Foreign Language Distributional Requirement

The foreign language requirement must be fulfilled by the end of junior year. How you fulfill it depends on your preparation. No courses taken Credit/D/Fail may be used.

If you have not studied a foreign language before arriving at Yale or do not qualify for placement into a second-year course, you must take three terms of a single foreign language.
If you can place into the third term of a language program, you must complete two more terms.
If you can place into the fourth term of a language, you need complete only one term of further study in that language.
If your ability exceeds the fourth term of language study, as shown by a score of 4 or 5 on an Advanced Placement test or by a requisite score on a placement test at Yale, you must either carry your study of the language one term further or take a different language through the level designated L2.

You must enroll for at least one course credit toward satisfaction of the foreign language requirement by the end of your fourth term of enrollment. The entire requirement must be completed by the end of your sixth term.

Students whose language of instruction in secondary school was not English may fulfill the foreign language requirement by (1) taking English 114a or b, 120a or b, or 450b; or (2) studying a third language, neither English nor their native language, through the level L2.

Placement examinations for foreign languages

Language departments offer placement tests to determine which level of the language (L1 through L5) is most appropriate to a student's previous preparation. These tests are offered in the days preceding the first day of classes in the fall term. Dates and times appear in departmental offces and in PDF form on the Web site for the Calendar for the Opening Days of College.

Important notes

Take the placement exam in the fall. A few departments offer a second one at the beginning of the spring term, but you should not count on it.
Spanish: The Spanish department requires every student planning to enroll in Spanish to take the placement examination, whether or not that student has previously studied the language.