Placement Guidelines for French Language

French 01: If you have never taken French before, sign up for FRE 01.  If you have successfully completed the second or third year of French in the tenth or higher grade in high school, you may receive unit credit for FRE 01 when taken at UC Davis, but the grading mode will be P/NP only.  The registrar will automatically make the change when grades are submitted.  Course is not open to native or heritage speakers of French.

French 02: Sign up for FRE 02 if you have a passing grade in FRE 01 or in a first-quarter or first-semester college French course, or one or two years of high school French.  Course not open to native or heritage speakers of French.

French 03: Sign up for FRE 03 if you have a passing grade in FRE 02 at UC Davis, two quarters or one semester of college level French, or three years of high school French.  New students who have taken second-quarter college French courses elsewhere or received an AP score of 3, may also enroll in French 03; they will be screened for appropriate placement during the first week of classes. Course not open to native or heritage speakers of French. If you are unsure of your ability to take this course, contact the language coordinator, Professor Julia Simon.

French 21: Open to students with a passing grade in FRE 03 at UC Davis. New students who have taken two semesters or three quarters of college French courses elsewhere or received an AP score of 4 or 5, should also enroll in FRE 21. They will be screened for appropriate placement during the first week of classes. Students who have spoken French or lived in a French environment should consult with the language coordinator, Professor Julia Simon.

French 22: Open to students with a passing grade in FRE 21 at UC Davis, four years of high school French, or three semesters or four quarters of college level French. Students with native fluency may not be eligible to enroll in this course.

French 23: Open to students with a passing grade in FRE 22 at UC Davis, five or six years of high school French, or three semesters or five quarters of college level French. Students with native fluency may not be eligible to enroll in this course.

French 100: Open to students with a passing grade in FRE 23 at UC Davis, six years of high school French, or six quarters or four semesters of college level French, or the equivalent.  This course is a requirement for the French major. If you are uncertain about placement, please consult the language coordinator, Professor Julia Simon.

Placement Exam:

If you are still uncertain about which level of French to begin with, you may also take a placement exam at the Davis Language Center (DLC) located in the basement of Olson Hall, although this is not required. For more information, including the phone number and information on scheduling the exam, consult this web site: http://llc.ucdavis.edu/foreign-language-placement-exams

The exams are taken on a computer and the results are given to you after you finish. If you have any questions about your placement after you have taken this exam, please contact the language coordinator for French, Professor Julia Simon. This is exam should not be taken by heritage speakers (see below).

**Students with significant exposure to French (heritage speakers/learners) including schooling in a francophone country, francophone parent(s) or attendance at a lycée français: Please see Professor Simon for assessment and placement.

Language Proficiency Requirement:

If you require a foreign language placement or proficiency exam in order to satisfy a College language requirement, you may take the placement exam above or request to take the final exam for FRE 03. Please contact the language coordinator, Professor Julia Simon, to schedule a FRE 03 exam.