Placement Exams for French, German, & Spanish
All students who have had more than 1 year of French, German or Spanish in high school or who have grown up speaking one of these languages at home should take the placement exam for that language before taking any language classes at OSU. The exam will place you into the right class for your ability and if you take the test and then earn a B or higher in a more advanced class, you will then get credit for the classes below it, up to six credits for free. This will help you to advance more quickly and satisfy any foreign language requirements for your degree.
Please email Nick Howland (nick.howland@okstate.edu) to find out how you can take the test.
Students who want retroactive advanced standing credit in Spanish, French, or German must plan to enroll in a language course at OSU in Stillwater and take the foreign language placement test free of cost by the last date on which the course may be added during the semester. Upon completion of the foreign language placement test in the language, the test score will be used to determine the appropriate level of course work for enrollment at OSU in Stillwater. The placement test results remain valid for two semesters (not including summer semester) following the test date. The student must complete the placement course within that time, at OSU in Stillwater, in order to receive retroactive advanced standing credit.
Placement test results need to be given to the student’s academic advisor. The academic advisor will assist the student with enrollment in the placement course. The student must earn a grade of “A” or “B” in the placement course in order to earn any retroactive advanced standing credit. After all grades have been posted for the semester, the foreign language advisor will verify the score and date of the placement exam and the grade earned in the placement course. If a student placed in Spanish 2713, French 2713, or German 2723 and earns an “A” or “B” in the course, the student will earn six hours of retroactive advanced standing credit (1713 and 1813). Once verified, the Advanced Standing Credit form will be completed by the Foreign Language advisor and will be submitted to the Admissions Office for the appropriate credit to be posted to the student’s transcript.
Placement for Other Languages
Students wishing to begin at a level that is higher than the introductory level in Arabic, ASL, Chinese, Greek, Japanese, Latin, or Russian can meet with a professor for individual assessment and should visit the foreign language advisor, Anthony Valentine (405-744-5658), in 213 Life Science East for advanced standing credit.
Credit from AP, CLEP, and IB Exams
High school students who scored at least a 3 on an AP language exam, at least a 4 on the International Baccalaurate exam, or who scored highly on a CLEP exam will be awarded credit at OSU for French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, or Latin. For details, click here.
Native Speakers
A native speaker of a foreign language (one whose high-school level instruction was conducted principally in that language) cannot earn credit toward graduation in lower division (1000-2000 level) courses in that language. Students may contact the dean of their college for possible exceptions to this requirement.
Transfer courses
Courses from other Oklahoma colleges and universities may transfer to OSU. To see which courses transfer, view the Course Equivalency Tables from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.