Language Requirement and Placement
Language Placement | Language Requirement and Placement Guidelines
Language Placement
If you took any of the languages offered by the WLL department in high school, lived in a country where that language is predominantly spoken, or grew up in a household that spoke that language, you are required to take a placement exam before registering for any course in that language. Students interested in Chinese or Japanese must contact the section coordinator or the department Chair. The placement exam is designed to assess the appropriate level of language study.
ATTENTION
Any student who deliberately does poorly on the Skidmore language placement exam or who knowingly and willfully enrolls in a class below the student’s language proficiency level is in violation of the Skidmore College Honor Code and may be referred to the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Advising and/or the Integrity Board for further action. Students should be aware that the penalties attached to an academic integrity violation may jeopardize a student's standing at the college. Students should also be aware that those who have committed academic integrity violations are ineligible for college honors, including, but not limited to, the Dean's List, graduation honors, and inclusion in certain honor societies. Students who have questions about their placement should speak to their class instructor.
New emmersion account
- Complete the web form to create an account.
- For Email, you must enter your Skidmore email address.
- For Student Id, you must enter your Skidmore Student ID, which is the nine-digit number that you should have received from the Registrar’s Office.
- The Password you create must be at least 8 characters long and not commonly used.
- Check the box to agree to the Emmersion Privacy Policy & Terms of Use.
- Click the Create Account button.
- You will then be directed to a confirmation page that your account was created successfully with a link to Sign In.
- Click on the link and then enter your login credentials:
- Username or email: Enter your Skidmore email address
- Password: Enter the password you created when you setup your account.
- To start a test, click the TAKE TEST button for the language test you need to complete.
Once you have created an account with Emmersion, you can access the site here.
If you already have an account with Emmersion and you attempt to create another one, you will be directed to the login page to log in with your existing account credentials. If you do not remember your password, click the "Forgot Password?" link on the login page and provide your Skidmore email address to have an email sent to reset your password.
Please note: There is a 24-hour delay for this score to post to the system; therefore, you should take the exam at least one day prior to your registration timeslot.
Language Requirement and Placement Guidelines
Placement into a 101 Course | Placement by Placement Test Score | Placement Exams
To fulfill the language requirement at Skidmore College, all students must complete one course in a foreign language-designated course in the Department of World Languages and Literatures or in the Department of Classics.
There are several ways to place into the correct level of the language you choose to study. The course must be appropriate to your level of language expertise as indicated below. In all cases, it is ultimately the professor who determines a student’s appropriate language level.
Placement into a 101 Course
Students with prior language study are excluded from taking a 101 course in that language and need to use one of the placement guides below or start a new language. To enroll in WLF or WLS 101, you must send an email to the instructor explaining that you have not previously studied the language. This information will be verified by the Registrar.
Placement by Placement Test Score
Chinese and Japanese
Students with previous experience with Chinese or Japanese are placed based on their written level of competency and on their oral proficiency. Students will submit writing samples or take an in-person placement exam. There is an oral assessment to confirm placement at the beginning of the semester.
Placement Exams
Placement Exams for French | Placement Exams for German and Italian | Placement Exams for Spanish
Placement Exams for French
| SCORE | PLACEMENT |
| No prior experience | Contact the instructor to register for WLF 101. |
| 1-250 | WLF 102 |
| 251-375 | WLF 203 |
| 376-460 | WLF 206 |
| 461-570 | WLF 208 |
| 571 and above | Contact Professor Talley to discuss placement. |
Placement Exams for German and Italian
| SCORE | PLACEMENT |
| 0-339 | German or Italian 102 |
| 340-390 | German or Italian 203 |
| 391 and above | German or Italian 206 and above |
Placement Exams for Spanish
| SCORE | PLACEMENT |
| No prior experience | Students who want to enroll in WLS 101 MUST contact the instructor. |
| 0-339 | WLS 102 |
| 340-390 | WLS 203 |
| 391-460 | WLF 206 |
| 461-570 | WLF 208 |
| More than 570 | Contact Professor Lander |
Arabic, Hebrew, Korean, Portuguese, and Russian, please contact the instructor.