Language Placement

Initial Placement

Students who begin Hispanic studies will take HISP 101. Beyond HISP 101, the particular entry point within the sequence of language courses depends upon a student’s background in Spanish and upon the results of a placement test, administered at the beginning of each semester for those beginning HISP 102, HISP 202, HISP 203, and HISP 304.

We require every student with prior knowledge of Spanish and who wants to enroll to take the placement test. An exception is for students who have taken the AP exam and scored a 5.

Placement Exam

Students with prior world language experience, particularly in Spanish, should review our language placement requirements to determine whether you must take a language placement test prior to registering for a language course at Oberlin.

The placement exam is available during online registration.

The Cooper International Learning Center coordinates these tests and offers a range of resources for the study of world languages.

Advanced Placement   

Students qualifying under this program will be assigned advanced standing on the basis of results in the qualifying examinations administered by the College Board and credit will be awarded for HISP 300. A score of 5 on the Spanish language or literature exam—or a score of a 6 or 7 on the Spanish (Advanced) exam of the IB curriculum—automatically receives credit for 1 full academic course as HISP 300.

We encourage these students to consider taking HISP 304 before taking HISP 306, HISP 310, HISP 317, or HISP 318. The HISP 300 course counts toward the total number of academic courses required for the major.