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Language Placement Exams

The Seaver Core Language and Culture (LC) general education requirement  includes a 251 level language requisite. The goal of the language requirement is to assure that students can document, either through college classwork or prior ability, an intermediate-high competence in a language other than English. For this reason, 251+ level language capability is required for all undergraduate students.

Students may choose to fulfill the Seaver Core LC language requirement through study of Italian, Japanese, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, German or French. Student learning outcome for third semester language classes at Pepperdine is the achievement of intermediate high language ability according to ACTFL standards. All language courses, with the exception of Greek and Biblical Hebrew, are offered in the International Studies and Languages Division. For information about Greek and Biblical Hebrew course offerings, please contact the Religion and Philosophy Division.

Any student who is considering meeting the foreign language requirement with Italian, Japanese, or Arabic must contact the ISL Division Office. All Italian, Japanese and Arabic language placements will be determined by ISL faculty. 

Any student who is considering meeting the foreign language requirement with Chinese, Spanish, German or French MUST take an online placement test. You may take the exam anytime you like, but you must complete it prior to registering for a language course.

Guidelines for taking the Online Language Placement Exam:

  1. The purpose of this test is to place students in the course that is appropriate to their learning level. Therefore, you should not consult any outside materials when taking this exam. Please keep in mind that Pepperdine University has very high standards for academic integrity. Further information is available at:
    http://seaver.pepperdine.edu/academics/academic-support/integrity/

  2. Follow the link to your desired language exam:

Then:

      1. Register for an account using your CWID and Pepperdine email address.
      2. Log into your Emmersion account using the credentials you created.
      3. Select the exam you would like to take.
      4. You will be permitted to take the exam ONCE.
      5. Take the exam without outside assistance.
      6. When finished, wait until you see a score on your screen.
      7. Save a PDF of your results for your records.

After you have taken the exam, and depending upon your score, you will either be given a placement or directed to contact erica.reisser@pepperdine.edu in the ISL Division Office for further testing. If a proctored exam places the student above the 251 level, the Seaver Core LC foreign language requirement will be fulfilled and, with faculty approval, students will qualify to take courses numbered 252 or higher. 

Important Points:

  • Fulfilling the Seaver Core LC language requirement with placement exams will not earn the student units toward graduation.
  • Students who have already begun the language sequence (151 or 152) will not be permitted to take a placement exam in an effort to test out of the 251 level course, but will be required to complete a 251 level course in the applicable language sequence.
  • Placement exam scores expire one calendar year from the date of the exam. Students are encouraged to take the indicated course within one academic year (2 registration periods) of taking the placement exam.
  • If you seek to be placed into the proper language level, you are permitted to take the exam on your own time. In order to place out of the Seaver Core LC language requirement, you must take the exam under proctored conditions and present your student ID at the start of the exam.
  • ISL Faculty offers in-person French, German and Spanish placement exams during New Student Orientation. Incoming students, please refer to your NSO schedule for placement exam date and time.

Additional Info

Please find answers to some frequently asked questions here:

International Students/Heritage Speakers

  1. If you are an International student and the majority of your high school education was given in your native language (not English), please consult the Office of International Student Services at admission-oiss@pepperdine.edu.
  2. If you are an International student and the majority of your high school education was given in English, you will not be granted a foreign language waiver upon admission to Seaver College and are required to prove biliteracy. 
  3. Students wishing to prove biliteracy in Korean, Russian, Hindi, Armenian, Greek, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Kiswahili, or another language not listed here, please email islofficestaff@pepperdine.edu for further assistance.   

Advanced Placement

Students who completed Advanced Placement (AP) language courses in high school must have their exams sent to OneStop. An AP exam score of 3 places the student in the 251 level of the language sequence, and the student will receive credit on their DAR for 152. An AP exam score of 4 satisfies the Seaver Core Language and Culture requirement in foreign language, and the student will receive credit on their DAR for 251. An AP exam score of 5 satisfies the Seaver Core LC requirement in foreign language. The student will receive credit on their DAR for 252 and will be eligible for upper division language courses.

International Baccalaureate

Students who completed International Baccalaureate (IB) language courses in high school must have their exams sent to OneStop. An IB exam score of 5 places the student in the 152 level of the language sequence. An IB exam score of 6 places the student in the 251 level of the language sequence. An IB exam score of 7 satisfies the Seaver Core LC requirement in foreign language. The student will receive credit on their DAR for 251, and will be eligible for upper division language courses. Please consult the Office of International Student Services at admission-oiss@pepperdine.edu for more information regarding the IB Placement Policy.