DEPARTMENT OF GERMAN

Language Proficiency Requirement

Global Competency and the WCAS Language Proficiency Requirement

It is the Universities goal that students be globally competitive by the time they graduate which includes being proficient in a language as expressed by the Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement. The Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement insures a broad set of skills that include:

• the ability to speak and understand a foreign language;
• knowledge and understanding of the history and culture of the community or communities in which the foreign language is spoken;
• the ability to function in culturally-appropriate ways within a community or communities in which the foreign language is spoken.

Fulfilling the WCAS Language Proficiency Requirement

For information on the language proficiency requirements in schools other than WCAS, consult this page. The level of proficiency required to show foreign language proficiency in WCAS is equivalent to two years of college-level language instruction. For German this means, that you will have to pass German 102-3 with a grade of C- or equivalent course work as outlined below.

If you never learned any German before or had just one year of High School German or less or , you may place yourself into 101-1 Beginning German (Fall Quarter). If you learned German in school, through private instruction, or at home, you must take the online German Placement Test if you intend to register for a German course (either to satisfy the WCAS Language Proficiency Requirement or to simply continue studying German). Please observe the online Placement Test dates so that you can be placed into the correct class(es) on time.

• Deadline for incoming students to take the online placement test: July 31, 2025
• Deadline for late acceptance and transfer students to take the online placement test: As soon as possible but no later than August 15, 2025

Once you have taken the online placement test, you will be notified through email within two to three weeks with the final results, or, in some circumstances with instructions for a follow-up oral test (usually given virtually on zoom). You should monitor their Northwestern email regularly during the summer for information regarding your placement test. Results will also be posted online.

The results of the online German Proficiency Placement test will place you in the appropriate language class from which you will begin work towards either fulfilling the Language Proficiency Requirement or to continue studying to the advanced level. Please note that first- and second-year German are taught sequentially and it is important that you take the placement test in the summer 2024 to ensure good course selection planning for the entire academic career.

If you have questions,  please schedule a zoom meeting with the Director of Undergraduate Studies Franziska Lys here.