Modern World Languages
Bethel University Language Requirement and Placement
Students must be able to understand and communicate with people of other cultures at the Novice-High level as described on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scale. This level is usually reached by the end of one year of college-level language study. Students may fulfill Bethel's language requirement by one of the following:
- Completing the second semester of the first-year (introductory or beginning) of a college-level language class or higher with a passing grade at Bethel University (e.g. SWE102S Introductory Swedish II).
- Completing the second semester of a first-year (introductory or beginning) college-level language class or higher with grade of C or higher at another college/university (any language other than English).
- Earning a score of 3 or better on an Advanced Placement language exam or a score of 50 or better on a language CLEP test.
- Achieving a passing score on Bethel's Language Skills Test (LST).
Options for completing the language requirement
There are four options for completing Bethel University's language requirement. Please read the information below to determine which option works best for you. For further information, contact Professor Jean Egbert, Language Testing Coordinator, at language-testing@bethel.edu or 651-638-6858.
Option 1 - Completing a class at Bethel
Bethel offers language courses in Spanish, French, German, Mandarin Chinese, American Sign Language, Swedish, Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew, and Latin.
Students majoring in Biblical and Theological Studies who plan to take Biblical Greek or Hebrew to meet Bethel's language requirement may want to consider waiting until their second or third year of study at Bethel.
Students, who wish to take French, German, or Spanish and have had no high school course in this language, must fill out the form at this link before they can register for FRE101, GER101, or SPA101.
Students who have had a high school course in French, German, or Spanish and plan to take a course in the same language at Bethel, must take the language placement exam so that they can be enrolled in the course that is most appropriate for their language abilities. The placement test is available online and must be completed by May 31 by incoming students starting in the fall. Because the placement test evaluates a limited range of language skills and is taken by students in an unsupervised setting, it cannot be used as the Language Skills Test. The final placement will be based on the student's score and previous experience with the language and may not be the same as indicated on the test.
Before taking the placement exam take note of the following:
- Use royals1 for the password.
- You must complete the form about your language experience at the beginning of the test.
- Have your Bethel ID# ready. We cannot process your results without it.
- The test must be completed by May 31, or at least one week prior to registration.
Option 2 - Completing a class at another college or university
You fulfill Bethel University's language requirement if you have taken a second semester first-year or higher language course at another college or university* and earned a grade of C or higher. This may be any language other than English; you are not limited to the languages taught at Bethel.
*Transcripts must be sent to Bethel.
Option 3 - Earning a qualifying score on an advanced placement (AP) exam or CLEP test
You may fulfill Bethel University's language requirement by earning a satisfactory score on an language AP exam or language CLEP test.
Students taking an AP or CLEP test who plan to continue studying the same language should take Bethel's placement exam prior to May 31. The placement test is available online.
Before taking the placement exam take note of the following:
- Use royals1 for the password.
- You must complete the form about your language experience at the beginning of the test.
- Have your Bethel ID# ready. We cannot process your results without it.
- The test must be completed by May 31, or at least one week prior to registration.
Option 4 - Achieving a passing score on Bethel's Language Skills Test (LST)
Choose this option if you DO NOT want to take any language courses at Bethel.
You are eligible to take the LST if you fulfill any one of the following conditions:
- You have completed three or more years of study of one language in high school with a grade of C or higher
- You have significant experience living in a non-English speaking community in the U.S. or abroad in which you communicated regularly in a language other than English
- You are a native-speaker of a language other than English
Passing scores on the Language Skills Test will be provided to the Bethel University registrar who will indicate on the student's academic record that the language requirement has been met through examination. Credits are not granted for completion of the language requirement through the Language Skills Test.
The Language Skills Test in French, German, and Spanish will be offered on the Bethel campus at the following times:
For new students:
- During new student welcome (in April)
- During Welcome Week (in August)
For current students:
- Each semester before registration - October for Spring Registration, April for Fall Registration.
Students wanting to take the Language Skills Test in a language other than French, German, or Spanish should contact the Modern World Languages Department.
Townhouse M2
(651-635-8516)