Overview

A student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with a knowledge of a language that is not taught at the University of Iowa may have the option of taking a proficiency exam to meet the fourth level General Education CLAS Core World Languages requirement. If the exam demonstrates that the student has the required level of language proficiency, the student will have met the GE CLAS Core requirement in World Languages, with this completion noted on the student’s degree audit.

Students in the Tippie College of Business with knowledge of a language that is not taught at the University of Iowa also may take a proficiency exam through the process described below, however world language satisfaction is determined by the Tipple College of Business for students enrolled in that college. 

The languages offered for these proficiency exams are not taught at the University of Iowa, and not every language is offered. The costs for these exams are paid by the student.

  • Students wishing to take a proficiency exam in a language not taught at the University of Iowa must first seek approval from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at least two weeks before the student would like to take the exam, see below for instructions for seeking approval.
  • Students are encouraged to take the exam during their first year at the University of Iowa. If the student does not score at the required level for the exam, the student will need to choose another option for fulfilling the World Languages requirement before graduating. Retesting is not allowed. There are no exceptions to this policy.
  • For languages that are taught at the University of Iowa, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences accepts only the UI online course placement test and UI one-on-one proficiency interview offered by the related CLAS departments. There are no exceptions to this policy.

World Languages not Taught at UI: Offered Exams

Testing is available for over 150 languages not taught at the University of Iowa. Please contact CLAS Undergraduate Programs if you have questions regarding the availability of a specific language. Please note the list of languages available is subject to change. All proficiency exams include a speaking assessment. Depending on the language, proficiency exams also may include a writing assessment.

Cost of Proficiency Exams

The student is responsible for paying the exam fee directly to the third-party testing provider, typically $165 to $270 depending on the language. The cost of the exam cannot be added to the U-Bill; the fee is payable only by credit card. If the student misses the exam, is late to the exam, or cancels without sufficient notice as designated by the testing provider, the fee is not refunded and the student may be charged an additional cancellation/rescheduling fee by the testing provider.

Procedure to Request a Proficiency Exam

If you are a student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and would like to take a proficiency exam in a language not taught at the University of Iowa to satisfy your General Education CLAS Core World Languages requirement, please follow these steps:

  1. Seek approval from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to take the exam at least two weeks before you hope to take the proficiency exam. Without prior approval, your score will not be accepted. Note that not all languages are offered and the list of offered languages is subject to change.
  2. To request approval and discuss the testing process, schedule an appointment in the MyUI Advising Appointment scheduler up to two weeks in advance. Choose "College Office" then "College of Liberal Arts and Sciences" with "World Language Proficiency" as the appointment type. In the Notes area, type the language for which you are seeking testing. The appointment will be held with an academic staff member in CLAS Undergraduate Programs. You also may schedule an appointment by calling 319-335-2633 weekdays between 8:00 am-4:30 pm. If you have questions, please email clas-undergrad@uiowa.edu.
  3. During the appointment, the CLAS staff member will answer your questions about the testing process and provide you with information about registering and paying for the exam through a third-party testing provider.

Passing Score Required for GE CLAS Core World Languages

The required test score to satisfy the General Education CLAS Core requirement in world languages is equivalent to a passing a fourth-semester level course taught at the University of Iowa. For proficiency exams available, this corresponds to an exam score of "Intermediate Mid" or higher. Any score lower than Intermediate Mid is not accepted. If the student does not score at the required level for the exam, the student will need to choose another option for satisfying the world languages requirement before graduating. The student will be notified by email of their score some time after taking the exam. The student's degree audit will be updated to reflect satisfaction of the world languages requirement if they achieved the appropriate score.