University Undergraduate Advising Handbook

Effective May 2001, a student can be admitted to a baccalaureate degree program whether or not he/she has completed two units of a single foreign/second language at the high school level. However, if a student has not attained this level of language prior to admission, he/she must correct this deficiency by the time he/she earns 60 credits or graduates, whichever occurs first.

This requirement applies to transfer students, students moving to baccalaureate programs after completing associate degree programs, and students entering directly from high school. This requirement does not apply to students who can demonstrate fluency in a foreign/second language.

To determine if a student has met this admission requirement, use the student's degree audit (see section 11 of this sample degree audit). "OK" will be printed next to the statement, "HIGH SCHOOL FOREIGN/SECOND LANGUAGE ADMISSION REQUIREMENT" if the requirement is met. "NO" precedes the statement if a student has not met the requirement. Authorized advisers can use ISIS screen AUOG to determine a student's high school background in foreign language(s).

When using the Academic Review application on eLion, advisers are alerted to this deficiency with a message in the Academic Performance section. If this message appears, the adviser should check the student's transcript to determine if he/she still needs to meet the requirement. If so, the adviser can use the "comments" box in the Recommendations section to provide the appropriate advice to the student.

Meeting the Requirement

The requirement may be met after admission by earning a passing grade (D or higher) in one three- or four-credit college-level foreign language course at Penn State, by earning transferable credits (C or better) in a foreign language course at another institution, or by demonstrating proficiency. Credits earned to make up the foreign language deficiency do not count toward graduation from a Penn State baccalaureate program. However, these credits do count toward a student's cumulative credits, credit load, and financial aid eligibility.

For information on Penn State's foreign language placement policy and languages offered, see Scheduling Foreign Language Courses.

Failure to Meet the Requirement

A student who has not completed the foreign/second language requirement prior to admission will receive a series of messages about the deficiency, initially within the letter of admission and subsequently by messages each time the student accesses eLion. If a student has not met the foreign language admission requirement within two years, the Registrar's office will notify the student's associate dean that the requirement has not been met. The associate dean (or his/her designee) will discuss the situation with the student and advise the Registrar's office to move the student to nondegree-regular status if warranted. The Registrar's office will change the student's degree status and notify the student of the action.

The University may make changes in policies, procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. Please consult a Penn State academic adviser for more detailed information.

This page is part of the University Undergraduate Advising Handbook, which is maintained by the Division of Undergraduate Studies, DUS@psu.edu.

Last Update: June 2008