Before graduating Macalester, a student must demonstrate proficiency in a second language. The requirement stipulates that the student must have the equivalent of four semesters of college level study in a single language. There are several ways a student may meet this requirement.

AP Credits

A score of 4 or 5 on the French Language or French Literature AP exam or a score of 4 or 5 on the German Language, Spanish Language or Spanish Literature exam fulfills the language requirement. For German Literature, the student must consult the department chair. If the student's scores have been sent to the Registrar, the student's transcript will reflect fulfillment of the language requirement. If not, the student must arrange for a copy of their scores to be sent directly to the Registrar by the College Board.

SAT exam

A score of 620 or above on the French, German or Spanish SAT-II with Listening exam or 700 without Listening Exam satisfies the language requirement. If the student’s scores have been sent to the Registrar, the student's transcript will reflect fulfillment of the language requirement. If not, the student must send an authorized copy of their scores to the Registrar in order to receive credit. Students who have taken the SAT-II exam in a language other than French, German or Spanish should contact Academic Programs.

Classes

Taking and passing all classes through 204 in any of the languages offered at Macalester (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish) fulfills the language requirement. Students who have studied a language in high school and wish to continue it in college should take the WebCape test (if French, German or Spanish) or consult the College Catalog or Advising Handbook to determine placement based on other measures (i.e, years studied, AP, IB or SAT exams). The instructions on how to access and take the WebCape exam are available from the Academic Programs Office. Students wishing to start a new language should enroll themselves in the Elementary 1 course of that language. Students wishing to complete our language requirement in a language not offered at Macalester should consult with Academic Programs.

Native language other than English

If the student's native language is not English, he or she must demonstrate proficiency in their native language in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. A high school transcript indicating that the language of instruction was other than English or that the student took courses in his or her native language in addition to English during high school is one way to demonstrate proficiency. Otherwise, a letter from a high school official attesting to the student's proficiency is acceptable. The student must contact the Academic Programs Office to request a transcript review or to determine alternate forms of documentation.