Foreign Language Competency
Satisfying Your Foreign Language Requirement
Wharton students may satisfy the foreign language requirement in any of the following ways:
- Achieving the required score on a standardized test while in high school:*
- A minimum score of 4 or 5 on a foreign language AP test, depending on the language.
- A minimum score of 650 on some, but not all, foreign language achievement tests (SAT II).
- Scoring sufficiently high on a departmental competency exam. If your native language is not English, you must have your competency certified by the appropriate department or by the Penn Language Center.
- Taking the required foreign language course(s) at Penn and passing the competency exam requirements of those courses.
* Students are not permitted to take foreign language AP or SAT II after matriculating at Penn.
Each language department at Penn has a different means of measuring competency. For rules concerning the language you are studying, please consult with the appropriate academic department.
For more information on the language requirement, please visit:
http://www.college.upenn.edu/language/placement.php
Timing of Language Courses
Students are urged to complete the language requirement as early as possible in their academic careers, beginning in the fall semester of the first year.
Language Courses and Degree Requirements
Courses taken toward language competency may be applied to the Language, Arts, and Culture portion of the General Education Distribution or to the Unrestricted or Non-business Electives sections. These courses do not satisfy the Global Environment requirement.
Grading Type and Language Courses
Wharton students are permitted to take language courses on a pass/fail basis; however, first semester freshmen and transfer students cannot take any courses pass/fail.
Language Requirement and Graduation
After you have completed your language requirement, make sure your record is updated on Penn InTouch. Speak to an advisor if your record is not updated. It is your responsibility to make sure that the Undergraduate Division has a record of the fulfillment of your language requirement. You cannot graduate without written documentation that your foreign language competency requirement has been satisfied.
Study Abroad
Some study abroad programs require knowledge of a language beyond the minimum competency requirements. Consult with an advisor about language requirements for specific programs.
Students who plan to continue with their high school language are urged to do so beginning in the fall semester of the first year. Refer to the section on Foreign Language Placement in the Wharton Undergraduate Student Handbook for more information.
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