Student Affairs
College Transfer Center
Transfer Resources

There are many resources available to you for planning your transfer to a 4-year college or university. Explore the foreign language requirements, university websites, and transfer equivalency guides, or review the questions asked most often by transfer students.
Transfer Equivalency Guides
Transfer equivalency guides can help you transfer more effectively.
- Bastyr University
- Eastern Washington University
- Evergreen State College
- University of Washington
- University of Washington Planning Worksheet
- Washington State University
- Western Washington University
- Central Washington University
- Seattle Pacific University
- Seattle University
- Pacific Lutheran University
- University of Puget Sound
Foreign Language Requirements
This information is designed to be a guideline for you. Please refer to the institution's catalog or contact individual institutions for specific information. Transfer equivalency guides can help you transfer more effectively.
Central Washington University
Entrance: Students with fewer than 40 credits must complete the foreign language requirement which is satisfied by one year of a single foreign language at the college-level (through 123) or two years of a single foreign language at the high school. Students with 40 credits or more or an AA/AS (DTA) are not held to the foreign language requirement for admissions.
Graduation: All students seeking the Bachelor of Arts Degree must complete one year (through 123) of college-level foreign language prior to graduation from CWU. Students who transfer to CWU with a DTA and pursue a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachelor of Arts in Education degrees do not have to meet the foreign language requirement.
Eastern Washington University
Entrance: Transfer students with 40 college credits or more at time of matriculation do not need to meet the foreign language requirement as an entrance requirement. Transfer students with fewer than 40 college credits at the time of matriculation must meet the same foreign language requirement that pertain to high school students (either 2 years in high school or one year in college/through 123).
Graduation: Foreign language is an exit requirement for all Bachelor of Arts degrees except: BA Business, BA Education and BFA (Bachelors of Fine Arts). Foreign language is not a requirement for any BS degree.
The Evergreen State College
Transfer students who have completed the AA/AS are not required to take any foreign language. If they are transferring with fewer than 40 transferable credits, however, they must have completed 2 years of foreign language in high school (or through 122 at college-level).
Pacific Lutheran University
Entrance: Two years of one foreign language in high school, with an average grade of C or higher, or one year at the college level (through 123), or demonstrated equivalent proficiency. Students who have not satisfied this requirement may still be admitted to the university but they may not graduate without completing the foreign language requirements as an additional degree requirement.
Graduation: In addition to meeting the entrance requirement in foreign language students in the College of Arts and Sciences must meet additional foreign language requirements. Please contact advisor for requirements.
Seattle Pacific University
Students must have three years of a single foreign language in high school or a full year in college (through 123) will be required for graduation. Students who enter SPU with an AA do not need to satisfy the foreign language requirement.
Seattle University
Entrance: Transfer students with 45 college credits (or more) do not need to meet the foreign language requirement as an entrance requirement. Transfer students with fewer than 45 college credits must have two years of high school foreign language or 2 college quarters (must be the same foreign language).
Graduation: The College of Arts and Sciences requires one-year proficiency or foreign language through 123 in order to graduate.
University of Puget Sound
Entrance: No foreign language requirement for admissions
Graduation: For graduation from Puget Sound, a student must satisfy the Foreign Language Graduation Requirement by at least one of the following:
- Successfully completing two semesters of a foreign language at the 121-123 college level, or one semester of a foreign language at the 200 level or above (Courses taken pass/fail will not fulfill the Foreign Language Graduation Requirement.);
- Passing a Puget Sound-approved foreign language proficiency exam at the third-year high school or first-year college level;
- Receiving a score of 4 or 5 on an Advanced Placement foreign language exam or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on an International Baccalaureate Higher Level foreign language exam;
- Qualifying for a waiver on the grounds of a documented learning disability that affects the ability to process language.
University of Washington (Seattle)
Entrance: Minimum Admission Requirement: Two years of a single foreign language in high school or two quarters in college.
Recommended for Transfer: For Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Social Work, a third quarter of college-level (123 w/ a 2.0) foreign language.
Graduation: For Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Social Work, students need to show additional proficiency in foreign language to graduate. Please review the following options:
- Complete the third quarter of college course work in a foreign language with a grade of 2.0 or higher at the UW
- Transfer college course work, with a grade of 2.0 or higher, equivalent to the third quarter of foreign language at the UW
- Pass a UW placement test that qualifies for entrance into the fourth quarter (or higher) of a UW foreign language course
- Pass a UW proficiency test in a foreign language
- Meet the UW definition of a native speaker of a language other than English
- Complete the third high school-level year of a foreign language
- The Colleges of Architecture, Business Administration, Engineering, Forest Resources, Nursing, Fisheries, Sciences, and Public Health do not require a third year.
University of Washington (Tacoma)
Entrance: Two years of a single foreign language in high school or two quarters in college. With the exception of students planning to transfer into International Business; Students may be deficient in this requirement and still be admitted to the university. However, they must fulfill the foreign language requirement prior to graduation. Applicants for the International Business Option must take 10 credits of foreign language or have had 2 years of foreign language in high school prior to admission.
Graduation: For the International Business Concentration within Business Administration, a third quarter of college-level (103) foreign language is required otherwise no further foreign language is required.
Washington State University
Entrance: Freshman and transfers with fewer than 40 quarter or 27 semester hours must have two years of a single foreign language in high school or one full year (through 103) in college. Students transferring with more than 40 quarter credits or the AA do not have to meet this requirement.
Graduation: For programs in the College of Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts, students must meet the stated graduation requirement regardless of freshman or transfer status. The Colleges of Engineering, Architecture, Business and Economics (except international business), Nursing and Pharmacy do not require a foreign language as a graduation requirement.
Western Washington University
Entrance: Freshman and Running Start applicants, including applicants that will complete their AA degree, must have two years of a single world language in high school or two quarters in college. Freshman and Running start applicants will need to submit a high school transcript and ACT or SAT scores for purposes of admissions. Transfer students applying with 45 or more transferable credits do not need to meet this world language requirement.
Graduation: Foreign language is not required for graduation.
University Websites
- Antioch
- The Art Institute of Seattle
- Bastyr University
- Central Washington University
- City University
- Cornish College of the Arts
- DeVry University
- Eastern Washington University
- The Evergreen State College
- Gonzaga University
- Northwest University
- Pacific Lutheran University
- Saint Martin's College
- Seattle Pacific University
- Seattle University
- University of Phoenix (Washington campus)
- University of Puget Sound
- University of Washington
- University of Washington, Bothell
- University of Washington, Tacoma
- Walla Walla University
- Washington State University
- Washington State University (Vancouver Campus)
- Western Washington University
- Whitman College
- Whitworth College
FAQ
Important information for any transfer student, the Transfer Student FAQ provides useful information about issues specific to students seeking to transfer to a 4-year college or university.
Transfer Student FAQs [PDF]