Credit by Examination
WSU Academic Regulation 15. applies to credit by examination and reads:
Subject to standards established in consultation with academic departments concerned, credit may be granted to entering or enrolled undergraduate students via various means including external examinations, institutional examinations, and approved military service schools. WSU does not accept credit by exam granted by other institutions. Credits by examination shall yield no grade points. Such credits may partially fulfill General Education Requirements for graduation. External examinations will include but not be limited to: Advanced Placement (AP) Program examinations of the College Entrance Examinations Board; general and subject College Level Examination Program (CLEP); and the International Baccalaureate (IB).
The Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures at WSU Vancouver welcomes students with previous knowledge of a foreign language and has established, with the collaboration of the Office of Admissions and the Office of the Registrar, various ways of taking such prior coursework or knowledge of a foreign language into account. Credit for language proficiency from prior study may take one or more of the following forms: High School AP credit, WSUV Departmental AP credit, CLEP exam credit, and challenge exam credit.
High School Advanced Placement (AP) credit
WSU Academic Regulation 15.a. applies to AP credit and reads:
Credit for AP examinations will be granted in an amount equal to the 100-200-level course or courses in the particular discipline tested, as approved by the specific academic department. The acceptable score for receiving credit is published online at http://www.wsu.edu/future-students/admission/advanced-placement.html.
The AP exams, designed and administered by the College Entrance Examination Board, must be taken prior to enrollment in college and require a minimum score for credit to be granted. These scores are listed below for each language area with the equivalent WSU course and number of credits.
| AP Examination | Score | WSU Vancouver Equivalence | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| French Language | 3 | FREN 101 | 4 |
| French Language | 4 | FREN 101 + FORL 100 | 4+1=5 |
| French Language | 5 | FREN 101 + FORL 100 | 4+2=6 |
| French Language | 4 - 5 | FREN 130 | 3 |
| Spanish Language | 3 | SPAN 101 | 4 |
| Spanish Language | 4 | SPAN 101 + FORL 100 | 4+1=5 |
| Spanish Language | 5 | SPAN 101 + FORL 100 | 4+2=6 |
| Spanish Language | 4 - 5 | SPAN 130 or 131 | 3 |
For more information concerning AP exams, call 1-800-CALL4AP or consult www.collegeboard.org/ap.
Departmental Advanced Placement (DAP) credit
Students may earn up to 8 WSU Departmental Advanced Placement Credits (DAP) by placing into their first foreign language course at WSU above 101 AND getting a B or better. Initial course must be first one in that language taken at WSU Vancouver. The DAP credits are not calculated into the student’s GPA and credit is not given automatically; students should contact the department chair in the semester following when the course was taken to process the DAP credits.
For example:
- Take FREN 102 (Second Semester French) & get a B or better --> Earn 4 credits for 102 PLUS 4 AP credits for FREN 101 = 8 credits
- Take SPAN 203 (Third Semester Spanish) & get a B or better --> Earn 4 credits for 203 PLUS 8 AP credits for SPAN 101 & 102 = 12 credits
College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
WSU Academic Regulation 15.b.1. applies to CLEP exams and reads:
(1) Students with university junior standing (60 semester credits or more) are not eligible for credit through CLEP examinations. Contact the Office of Admissions for specifics.
(2) General and Subject Examinations-Credit for CLEP will be granted if the examination is passed with scores established by the department concerned in consultation with the Director of Admission. Credit will be granted for scores at the 50th percentile or above. Credit will be granted for the comparable Washington State University course, or elective credit may be granted. Not more than 6 semester hours of credit will be granted for each examination.
These exams can be taken before or after enrollment at a university (although WSU is not a test center for CLEP) and require a minimum score for credit to be granted. The following course equivalencies have been established for successful completion of the various CLEP tests:
| Examination | Score | WSU Vancouver Equivalence | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| French Level 1 | 50 | FREN 101 | 4 |
| French Level 2 | 52 | FREN 101 + FORL 100 | 4+2=6 |
| Spanish Level 1 | 50 | SPAN 101 | 4 |
| Spanish Level 2 | 54 | SPAN 101 + FORL 100 | 4+2=6 |
For more information concerning CLEP exams, call 1-609-771-7865 or consult www.collegeboard.org/clep.
Challenge Exams
In rare cases, with the consent of the department chair and the instructor of record for a particular course, students may be allowed to challenge one graded language course (up to a maximum of 4 credits) through examination. WSU Academic Regulation 15.c. applies to challenge exams and reads:
Matriculated students currently registered at Washington State University, with permission of their advisor or department chairperson and of the chairperson of the department offering the course, may take challenge examinations for university credit in courses in which they are not registered. Students may not take challenge examinations in courses which they have audited, or in which they have received a final grade. Upper-division students may not receive credit by challenge examination in lower-division courses in their major field. Undergraduate students may not receive credit by challenge examination in any course prerequisite to a course in which they are enrolled or have received a final grade. The maximum credit for challenge examinations is 30 semester hours unless permission is obtained from the student’s academic dean. The fee for all challenge petitions is $409 per course.
The FLC challenge exam approximates a cumulative final exam for the course in question, and will include oral, written, listening and reading comprehension components. A grade of C or better is required for a student to pass from 101 to 102, 102 to 203, and 203 to 204 in all languages. Courses graded S/F (including 105, 205, and 305) may not be challenged.
For more information on advanced placement credit, contact:
