Foreign Language Requirement

Day students seeking a Bachelor of Arts degree must complete successfully six semester hours of a single foreign language. CCG (Nationwide and Online) students may meet this requirement by successfully completing six semester hours of a single foreign language or six semester hours of Culture and Society coursework. A student may also satisfy this requirement as follows:

• By receiving a letter grade of C or higher in eight semesters of a high school foreign language (four semesters with a grade of C or higher will fulfill the first course in the language sequence.); or
• SAT II: Subject Test Foreign Language:
  • Test date before May 1995: score of at least 550;
  • Test date May 1995 or later: score of at least 590;
    or
• Advanced Placement Exam in a foreign language: three hours of foreign language 101 credit with a score of 3; six hours of foreign language 101 and 102 credit with a score of four or higher; or
• A CLEP score equal to or greater than the creditgranting language level 1 score as recommended by the American Council on Education; or
• Graduation from a high school where the native language is not English and one of the following: a minimum TOEFL score of 72 (internet-based); a minimum TOEFL score of 530 (paper-based), a minimum IELTS score of 6, a Duolingo score of 90; or
• Students who have earned either a state Seal of Biliteracy or the Global Seal of Biliteracy are eligible to have their Foreign Language Requirement waived. Students must submit official documentation of their state Seal of Biliteracy or Global Seal of Biliteracy to the Office of the Registrar. Upon verification, the Foreign Language Requirement will be waived in the student’s academic record, and they may proceed without needing to enroll in foreign language courses.  This waiver does not carry credit hours; or
• By completing six semester hours of American Sign Language at an accredited institution of higher education from which Columbia College accepts credit; or
• By completing the equivalent language courses via the Defense Language Institute per the American Council on Education recommendations; or
• By completing the equivalent language courses at an institution of higher education from which Columbia College accepts credit; or
• By completing the equivalent language courses non-traditionally via a program from which Columbia College accepts credit.