Please visit back throughout the summer, as placement exam information will continually be posted.
Chemistry
Online Self-Assessment available from 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, August 26, 2025 through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, August 27, 2025.
Please read this additional information and contact Dr. Vesna Gasperov at vg2231@columbia.edu for access to the exam.
Mathematics
Placement exam TBA
Please review the Columbia Engineering placement guidelines here.
For Columbia College:
For additional questions regarding course placement and equivalencies for Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Ordinary Differential Equations, please contact George Dragomir at gd2572@columbia.edu.
Inquiries regarding higher division courses and questions about the Mathematics majors and concentration may be addressed to the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Julien Dubedat, jd2653@columbia.edu.
Music Humanities
Friday, September 5, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. in Dodge Hall, Room 622
- Part I: Identification of works by composers in the syllabus, based on played excerpts
- Part II: Questions about musical techniques and styles, based on played excerpts from the Middle Ages through the present
- Part III: Short-answer questions on musical terms, concepts, genres, forms, and composers
Physics
Information session and placement exam for Accelerated Physics: Wednesday, August 27, 4:30-6:00 p.m., 301 Pupin
More information on the different levels is available here.
For general questions, please contact Professor Jeremy Dodd at jrd4@columbia.edu.
For specific questions about Accelerated Physics only, please reach out to Professor Yuri Levin at yl3470@columbia.edu.
Foreign Languages
Language placement at Columbia is determined in one of two ways. Students who wish to continue with a language they studied in secondary school MUST either take a Columbia language department placement exam in order to register for a course in that language OR submit results from SAT II Subject Tests or Advanced Placement exams. Students who have demonstrated proficiency in a language via the SAT II or AP should refer to the Academic Planning Guide for New Students for specific course placement information. Students who have not taken an SAT II Subject Test or an AP exam must take a Columbia departmental exam to determine appropriate placement.
Please note that many languages offer a course sequence for heritage speakers. Please visit each department's website for more information.
Language exams will take place during orientation. The information below will be updated regularly throughout Summer 2025. Please continue to check back.
To request an exemption or placement exam in Akkadian, Aramaic, Cantonese, Ancient Egyptian, Filipino, Haitian Kreyol, Irish, or Quechua, please contact Professor Stephane Charitos at sc758@columbia.edu.
To request an exemption or placement exam in Burmese, Cherokee, Khmer, Nepali, Sinhala, Yoruba, or Zulu, please contact Vera Felder at vf2321@columbia.edu.
African Languages
By appointment. Please contact Mariame Sy at sms2168@columbia.edu.
Arabic
Friday, August 29, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Knox Hall, room TBD.
Please contact Taoufik Ben Amor at tb46@columbia.edu to register.
Students may register for the course that they estimate would fit their level, pending the results of the exam.
More information is available here.
Armenian
By appointment. Please contact Charry Karamanoukian at ck2444@columbia.edu.
Catalan
Placement information is available here.
Chinese
Students seeking course placement recommendations should take the Place-In exam.
Student seeking exemption from the foreign language requirement should take the Test-Out exam.
Fall 2025 exams will be held starting August 24, 2025. Information and registration details available here.
Dutch
Please contact Professor Wijnie de Groot at wed23@columbia.edu to arrange a time to take the exam. There will be oral and reading components.
French
The French placement exam will take place online. Students can take the exam at any time but only once. Further information is available here.
Additional information about advanced placement and exemptions is available here.
Questions? Please contact Professor Pascale Hubert-Leibler at ph2028@columbia.edu.
German
The written placement exam is available online and can be completed at any time before September 11, 2025. An oral interview will follow the written exam, and may be scheduled over Zoom or in person.
Email Jutta Schmiers-Heller at js2331@columbia.edu to request access to the online written exam or with any other questions.
Greek (Ancient)
Wednesday, August 27, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Hamilton Hall 616.
Sight exam; no dictionaries or grammatical aids may be used. More information is available here.
Please contact Professor Kakkoufa with any questions at nikolas.kakkoufa@columbia.edu
Greek (Modern)
Wednesday, August 27, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Hamilton Hall 618.
Sight exam; no dictionaries or grammatical aids may be used. More information is available here.
Please contact Professor Kakkoufa with any questions at nikolas.kakkoufa@columbia.edu
Hebrew
Thursday, August 28, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Knox Hall 101 and 103.
Please contact Naama Harel at nh2508@columbia.edu to register.
Hindi-Urdu
Friday, August 29, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Knox Hall 114 and 116. Hindi and Urdu tests are separate.
Please contact Rakesh Ranjan at rr2574@columbia.edu to register. More information is available here.
Italian
The exam can be taken at any time in the weeks prior to registration. Information found here: https://italian.columbia.edu/content/language-placement-exam
For access to the exam, email italian@columbia.edu from your Columbia.edu address.
Japanese
Sign up for the placement exam here. Registration is required by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, August 24, 2025.
The exam will be open from 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 16, until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, August 25, 2025.
More information is available here.
Questions? Please contact Naoko Sourial at nns2111@columbia.edu
Korean
An online, multiple-choice test will be available from Monday, August 11, to Tuesday, August 26, 2025. The writing and speaking portion will take place on Thursday, August 28, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
More information is available here.
Questions? Please contact Professor Joowon Suh at js604@columbia.edu.
Latin
Wednesday, August 27, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Hamilton Hall 616.
Sight exam; no dictionaries or grammatical aids may be used. More information is available here.
Please contact Professor Kakkoufa with any questions at nikolas.kakkoufa@columbia.edu.
Persian
Friday, August 29, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Knox Hall 101.
Please contact Saeed Honarmand at sh3468@columbia.edu to register.
Portuguese
In-person written and oral exam at 201 Casa Hispánica (612 West 116th Street)
Offered twice: 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 27, 2025 and 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 2.
Please make an appointment with João Nemi Neto (jn2395@columbia.edu) to take this exam.
Russian
The written portion of the Fall 2025 Russian placement test must be completed between Thursday, August 14 and Wednesday, August 20. Register online here by Wednesday, August 13.
The oral portion will be held on Wednesday, August 27 and Thursday, August 28, in Hamilton Hall, room 701. Sign up for the oral portion here.
Additional information about the Russian Language Program and placement is available here. Please contact Marina Tsylina at mt3750@columbia.edu with questions.
Sanskrit
By appointment. Please contact Jay Ramesh at jr3203@columbia.edu.
Spanish
Tamil
By appointment. Please contact Jay Ramesh at jr3203@columbia.edu.
Turkish
To schedule an exam, please email Zuleyha Mary Fikret at zc2208@columbia.edu.
Vietnamese
Thursday, August 28, 2025, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., location TBD. The in-person exam includes reading comprehension, a timed writing section, and an oral proficiency interview.
Questions? Please reach out to Chung Nguyen at cn2496@columbia.edu
Yiddish
The exam is available online now until Friday, September 13, 2025. However, it is recommended that students take the exam before the first day of classes. The exam can be accessed here.
Questions? Please reach out to Dr. Agi Legutko at a.legutko@columbia.edu.