Placement Procedure

  • In order to enroll in an Arabic language course, students who do NOT meet the exemption criteria below must take the placement test: 

You have a high school or college diploma from a country where Arabic is the official language.  This means you are coded as an International Student by the Office of the Registrar, and you do NOT want to enroll in a UK Arabic course.

Native speakers are ineligible to enroll in UK Arabic language courses at the 100-200 level or in Arabic conversation classes. If you are not coded as an International Student by the Registrar’s Office and believe you should be, please contact the Registrar at 859-257-3161.

  • To determine your language placement, please contact the professor listed below using the following guidelines:

  • Contact Prof. Aiyub Palmer (aiyub.palmer@uky.edu). Be sure to use your official UK email address, and include your student number in the message.

  • In your message, specify what your experience with the language is:

    • Have you studied it formally in school? If so, for how many years? What are the topics you most recently covered in class?

    • Have you spoken the language at home with your family or friends? If so, do you also write and read the language? How often do you speak the language?

    • Have you lived in a country where the language is spoken? For how long?

    • Are you a native speaker of Arabic who graduated from a U.S. high school and would like to place out of the foreign language requirement or take an Arabic course (i.e. AIS 301, 302, 311, 312, 442, 443)?

Placement is an assessment of a student's level of preparation within a given language. The purpose of the placement test is to help students enroll in a language course in which they have the appropriate skills and are most likely to improve their knowledge of the Arabic language. Please note that the placement test does NOT grant credit hours or grades and cannot be used to replace failing grades in any previously completed course. The placement test simply determines one’s proficiency level. In order to enroll in an Arabic language course, students who do NOT meet the exemption criteria below must take the placement test. The test will be administrated only at the assigned time and day specified below. No make-up tests will be given. Although they will not be officially enrolled, all students waiting for placement are required to attend all class meetings of their anticipated placement level Arabic course the first week of classes in order not to fall behind.

Who should take the placement test?   You must take the test if any of the following applies:

  • You know some Arabic (e.g. you studied Arabic previously, or Arabic was spoken in your family, or you can read and write some Arabic) and wish to take a UK Arabic course OR want to be placed out of the language requirement at UK.
  • You participated in an Arabic Language Study Abroad Program with the UK Education Abroad Office and wish to take a UK Arabic course when you return.
  • You participated in an education abroad program with institutions other than the UK Education Abroad Office. You must take the test if you wish to take a UK Arabic course when you return.
  • You are a native speaker of Arabic who graduated from a U.S. high school and would like to place out of the foreign language requirement.

What if I want academic credit hours for my Arabic knowledge?

You do not need to take the placement test. You should take special department exams for credit. Please note that elementary and intermediate Arabic credit (AIS 101-202) is not available on the basis of a special examination. Credit is only provided for AIS311 and AIS312. Arabic native speakers may NOT take the special examination for Arabic language credit. 

Test Scores:

Upon completion of the exam, Prof. Palmer will forward the scores to the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Department Manager Taylor Kincaid, who will provide the necessary overrides for registration, and submit the score into SAP by the following business day. Scores are available in MyUK on the student's unofficial transcript the following business day after taking the placement test. Students who have taken AP Arabic in high school must meet with Prof. Palmer to be placed in the appropriate Arabic course. 



Is there a fee for the test?

No fee is required if you are a UK student.



How should I prepare for the test?

The best way to prepare is to review what you have been taught.



When will the test results be available?

Scores are available in MyUK on the student’s unofficial transcript the following business day after taking the placement test.

You are subject to the university honor code when taking this test. It is important that you DO YOUR BEST on this exam. If it becomes evident later that you have intentionally done poorly on the test in order to place at a level lower than your actual level, you may face disciplinary actions for violating the Integrity Pledge.



I have taken the placement test before. How long is the test result valid?



The test result is valid only for one semester. If you do not enroll in the Arabic class the semester you take the placement test, you must take the placement test again if you decide to enroll in a future Arabic language class.