2) the student has met the university world language proficiency requirement with another language, and
3) the language is not the student’s native language.
The Department of World Languages and Cultures offers fourteen+ languages from which to choose. Please reach out to us if you have more questions!
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