- German Studies
- Scandinavian Studies
- Dutch Studies
- Yiddish Studies
- Language Clubs
- Scholarships, Awards, and Prizes
- Internships & Study Abroad
- Max Kade German Residence
- Placement Exams
- Policies
- Independent Study Policy
- Careers in Germanic Studies
- Germanic Faculty to Lunch Program
- Transfer Credit
- Accelerated MA Program in Transcultural Studies
- Fall 2025 Course Offerings
- Graduation
The Germanic department offers placement exams for the following languages:
For languages not taught at the University of Michigan, please visit the following website. Complete the "Request for Evaluation of Language not Taught at the University of Michigan," and a representative from the Language Learning Center will be in touch with you within a week. This process should only be followed if you are an LSA and/or CSP student. If you are registered through another college, please contact academic.standards@umich.edu.
New & Returning Students
Placement exams are for students who are planning to further their language study or want to test out of the language requirement. If you previously studied one of the languages below and wish to continue studying that same language at U-M Ann Arbor, you MUST take a placement exam prior to enrolling in one of our language courses.
Placement exam results are valid for one year. Students who do not enroll in the language course appropriate to their placement within one year of their test date are required to retake the placement test.
New Language Learners
If you have no prior knowledge of the target language, you do not need to take the placement exam; you are eligible to directly enroll in the first term of the first-year language course: Dutch 111/511, German 101, or Scand 103. Please note that for Dutch and Swedish, the first term of our first-year language courses is offered only in the fall term.
Taking a Placement Exam
Dutch Placement Exams
German Placement Exams
Swedish Placement Exams
Non U-M Students
Students who are not enrolled at the University of Michigan will be charged a fee to take a placement exam.