Other Frequently Asked Questions

The College of Liberal Arts (CLA) recognizes and celebrates proficiency in languages other than English, certified through Minnesota Bilingual and Multilingual Seals and World Language Proficiency Certificates. Students who have received a Seal or Certificate are eligible to take CLA's Language Proficiency Exam (LPE) to fulfill the CLA Second Language Requirement, earn an endorsement line on their transcript, and for access to third-year language courses. Students with a Seal or Certificate do not need to take the Entrance Proficiency Test (EPT) unless they need placement into a second-year language course.

In cases where the language being certified with a Seal or Certificate does not have an LPE available, students will be directed to faculty on campus who teach that language for assessment or to an Individual Language Assessment (ILA) for languages not taught on campus.

Successful completion and passing of all sections in the LPE, faculty assessment, or Individual Language Assessment, will fulfill the CLA Second Language Requirement and will allow students to progress into higher level language major coursework.

Tests taken in high school are not designed to place you into University of Minnesota Twin Cities courses, regardless of the score(s).

We administer two internal placement/proficiency tests that you should take to receive course placement: 

• The Entrance Proficiency Test (EPT) places you into a second-year course (second, third, or fourth semester course) in French, German, Hindi, Somali, Spanish and Urdu.
  • Vietnamese is available as a self-assessment and proficiency tool, through the EPT site.
  • For all other languages, visit course placement for languages.
• The Language Proficiency Exam (LPE) for placement into third year courses (3000-level and higher courses). The LPE fulfills the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Second Language Requirement, provides a transcript line endorsing your proficiency, and it also allows you to begin your coursework at the 3000-level if you wish to continue on. 

The AP, AAPPL, CLEP, IB, and STAMP tests are not a replacement for the EPT or LPE. 

The EPT and self-assessment tool can be taken from home. The LPE must be taken on the Twin Cities campus.

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities does not offer any tests for language credit and does not accept any tests for language credit regardless of score, including AP, IB, and CLEP.

However, the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) does offer retroactive credits for prior language learning. After you have passed your first language course at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities with a C- or better, you can apply through your CLA advisor for retroactive credits for the previous courses in the sequence, excluding 1001. There is no charge for retroactive credits.

For example, a student takes the LPE, passes, and begins coursework at the 3000-level. After the student passes the 3000-level course with a C- or better, they can apply through their advisor for retroactive credits for 1002, 1003, and 1004 (3 courses x 5 credits = 15 retroactive credits + credits from the 3000-level course). Retroactive credits are not given for 1001.

The Entrance Proficiency Test (EPT)

Visit the EPT Test Content page to review what is on the placement tests or self-assessment tool for French, German, Hindi, Somali, Spanish, Urdu and Vietnamese.

The Language Proficiency Exam (LPE)

Visit the LPE Test Content page and select your language.

LPE Screening Test

Visit the LPE Screening Test Content page for more information on the French, German and Spanish Screening tests.

The Language Testing Program provides equal opportunities for all students to demonstrate proficiency in a second language, including students whose language is not taught on campus, and students with documented disabilities. Review information and procedures on the Test Accommodations page.

The Entrance Proficiency Test (EPT)

You may take the EPT one time. 

Your EPT results will place you into your first language course at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

The LPE Screening Test

You may attempt the LPE Screening Test multiple times, as long as you have not yet taken and failed the Language Proficiency Exam (LPE). You may attempt the Screening Test only one time per semester. There is a $25 fee for each Screening Test attempt. 

Once you take and fail the LPE, you are ineligible for the Screening Test and instead must complete through 1004 to fulfill your Second Language Requirement. The Screening Test is only for students who have taken or are currently in 1001, 1002, 1022, or 1003 and want to try to test out of the language requirement early prior to taking 1004.

The Language Proficiency Exam (LPE)

You may take the LPE one time, as long as you have never taken a course in the language. Once you take and fail the LPE, you must begin coursework in the language. Course placement requirements and prerequisites apply to all courses, including fourth semester. Visit the Course Placement for Languages to learn more.

Review the complete LPE Eligibility and the LPE Retake Policy for more details.

The Entrance Proficiency Test (EPT) and Language Proficiency Exam (LPE)

There is no charge for the Language Proficiency Exam (LPE) or the Entrance Proficiency Test (EPT).

LPE Screening Test

There is a $25 fee for each attempt at the LPE Screening Test. Your student account will be charged $25 when you register for the test. The Screening Test is purchased from another institution, and the fee is to purchase your individual test. No other costs associated with offering this test at the University of Minnesota are passed on to students. 

Note: There are no refunds for the Screening Test, so be sure that you want to take the test before registering for it.

Please speak with your advisor to see if you are classified as bilingual, a non-native speaker of English, or otherwise.

Yes, please begin the conversation with your College of Liberal Arts (CLA) advisor to discuss options. Some options include:

• Individual Language Assessment (ILA) - A test you can take to fulfill the second language requirement.
• CourseShare - Take courses in a language not offered at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities but are offered in the Big 10 Academic Alliance.

You cannot register for or take any placement or proficiency tests unless you have an active University of Minnesota internet ID and account. Please contact [email protected] for assistance with accessing your University account.

The Certificate of Advanced-Level Proficiency is an option for undergraduate students who are interested in achieving advanced-level proficiency in Chinese, French, German, and Spanish, and having their skills formally recognized. It is open to majors and minors of the respective languages, as well as University of Minnesota undergraduate students from any college studying any discipline.

General requirements for the Advanced Certificate

1. Pass the Language Proficiency Exam (LPE) in the respective language.
2. Pass two upper-level courses taught in the respective language with a C- or better. Options vary with each language.
3. Participate in an intensive language immersion experience. Options vary with each language.
4. Take 4 self-assessments and use your results in the critical reflection essay.
5. Pass the critical reflection essay: Submit a short essay (450–600 words) written in English that is both a self-assessment of your language skills and also explains how you have used your language and cultural understanding skills at the university and beyond.
6. Pass the ACTFL advanced-level exam in the respective language by achieving a rating of Advanced-Low (AL) or higher in all four sections. It is strongly recommended that you do not attempt the ACTFL exam until the self-assessment results indicate that you may have achieved advanced-level proficiency.

If you are interested in getting started, please reach out to the language department above to receive the next steps.