Language Requirement
This requirement may be taken Pass/Not Pass.
Students who entered as First Year Students
The language requirement may be satisfied by:
- Passing a UC San Diego language proficiency exam which consists of a satisfactory score on a standard reading examination and conversational proficiency in an oral interview.
- Completion of a fourth quarter (or higher level) college language course (completion of a third semester intermediate level course if taken outside of UCSD).
- Completion of a UCSD Heritage Language Program course for bilingual speakers.
- Appropriate AP or IB score.
- Score of 700 or higher on the SATII Language Exam.
- A native speaker of a language other than English and having attended at least one year of high school taught in that language in a foreign country.
Students who entered as Transfer Students
The language requirement may be satisfied by:
- Passing a UC San Diego language proficiency exam which consists of a satisfactory score on a standard reading examination and conversational proficiency in an oral interview.
- Completion of a second quarter (or higher level) college language course (completion of a second semester level course if taken outside of UCSD).
- Completion of a UCSD Heritage Language Program course for bilingual speakers.
- Appropriate AP or IB score.
- Score of 700 or higher on the SATII Language Exam.
- A native speaker of a language other than English and having attended at least one year of high school taught in that language in a foreign country.
Proficiency Exams
- Take the proficiency exam if your language proficiency is already above intermediate level in order to satisfy the language requirement without taking language classes.
- To take a proficiency exam, all students must submit a request form, available here on the proficiency exam website.
- Requests will be reviewed and screened by the Language Program office. Contact them through the VAC with any questions.
- Additional information can be found on the Linguistics Language Program (LLP) website.
High School Abroad
English as a Second Language |
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Language Placement
Test Information
| If no former study of this language, enroll in this first course in the sequence | Course Needed for First Year Students | Course Needed for Transfer Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Sign Language | LISL-001A/001AX | LISL-001D/001DX | LISL-001B/001BX |
| Arabic | LIAB-001A/001AX | LIAB-001D/001DX | LIAB-001B/001BX |
| Chinese | CHIN-010A | CHIN-020A | CHIN-010B |
| French | LIFR-001A/001AX | LIFR-001D/001DX or LTFR-002A | LIFR-001B/001BX |
| German | LIGM-001A/001AX | LIGM-001D/001DX or LTGM-002A | LIGM-001B/001BX |
| Greek | LTGK-001 | LTGK-101, 102, 103, 104, or 105 | LTGK-002 |
| Hebrew | JWSP-001 | JWSP-101 or 104 | JWSP-002 |
| Italian | LIIT-001A/001AX | LIIT-001D/001DX or LTIT-002A | LIIT-001B/001BX |
| Japanese | JAPN-010A | JAPN-020A | JAPN-010B |
| LTKO-001A | LTKO-002A | LTKO-001B | |
| Latin | LTLA-001 | LTLA-100, 102, 103, 104, or 105 | LTLA-002 |
| Portuguese | LIPO-001A/001AX | LIPO-001D/001DX | LIPO-001B/001BX |
| Russian | LTRU-001A | LTRU-002A | LTRU-001B |
| Spanish | LISP-001A/001AX | LISP-001D/001DX or LTSP-002A | LISP-001B/001BX |
| Spanish – Heritage Speakers | LTSP-002F | LTSP-002F |
Language Placement with AP or IB Credit
For information about AP credit, see AP Chart (PDF)
For information about IB credit, see IB Chart (PDF)
Note: If you receive AP, IB or previous college credit, you will not be given credit for repeating the equivalent course, or taking a lower level course.
When Language Courses are Offered
Not all language courses are offered every quarter, so plan accordingly. Please go to the department website for information on when each course is offered.
Courses offered by the Linguistics, Literature, and Institute of Arts and Humanities Departments
| Language | Department |
|---|---|
| American Sign Language (LISL) | Linguistics |
| Chinese (CHIN) | Institute of Arts and Humanities |
| French (LTFR) | Literature |
| German (LIGM) | Linguistics |
| Greek (LTGK) | Literature |
| Italian (LIIT) | Linguistics |
| Japanese (JAPN) | Institute of Arts and Humanities |
| Latin (LTLA) | Literature |
| Russian (LTRU) | Literature |
| Spanish (LTSP) | Literature |
| Arabic (LIAB) | Linguistics |
| French (LIFR) | Linguistics |
| German (LTGM) | Literature |
| Hebrew (JWSP) | Institute of Arts and Humanities |
| Italian (LTIT) | Literature |
| Korean (LTKO) | Literature |
| Portuguese (LIPO) | Linguistics |
| Spanish (LISP) | Linguistics |
Heritage Languages for Bilingual Speakers
Heritage Language Program (HLP) courses can be taken three times for credit. Topics vary each quarter.
