Course Placement Guidelines

Which French course should you sign up for? Consult the following guidelines to find out which course is most appropriate for you to start with. Students are required to enroll in French language courses based on the criteria described below. If the guidelines below do not apply to your situation, please contact Dr. April Stevens.

If you… You should… You may receive placement credit hours…*
Have no previous study of (or exposure to) French Enroll in FR 101 N/A
Took high school French less than 4 years ago and
… have no AP score
— For all 4 years with a B+ average in French or higher Enroll in FR 202 7 credit hours
— For all 4 years with a B average in French or lower Enroll in FR 201 4 credit hours
— For 3 years with a B+ average in French or higher Enroll in FR 201 4 credit hours
— For 3 years with a B average in French or lower Enroll in FR 102 N/A
— For 2 years Enroll in FR 102 N/A
— For 1 year Enroll in FR 101 N/A
… have an AP score of
— 5 Enroll in FR 321/323 10 credit hours**
— 4 Enroll in FR 202 7 credit hours**
— 3 Enroll in FR 201 4 credit hours**
Took high school French, but finished over 4 years ago Enroll in FR 101 N/A
Took college-level French and …
— completed third-semester French or FR 201† Enroll in FR 202 N/A
— completed second-semester French or FR 102† Enroll in FR 201 N/A
— completed first-semester French or FR 101† Enroll in FR 102 N/A
Took the UA French Placement exam† and earned a score of …
— 0 – 205 Enroll in FR 101 N/A
— 206 – 320 Enroll in FR 102 N/A
— 321 – 385 Enroll in FR 201 4 credit hours
— 386 – 425 Enroll in FR 202 7 credit hours
— 426+ Enroll in FR 321/323 10 credit hours

* Students placed in 201 courses or higher and who earn a grade of C- or higher in the course are granted additional credit upon written petition. Students need to fill out a departmental form in the main office of the Department of Modern Languages & Classics (BB Comer Hall, Room 200) upon successful completion of the course to obtain placement credit.

** Placement credit hours for AP scores do not need to be petitioned, as they are automatically transferred in.

† Successfully completing a French course at UA requires a C- or better to advance to the next course in the sequence.

NOTE: Students are encouraged to take the placement exam in order to place into the highest course level possible, as incoming students can receive up to 10 hours of placement credit. The placement exam is available online at myBama.ua.edu under the Admissions/Scholarships tab (Undergraduate Admission > Foreign Language Assessment). No student may enroll in more than one 100 and/or 200-level French language class during the same semester.