In order to enroll in a German language course, students who do NOT meet the exemption criteria below must take the placement test.

Who should follow the placement procedure?

You should be placed into a German class if any of the following applies:

• You know some German (e.g. you studied German previously, or German was spoken in your family, or you can read and write some German) and wish to take a UK German course OR want to be placed out of the language requirement at UK.

• You participated in a German Language Study Abroad Program.   

• You are a heritage speaker of German, attended K-12 in the United States, and would like to place out of the foreign language requirement of a given college at the University of Kentucky.

Who should NOT follow the placement procedure?

You do NOT need to be placed into a German class if any of the following applies:

• You do not know any German and wish to take an elementary German course (i.e., GER 101).

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

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

 

How does placement work? 

We place based on the number of years you have studied German and any extenuating circumstances, like immersion programs abroad, frequent use of German with your family or friends, etc. We use this chart but may need to to move students up or down based on proficiency as the individual situation requires. If you attend class the first day and feel like your level does not match the course, let your instructor or Prof. Brenna Byrd (brennabyrd@uky.edu) know immediately so we can find a better fit before you fall behind. Keep in mind, though, that you should expect most of the class to be conducted entirely in German from the beginning, even in GER 101. It is important to note that placing into a certain course does not award credit for previous courses.

AP Credit (Student will place into the course following the final course listed below; if credit is awarded for 202 or a higher-level course, language requirement is completed):

• 3: GER 201
• 4: GER 201, 202
• 5: GER 201, 202, 307

If after reading the above, you still have any questions about placement, please contact Prof. Brenna Byrd brennabyrd@uky.edu.