Foreign Language Entry Requirement Guidelines for High School Counselors

Ideally, all freshman applicants to the state university system will complete two full years of a foreign language as part of the minimum admission requirements. These two years must be completed in grades 9-12; however, one year of foreign language taken in grade 8 can also be considered for the requirement. It is important that if the first year of the language was completed in grade 8 that the student submit a transcript verifying that unit as being completed.

Florida state statute also allows for an alternative method for students to demonstrate foreign language competency in French, Spanish or German by means of CLEP (College Level Examination Program). Another advantage to CLEP is that the student will also receive college credit, providing the score is high enough. These exams are taken by computer, and students can register for them at USF by calling the Office of Evaluation and Testing at 813-974-4034.

Students may also complete the foreign language requirement through dual enrollment in a community college. The student must complete 8-10 semester credits of the same language to be equivalent to two years in high school.

For students who come from a country where English is not the native language, USF offers three additional alternatives to meeting the foreign language requirement.

• High school students who come from a country where English is not the native language may be required to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), especially if the student has completed part of their secondary education in a non-English speaking country. Submission of a TOEFL score will waive the foreign language entry requirement. USF offers the TOEFL exam by compter every weekday and some Saturdays. For more information, students can call the Office of Evaluation and Testing at 813-974-7501. The requirement for a TOEFL score may be waived by submission of a verbal SAT of 440 or higher or ACT English score of 17 or above.
• Students who have been in a US high school for all four years, and who have taken a minimum of two years of ESOL instruction, and who meet all other requirements, may be considered for admission.
• Students who transfer to a US high school from another country, and who studied for at least two years with coursework in that country's language, may submit a copy of that transcript.
• Bright Futures Foreign Language Waiver: if the student receives a Bright Futures Foreign Language waiver from the high school (and the transcript reflects the course number 0791920), the waiver will not fulfill the foreign language unit requirement. These courses are received as electives with no grade. However, since the Bright Futures Foreign Language waiver is granted to students who meet the language requirements through alternative means, USF will consider that student to have met the foreign language unit requirement.

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