All entering first-year and transfer students who have studied or have experience in French, German, Italian, or Spanish must take the Language Placement Assessment. This is important for all students and especially if your major has a language proficiency requirement. Your score on the assessment will enable us to register you in the appropriate level language course from the start should you pursue language study at any point.
If you have taken an AP or IB exam or earned credit for a dual enrollment language course at a college, you do not need to take the Language Placement Assessment; your exam score or transcript provide the information we need to place you in the appropriate level course. Be sure to have an official transcript sent directly to Ithaca College. Transfer credit cannot be awarded on the basis of your high school transcript. IC also cannot accept forwarded official documents sent by you.
Information and Resources for Language Placement
Who takes a Language Placement Assessment?
First-Year Students: Your response to questions about language study on the Academic Interests Survey will determine whether you need to take one—or more—Language Placement Assessments. If you indicate that you have either studied or that you have fluency in French, German, Italian, or Spanish, and you want to continue language study, information about the Language Placement Assessment(s) will display on your New Student Checklist. The World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Department will email you with instructions for taking the Language Placement Assessment(s).
Transfer Students: If you are interested in continuing your language study, please communicate that during your advising appointment. If you have any specific questions about the languages, literatures, and cultures courses, please contact Dr. Enrique Gonzalez-Conty, Chair for World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, at egonzalezconty@ithaca.edu.
What should I know before taking a Language Placement Assessment?
The Language Placement Assessment will first inquire about your background in the language and then ask you a series of multiple choice questions. It is not timed, and takes most students approximately 30 minutes to complete. To accurately measure your current skill level and help ensure that you are placed at the most appropriate course level, please do not utilize any external resources, including but not limited to cell phones, textbooks, notes, translators, etc.
How do I take the Language Placement Assessment?
The World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Department will email you with instructions for taking the Language Placement Assessment (or assessments if your responses to the New Student Checklist pre-survey indicated that you have studied or have fluency in more than one language). If you have not received an email with instructions and wish to take a placement assessment, please reach out directly to the department at worldlanguages@ithaca.edu and we'll get you into the system.
- Once the department has your information, we will send you an email with a personalized link via which you will create an account in the Emmersion online system. Note: If you do not receive this email within 24 hours after contacting us, please look for it in your junk and spam folders.
- Please have your Ithaca College student ID number ready as you will need that to create your account.
- Click on the test tile to start your Language Placement Assessment(s).
How do I find out my Language Placement score?
Your score on the Language Placement Assessment will be viewable directly after you complete the assessment. You can also log back in to your Emmersion account and view your results on your dashboard.
Questions? Contact Us.
If you have any questions or require additional assistance, please contact the department.
Marella Feltrin-Morris, Chair
Penny Bogardus, Administrative Assistant
425 Muller Center
Monday through Thursday • 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.