About the Language Placement Test
Language Requirement
Seton Hall students are required to demonstrate competency in a foreign language as part of their Core Curriculum. The levels of competency vary depending on the school and major; as well, some degrees allow students to satisfy the requirement by placing into certain levels. These levels are different for each school and major—one size does not fit all!
Students continuing a previously-studied language must take a placement test before they can register for a language class. Students taking a new language should just register for the Elementary/Introductory 1 level class. Refer to further guidance below.
Languages Taught at Seton Hall
Students can take courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Ancient Greek, Italian,
Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish.* Placement tests for these languages are available
online and for free—instructions on how to access them are available here.
* Nursing and IPHS are the only colleges at Seton Hall University that accept American Sign Language (ASL) for the language requirement. Students can take Sign Language 1 or 2, which are listed
under the course subject "CPSY".
Native Speakers and Languages Not Taught at Seton Hall
Students who have bilingual proficiency in another language can provide certified documentation* in place of the language placement test. This proof of proficiency/bilingualism can be used to satisfy the requirement entirely,
or you can choose to study a new language beginning at the Elementary/Introductory
1 level. Contact the Global Learning Center to submit a certification and discuss your options**.
* Accepted certificates include the Avant Seal of Biliteracy, ACTFL OPI Certificate, other recognized language/cultural organizations’ certifications of proficiency,
etc., in consultation with the Global Learning Center.
**If you don’t have a certificate, contact the Global Learning Center to discuss what options are available for taking a proficiency test in your language of choice. The results might allow you to fulfill your degree program’s requirement in the same way as students who place out of a language that is taught here.
Consider Another Language!
We encourage students with prior experience or a native/near-native level of proficiency in any language to consider taking up a new one. Bilingualism (or trilingualism!) is a huge benefit in any field of work. Not only does skill in other languages give you an advantage over other equally-qualified job candidates, but studying other languages opens the world up to you in significant ways.
Students can add a language minor or even a double major to their degree. Consult with the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures for more information on the variety of majors and minors available.
Please note the following guidance:
- If you’re continuing a previously-studied language, you cannot enroll in language classes without a placement test. You will receive an error message if you try to register without a placement test
result posted to your student profile.
If you’re registering for a new language, you do not need to take a placement test. Just register for the Elementary/Introductory 1 level of that language.*
* Students with prior language experience who register for Elementary/Introductory 1 may be asked to drop the class and take a placement test to be placed in the appropriate level.
- You must register for the level you placed into. Students must enroll in the class level they placed into; they are not allowed to
take the placement test again.* For support, students should take advantage of their
professors’ office hours and free tutoring provided by LLC instructors. As well, students can sign up for the Peer-Assisted Language Support (PALS) program to get conversation practice with other students who are native or advanced
speakers of the languages they’re studying.
* If you register for a level different from the one you placed into, you will be instructed to drop it and re-register for the proper one. Students who do not drop the incorrect course themselves will be automatically removed after a given deadline.
- You must complete all the necessary credits for your degree. Students who use their placement to satisfy the language requirement do not earn credits. Be sure to consult with your advisor on what courses are acceptable in place of
languages for fulfilling the credit requirements of your degree.
- You can study other languages. Students do not have to take the language they tested for. You are welcome to study
a new language beginning at the Elementary/Introductory 1 level. If you are able to
satisfy the language requirement in your “old” language with your placement test,
the new language classes can be counted toward the credit requirement mentioned in
#3 above.
- The requirement might change if you change majors. If you switch majors, your language requirement could change too, regardless of any courses you’ve already taken. For example, if you finished through Elem./Intro. 2 for a B.S., or even if you placed out of the requirement with your test results, you might still have to take language classes if your new major requires a different level of completion/placement test result.
Important Information about the Test and Timing
- The test can take up to a week (in business days) to be scored. You cannot get your results the same day you take the placement test.
- After you receive your score, it takes one more day to post to your profile (or over the weekend if it is processed on a Friday), so you cannot register the same day you receive your score.
- Don’t miss out on registration by waiting until the last minute to take the test and expecting the results back quickly.
- Be sure to plan ahead so that you have plenty of time between finishing the test and registering for the coming semester.
- Plan to take your language courses as early as possible in your university career. Don’t get stuck senior year with an unfulfilled language requirement that could delay your graduation!
If you are transferring into Seton Hall or you want to apply AP credits, do not take the language placement test until after those have been processed, and then only if you still require language courses once they have been applied to your transcript.