Placement Guidelines

There is no placement test for beginning, lower division French courses; students should use the guidelines below to figure out their initial placement.

First-year students and transfer students with no college-level French should consider the following:

Students who have…Place initially in…
0 - 2 years of HS French French 1 
3 years of HS French French 2
4 years of HS French, or AP score of 3 French 3 
AP score of 4 or 5 French 4 


For students who have taken college-level French:

Students who have…Place initially in…
passing grade in 1st semester or 2nd quarter college French French 2
passing grade in FR2 at UCB or 2nd/3rd semester or 3rd/4th quarter college* French French 3 
passing grade in FR3 at UCB or 4th semester or 5th quarter college* French French 4 
passing grade in FR4 at UCB or 3rd year college** French French 102 

*If you are unsure of your ability to take French 3 or 4, contact the Second Year Coordinator, Vesna Rodic.

**Students who have taken 3rd year college French will need to take a placement test to confirm enrollment in French 102. Contact Vesna Rodic.

Other Placement Considerations (click image to expand)

Please note:

  • French 1-4 are not open to heritage and native speakers of French; heritage and native speakers should contact the Undergraduate Major Advisor for upper division placement.
  • In the first week of class, students will be screened for appropriate placement, and instructors may make recommendations for alternate placement.
  • Students unsure about their placement even given the guidelines below should consider attending the first days of class in TWO levels to self-assess for comfort, fluency, and skill.
  • There is no lower division placement exam. However, if you have circumstances in which you believe you would place out of French 4 (i.e. AP of 5 + a year of schooling abroad, two years of schooling in a Francophone country), please contact Vesna Rodic for a placement test.
  • No auditing is permitted in lower division French courses.
  • Attendance is MANDATORY in the first two weeks of all lower division language classes and French 102. Students who do not attend class every day in the first week will be dropped from the class and any coursework not turned in on time during that period will not be counted.
  • If you wish to add a French language course or change into a different section, attend the course even if it is listed as full; there is a lot of movement in the first weeks of class, particularly in language classes. 


Other Lower Division classes taught in French

French 13: This 2-unit, fall and summer term class does not impact movement through lower division courses or impact placement. It is open to any student with a passing grade in French 2 at UC Berkeley or the equivalent and is designed for students to improve their oral fluency. Not open to native speakers.

French 14: This 2-unit spring and summer term class does not impact movement through lower division courses or impact placement. It is open to students with a passing grade in French 3 at UC Berkeley or the equivalent and is designed for students to focus on their oral fluency. Not open to native speakers.

French 35: This spring term only phonetics class does not impact movement through lower division courses or impact placement. It is open to students with a passing grade in French 3 at UC Berkeley or the equivalent and is designed to support students in their proficiency across skills such as listening and reading. Not open to native speakers.

Upper Division French courses

Students MUST complete French 102: Advanced Reading and Writing Workshop in order to take any upper division French class; this is to ensure skills in analysis and a variety of writing styles.

French 102: Advanced Reading and Writing Workshop Open to students with a passing grade French 4 at UC Berkeley. Students who have taken the equivalent of a third-year college-level French course elsewhere may enroll in French 102 but should contact Vesna Rodic, Placement Coordinator, to schedule a 102 placement exam.

Questions? 

See our Frequently Asked Questions regarding Enrollment in French 1-14