Information and Resources for Language Placement

Learn more about the Language Placement Assessment, which helps us determine the most appropriate class level that best matches your current skills when you start or resume your study of French, German, Italian, or Spanish at Ithaca College.

Who takes a Language Placement Assessment?

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.

I am a new first-year/transfer student at IC. How will I know if this applies to me?

Your response to the New Student Checklist pre-survey in IC Connect will determine whether you need to take one—or more—Language Placement Assessments. If you indicate that you have studied or that you have fluency in French, German, Italian, or Spanish, 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).

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?

  1. 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.
  2. Once the department has your information, Emmersion will send you an email with a personalized link via which you will set up your account in the Emmersion online system. The subject line of the email will be “Ithaca College has assigned you the {LANGUAGE} Reading/Grammar assessment from Emmersion by Rosetta Stone”; the email sender will be: no-reply=emmersion.ai@mg.mail.emmersion.ai. 
    Note: If you do not receive this email within 24 hours after contacting us, please look for it in your junk and spam folders.
  3. Your personalized link will EXPIRE after SEVEN (7) days, so be sure to set up your account as soon as possible after receiving the email. (If your link expires, contact us and we will request that Emmersion send another to you.)
  4. Please have your Ithaca College student ID number ready as you will need that to create your account.
  5. Once you have set up your Emmersion account, log in at https://app.emmersion.ai/.
  6. Click on the test tile to start your Language Placement Assessment(s). Most students complete the language assessment in approximately 30 minutes.

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.