CLAS Foreign Language Requirement

In order to graduate from CLAS, students need to demonstrate college-level foreign language proficiency. You may already be proficient in a foreign language or you may need additional study to demonstrate proficiency.

If you do not already meet the requirement upon enrolling at UF, PLEASE do not leave it for the last minute. No matter how you intend to demonstrate proficiency, we strongly recommend taking whichever steps below PRIOR TO YOUR FINAL YEAR. Leaving the requirement to the last minute can delay graduation.

  • Demonstrating Proficiency by Taking Coursework at UF
  • Demonstrating Proficiency By Exam
  • Demonstrating Proficiency if You are Fluent
  • Demonstrating Proficiency via College-level Credit from Another Institution

    • Demonstrating Proficiency by Taking Coursework at UF

    There are more than 30 languages offered at UF. If you successfully complete the beginning language sequence coursework, you will demonstrate proficiency. Successful completion is defined as a minimum grade of C, or earning an “S” via the S/U option.

    If you are interested in pursuing a language that you have previously studied in high school or have outside knowledge of, please see Option A. If you decide to pursue a different language (one that you did not study in high school or have outside knowledge of) please see Option B.

    Option A—Previous/high-school background

    • Spanish or French—If you had any previous study of Spanish or French, you should visit the corresponding department’s website for placement information to determine what class to take. Spanish placement website. French placement PDF.
    • Other languages—If you previously studied another language that is offered at UF, please meet with a representative in the corresponding department to determine what class to take to fulfill the college’s requirement. See the list of language contacts (XLSX, 10KB).

    Option B—No previous/high-school background
    If you do not have any personal background in the language you’d like to pursue for proficiency and did not study the language in high school, you can demonstrate proficiency by successfully completing the beginning level sequence of that language. The sequence must be 8-10 credit hours total. Most languages (Example 1) are offered in a two-semester sequence, while some (Example 2) are taught in a three-semester sequence.

    • Example 1: Fall: FRE1130 – 5 credits; Spring: FRE1131 – 5 credits or Fall – ASL1110 – 4 credits and ASL1120 – 4 credits*
    • Example 2: Fall: LAT1120 – 4 credits; Spring: LAT11201 – 3 credits; Fall: LAT1104 – 3 credits

    * For ASL sequence completed spring 2016 or later.

    Still have questions about the foreign language proficiency requirement? See our contact page to send an email.

    Demonstrating Proficiency By Exam

    You may demonstrate proficiency by exam if you meet one of the conditions listed below:

    • Earn a passing (A-E) score on an AICE Foreign Language exam.*
    • Earn a 3 or higher on an AP Foreign Language exam.*
    • Earn a 4 or higher on an IB Foreign Language B exam.*
    • Earn a score of 59 or higher on the CLEP French Language exam or a 63 or higher on the CLEP Spanish Language exam.
    • Pass the Foreign Language Proficiency Exam for a corresponding language listed off of the Teaching Center website.

    NOTE: Students must have taken AP, IB, and CLEP exams before the end of their first term of enrollment at UF (Fall semester for those enrolled in summer).

    * AP Foreign Language Literature exams, AICE Foreign Language Literature exams, and IB Language ab initio exams do not meet the language requirement.

    Demonstrating Proficiency if You are Fluent

    If you are fluent in Russian or Chinese Mandarin, you should have your skills evaluated by that corresponding department. Once you are evaluated for proficiency, please bring the documentation from the department to the Academic Advising Center to have the requirement waived. If the language you speak is otherwise not taught at UF, or is not among the languages assessed through the Foreign Language Proficiency Exam offered through UF’s Teaching Center, you may contact Kathy Rex to discuss options.

    Demonstrating Proficiency via College-level Credit from Another Institution

    You may demonstrate proficiency if you have successfully completed with a grade of C or better the final course in an 8-10 credit sequence from another institution, or an approved introductory sequence that prepares you for intermediate-level study in that language. If you studied the three-part Spanish sequence at Santa Fe College, we will only require the first two courses for the CLAS foreign language proficiency requirement.