Academic Advising Center

There are more than 30 languages offered at UF. If you successfully complete the final course in a beginning language sequence, you will demonstrate proficiency. Successful completion is defined as a minimum grade of C, or earning an “S” via the S/U option. Beginning language sequences at UF are typically 8-10 credits.

Where to Find Languages Offered by CLAS:

• Department of Classics: Ancient Greek, Modern Greek, Latin.
• Center for European Studies: Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Turkish.
• Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures: Akan, Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Swahili, Vietnamese, Wolof, Yoruba.
• Spanish and Portuguese Studies: Portuguese, Spanish.
• Speech, Hearing, and Language Sciences: American Sign Language (ASL1110 and ASL1120, completion of ASL1130 is not necessary for proficiency; ASL courses may not be taken S-U, due to that College’s policy. CLAS cannot override this.)

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. Find your language Undergraduate Coordinator using the dropdown on our “Who Is My Advisor?” page.

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? Submit or Email a question.

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

• AICE – Earn a passing (A-E) score on an AICE Foreign Language exam.*
• AP – Earn a 3 or higher on an AP Foreign Language and Culture exam.*
• IB – Earn a 4 or higher on an IB Foreign Language B exam.*
• CLEP – Earn a score of 59 or higher on the CLEP French Language exam, a score of 60 or higher on the German Language exam, a 63 or higher on the CLEP Spanish Language exam or a score of 65 or higher on the CLEP Spanish with Writing exam.
• DLPT – Earn a score of 3 or higher on a DLPT exam.
• FLPE – Pass the Foreign Language Proficiency Exam for a corresponding language listed off of the Academic Resources website.

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

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

• If you are fluent in another language (except Russian), and a Foreign Language Proficiency exam is offered for that language (except Russian), take and pass the FLPE at a level equivalent to completion of the beginning course sequence.
• If you are fluent in Russian, you should have your skills evaluated by that area. 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 Academic Resources, you may contact Kathy Rex to discuss options.

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 only require the first two courses for the CLAS foreign language proficiency requirement.

CLAS Foreign Language Cultural Course Substitution

Students with disabilities who are unable to complete the CLAS Foreign Language requirement due to the direct impact of their diagnoses, may petition for a course substitution. College degree requirements determine which courses may qualify for a substitution. Students should be mindful that the substitution does not change major specific foreign language course requirements (i.e. International Studies major).

Students must submit the petition through the Disability Resource Center.

Cultural Option Requirements
(4 courses in total, 1 Group A and 3 Group B)

Students approved for the cultural option will complete four (4) total courses. Students will complete one (1) course from Group A and three (3) courses from Group B. Students must select one regional package for Group B and must complete all courses from that package. Students may not combine courses from multiple packages. Degree audits will be updated for students who are approved for the cultural option to reflect this requirement upon approval.

Please be aware that the courses listed below are not offered every term (especially summer) and some are not offered every academic year. You will need to plan accordingly to ensure you are able to complete the requirement before graduation. We do not recommend waiting until the end of your academic career to begin these courses due to their limited availability.

You may view future course offerings and previous semester course offerings. It can be helpful to view previous semesters to predict when the courses will be offered in the future as you create your plan to complete the requirement.

You will select 1 course from Group A.

You will select one Group B package and take 3 courses from that package. You must select one package. Completing 3 courses from multiple packages will not fulfill the requirement. The packages and corresponding courses are:

Additional Information

Questions? If you have any questions regarding the requirement, please reach out to Olivia Guthrie at ogroves@advising.ufl.edu.