Foreign Language Placement
Placement tests are required for the following languages: Arabic, Armenian, Chinese*, Japanese*, Korean*, Persian*, Russian*, Spanish*, Vietnamese*
Note: Exams marked with an asterisk (*) serve as both placement and exemption exams. If you require exemption testing in any of these languages, you will register for the same exam through our registration portal.
Placement tests are not required for enrollment in lower-division French and German courses. Instead, students may enroll in these language courses based on their years of high school study, where one year of high school French or German is equivalent to one quarter at UCI. Students with college-level coursework in French and German should present their transcript to their academic counselor to determine which course to take.
The table below shows which course to consider based on your years of high school language study:
| High School Background (Years of French or German) |
UCI Course to Enroll In |
| One Year | 1B |
| Two Years | 1C |
| Three Years | 2A |
| Four Years | 2B |
For further information regarding course enrollment in French and German click on the appropriate link below:
Other Placement Options
If you have high scores on related AP or SAT-II tests and plan to continue study in the same language, you may wish to consult with a Humanities counselor to determine which course to take. An AP score of at least a 4 will provide credit through 2C. Students who score at least a 620 on the SAT-II should enroll in 2B or higher; however, no course credit is granted based on SAT-II scores alone.
Physical Science Tests
Placement tests are offered in the following subjects: Calculus, Chemistry, Engineering Chemistry, and Physics
Writing Assessment
Placement tests are offered in the following subjects: Calculus, Chemistry, Engineering Chemistry, and Physics.
Credit by Exam
The ATC administers examinations for credit for ICS 31, 45C, and 45J during Summer Session. Dates for the examinations are posted on our Current Test Dates page.
The examinations will test students’ mastery of the course material for each course. Each examination may be taken only once. After receiving a grade for the examination, the student may accept or reject it. If the student accepts the examination’s result, the grade will be entered on the student’s record.
Students who have already received credit for a course will not receive a grade for an examination in that course.
Please note the ICS examinations are extremely limited. Seats for all examinations will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis. You can only take one exam per session. No exceptions.
Admission to the examination is a two-step process: (1) register online and (2) pay the credit by examination fee. Do not pay the fee unless you have definitely registered for an examination.
$5 fee for each Credit by Exam must be paid at Registration. We are using CampusGroups, search for Academic Testing Center to find the events. Please create an account to register for the test date and to learn more visit the ICS Credit By Exam Information website.