You must take the placement Test to determine which course level is appropriate for your skills, if you would like to continue language study begun in high school or at another college/university.

No preparation is necessary for the placement test – it is intended to be a tool to place you in the course most appropriate for your level. For this reason, placement tests may not be re-taken.

French, Italian, and Spanish placement tests are offered during the summer orientation program, and on the first day of the fall and winter terms (see links below for the next times, dates and locations for these three languages tests). Please note that it is not possible to schedule a special placement exam in French, Italian or Spanish for one student.

The results of the French, Italian, and Spanish placement tests will be communicated to the academic advisors in your home college. If you are an LSA student, you should make an appointment with an advisor at the Academic Advising Center in 1255 Angell Hall, (734) 764-0332. Non-LSA students who are having difficulty obtaining their placement recommendation should have their advisor or mentor contact the Office of Examinations and Evaluations with their student ID number, date and language of the exam.

Portuguese placement tests are given by appointment with Niedja Fedrigo, niedja@umich.edu, who will also communicate test results.

You may be placed in one of the following courses: 101 (Elementary), 103 (Elementary review), 231 (Second year, first semester), or 232 (Second year, continued). In Italian, you may also be placed into 102 (Elementary, continued). If you place beyond the 232 level, you will have satisfied the LSA language requirement.

For questions about your placement, you should consult the course coordinator of the course into which you have been placed.

LS&A students who believe they have a learning disability that interferes with their learning a foreign language may petition the LSA Academic Standards Board to be allowed to substitute culture-based classes in English as a means of finishing the language requirement. To do so, as one part of the petition process, they must take the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT). For more information, contact Dr. Stuart Segal in Services for Students with Disabilities, (734) 763-3000.

Questions? Contact the Undergraduate Assistant.