Credit by Proficiency

Students often want to know how to get credit for a course without actually taking the course. In the Department of World Languages and Cultures, we allow undergraduate students to get credit for lower-division courses (1000s/2000s) upon passing a higher course with a C or better (must be a Georgia Southern course; cannot be an eCore or transfer course from another institution or AP/IB/CLEP credit). This is in accordance with the University’s Credit by Proficiency Examination policy. For example, if students pass FREN 2001, they can receive credit for FREN 1001 and 1002 (or 1060). The credit is “K” credit, the same as if the students had passed an AP/IB/CLEP exam.

If you are an undergraduate student, here’s the petition process you should follow:

Do not pay the test fee before receiving approval from the Office of the Registrar and the department chair.

1. Take a foreign language course at your level of current proficiency at Georgia Southern.
   • If you have not taken a foreign language course yet, and you need to estimate your level of proficiency, use this Placement Guide. If you believe your proficiency level is at 1002 or above, send an email to languages@georgiasouthern.edu to request an appointment for a placement interview and to obtain override authorization into the course.
2. Take the recommended course and pass it with a C or better.
3. Click on Proficiency Examination Form, complete the information within the form, and click ‘Submit’. (You will need to submit one form for each course that you are requesting proficiency credit for.)
4. The form will then go to the Office of the Registrar and the Department Chair of World Languages and Cultures for necessary approvals.
5. If your proficiency request is approved by both offices, you will receive an email requesting that you pay a test fee of $15 for each course requested.
6. Once the test fee is paid, please attach the receipt of payment to the form noted in the email. Do not pay the test fee before receiving approval from the Office of the Registrar and the department chair. The approval will be sent within this form.
7. Once the examiner submits ‘Satisfactory’ examination results, credit should be posted to the student’s academic record by the Office of the Registrar within 5-7 business days.

Last updated: 1/18/2023