College of Humanities & Behavioral Sciences

How to Select a Language Course

Students continuing their study of a foreign language are placed in a course appropriate for their abilities based on the results of their foreign language placement test and/or based on placement advising by the department chair. First semester courses are for beginners. Typically students with three or more years of high school study are placed in second or third semester courses. Students must be placed by the department chair prior to registering for foreign language courses.

Spanish Placement Recommendations

Numbers of Years of Study	High School GPA Overall	Placement
0-2	N/A	Spanish 101
3 Years	Below 3.3 GPA; Below 480 SAT Verbal	Spanish 102
3 Years	A review for those students with a gap between their last language course in high school and the first course at RU	Spanish 103
3 Years	Above 3.3 GPA; Above 480 SAT Verbal	Spanish 201
4 Years	N/A	Spanish 201
5 Years	NA	Spanish 202
5 Years or more	Above 560 SAT Verbal	300 Level

German Placement Recommendations

Numbers of Years of Study	High School GPA Overall	Placement
0-2	N/A	German 100
3 Years	Below 2.8 GPA; Below 550 SAT Verbal	German 100 or 200 (200 in Spring Semester)
3 Years	Above 2.8 GPA; Above 550 SAT Verbal	German 210
4+ Years	N/A	German 210

French Placement Recommendations

Numbers of Years of Study	High School GPA Overall	Placement
0-2	N/A	French 100
3 Years	N/A	French 200
4 Years	N/A	French 210
5+ Years	N/A	French 210 or 300 level

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

I. AP Scores:

All AP scores are received by Radford U as elective credits. In order to have your AP credits converted to a specific course number, talk with your language advisor

II. For transfer students:

Enroll in the next sequential course after the one for which you have received transfer credit. If

you feel that you are not prepared for the next sequential course, you may re-take the class for

which you have transfer credit, although doing so will result in loss of the transfer credit.

II. For native and heritage speakers:

Generally, native speakers should begin their coursework at 300-level. Heritage speakers (people

who use the language at home at least some of the time and who completed most of their

education in English) tend to start with 300, 320, or a culture or literature class, depending on their experience with the language.