To ensure that undergraduate students are exposed to a range of ideas and disciplines during their time at Yale, Yale College requires them to fulfill a variety of distributional requirements, which must be met by certain milestone points. As knowledge of more than one language and familiarity with more than one culture will become increasingly important in the world of the twenty-first century for professionals in every field, the distributional requirements include foreign language study.

Yale College has created a requirement designed to ensure that all students improve their proficiency in at least one foreign language. Exactly how many courses you have to take to fulfill the requirement will depend on your language experience prior to entering Yale, but for every student, some language study is necessary. The requirement is rich with opportunity and flexibility, encouraging study abroad, special summer courses, and advanced-level opportunities that tie language and culture directly to major fields of study like medicine, politics, and art.

Further Information

Read the official text of the Foreign Language Requirement

View a flow chart summarizing common paths to fulfilling the requirement
(Do not allow this simplified chart to constrain you from exploring alternatives afforded by the requirement. For information on your own situation, take a look at the Info Sheets below.)

Info Sheets by Placement Test Score

Questions & Answers

Have more questions? Get expert advice.

Extra Credit Reading: Why Fulfilling the Foreign Language Requirement Isn't Enough

Back to the Undergraduate Guide Home Page.