2022-2023 Catalog

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Foreign Language

All students must achieve Language 102-level proficiency in a language other than English. Students may not take Language 101 for credit if they have taken more than one quarter in college or more than one year in high school (grades 10-12).

Placement: Students may begin study of a new language at the 101 level if they have not taken it previously for more than one quarter in college or more than one year in high school (grades 10-12). They are not required to take the College’s placement exam. First-year students may take the Occidental College Placement Exam either on-line for French, German, and Spanish, or during orientation for other languages taught at Occidental if:

  • They have taken more than one quarter in college or more than one year in high school (grades 10-12)

  • They have participated in after-school or weekend language programs; or

  • They have extensive background in but no formal training in a language.

Students can fulfill Occidental's language requirement in one of five ways:

  1. By completing a language course numbered 102 at Occidental, or the equivalent course in any foreign language at another accredited institution.

  2. By receiving an exemption-level score on Occidental's placement and/or exemption exam given during orientation.

  3. By earning an appropriate Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) II score (560 or above on French, Spanish, or Latin; 550 or above on German or Chinese; 540 or above on Japanese; or 560 for other languages)

  4. By earning an Advanced Placement test score of 4 or above on a language exam.

  5. For some languages not taught at Occidental, students may by taking the ACTFL oral proficiency interview (OPI) and the writing proficiency test (WPT) in the languages currently available. Please see the Keck Language and Culture Studio about demonstrating proficiency via ACTFL.

International students whose language of education has been in a language other than English and who have completed six years of elementary education or more in a foreign language are exempt from the foreign language requirement. Such students should contact the chair of one of the foreign language departments to confirm their fulfillment of the foreign language requirement.