Whether you are an entering freshman, a transfer candidate, a new graduate or certificate student in the department, or a researcher in an affiliated discipline interested in beginning or continuing your study of the ancient languages, proper course placement is essential to your development and progress.

The department has detailed guidelines to help determine the best path to your success, but the basic position on placement can be summarized as follows: no student may enroll in a course above the intermediate level without presenting a test score.

This test score may take the form of an AP exam or an online "freshman Latin test" in the case of incoming Catholic University freshmen who have studied Latin in high school.  For more advanced students, the department administers its own, more extensive online placement exams. All language certificate students and graduate students in the Department of Greek and Latin also take these online placement exams prior to beginning their programs.

Please note that for students beginning courses in the fall semester, all online exams must be completed by July 31. Only exams submitted by that date can be guaranteed for grading and placement in time for the start of classes.

Information for entering freshmen

If you have taken the AP Latin exam and want to use your score for course placement, you will need to submit that score officially to Catholic University.  The freshman Latin test for those beginning at the University in the fall of any given academic year will be administered online during the previous summer upon request to the department.  Detailed information on scores, placement, and other procedures is available in the department's freshman language placement guide.

Please note that the freshman Latin test is not available once the academic year begins: it is designed for those who have not yet started classes at Catholic University.  Freshmen who request testing after fall courses start (or in the spring semester of their freshman year) will be required to take the regular departmental Latin placement exam (which assesses the same skills, but in a different format).

Information for all other students

The placement exams in Latin or in Greek are administered online upon request to the department, and are available to anyone wishing to enroll in our courses.  The departmental advisors will be glad to use these exam results to discuss course planning with you.