Foreign Language Requirement
Undergraduate students whose native language is Chinese, Japanese, or Korean and who graduated from a high school where their native language is the language of instruction can fulfill their foreign language requirement by completing the College Recorder’s Office Application of Foreign Language Proficiency for Non-Native Speakers of English. You will be required to provide/upload an official transcript from the high school you attended.
If you completed 6th grade or above but did not graduate from a high school where your native language is the language of instruction, official documentation in .pdf format proving the completion of 6th grade or above attached to the EALC-Language Proficiency Form will be required.
If you did not complete the 6th grade or higher in a country where Chinese, Japanese, or Korean is the language of instruction, you will need to take a proficiency test to establish proficiency (see testing information below.)
This process is designed for undergraduate students only. Graduate students wanting to waive their foreign language requirements will need to contact their home department DGS to work with the appropriate language program coordinator in EALC to determine if testing or providing schooling documentation will satisfy the waiver.
Note: All applications for foreign proficiency must be submitted at least one month prior to semester end to allow the College Recorder’s Office sufficient time to update the student’s record.
Placement Testing
The online Japanese placement test is offered exclusively for the purpose of class placement, not for proving proficiency. All students enrolled in IU with prior knowledge of Japanese will need to take an online Japanese placement test before registering for their first Japanese class at IUB, to identify the appropriate class to take.
The Japanese placement test is available online at https://foreignlanguageplacement.indiana.edu/. Students can take the test any time on any computer that has access to the IU network (headphones needed). Students will log onto the site with their IU username. It is a randomized, timed, test with a 90-minute limit. A $54 fee will be automatically assessed when logging onto the test. Students are only allowed to take the test one time. A second-time login must be requested through the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures Japanese Language Program Coordinator and a valid reason for taking the test a second time must be provided. Send all repeat test requests to the Japanese Language Program Coordinator. Students are not allowed to use aids during the test, including dictionaries, textbooks, notes, cell phone, etc. It is in the student’s best interest if the test reflects their current ability. Within two weeks after the semester begins, students may receive an interview from the course instructor to verify their placement.
EALC language course credits, except for J333 and J433, are not given to language courses taken outside of IU, including overseas. Students who need to prove their language proficiency for purposes of satisfying degree requirements must do so through EALC’s proficiency tests.
Proficiency Testing
Japanese proficiency testing is offered once a semester for students who wish to fulfill their foreign language requirement for the College of Arts and Sciences or World Languages requirement for IUB’s General Education, but who are NOT planning to take a Japanese course while attending IUB.
**Please review the above guidelines for international students and establishment of proficiency before deciding to take this exam. You may need to submit documents instead of taking the proficiency test.
The Japanese proficiency test will be held in person once a semester. The test for Fall semester will be held in November; the test for the Spring semester will be in April. Please contact the Japanese Language Program Coordinator by October 31st or March 31st to arrange a test.
