Qualifications and Application

Language Proficiency Testing

Applicants who receive email notification that they are qualified to continue with the application process must participate in proficiency testing for both English and the native language.

Testing in English

The English language assessments cover listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

• Listening and reading skills are assessed using tests developed by the Defense Language Institute for U.S. government personnel. These are multiple-choice answer tests. The listening test is 65 minutes long, and the reading test is 2 hours long.
• Writing skills are assessed using an essay test developed by the Center for Applied Linguistics and the EHLS partner universities. The test is scored with a rubric developed by the Defense Language Institute for U.S. government personnel. The writing test takes an hour and a half.
• Speaking skills will are assessed using an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI). This interview is conducted on the telephone. It takes about 30 minutes.

Applicants must receive a score of 2 or 2+ on the ILR scale on all four English language skills in order to be qualified for admission to the EHLS program.

Testing in the Heritage Language

The heritage language assessment covers speaking only. The assessment is an Oral Proficiency Interview conducted on the telephone. The assessment takes about 30 minutes.

Applicants must receive a score of 3 or better on the ILR scale on the heritage language OPI in order to be qualified for admission to the EHLS program.

Dates for Language Proficiency Testing

Dates for language proficiency testing for the 2011 admission cycle will be posted in the summer of 2010.