Latin Placement

What if I've had Latin before?

Students who have taken Latin in high school may place into intermediate or advanced Latin courses at KU, depending on their background in the language. They may also earn retroactive credit for that prior work, by completing intermediate or advanced courses at KU. See below for details.

How do I know which Latin course to take?

There is no Latin placement exam at KU. Instead, we prefer to place incoming students in the appropriate Latin courses through advising. Some general guidelines we follow for course placement are listed below, but if you're interested in jumping ahead in Latin, please contact one of the following undergraduate advisors to discuss the best Latin course for you:

General guidelines for course placement in Latin:

  • 4 years of high school Latin OR AP exam 5 OR SAT-II above 690: Latin 300 or above (advanced)
  • 3 years of high school Latin OR AP exam 4 OR SAT-II from 640-690: Latin 112/113 (intermediate) or Latin 300 or above (advanced)
  • 2 years of high school Latin OR AP exam 3 OR SAT-II from 530-630: Latin 108/109 (beginning) or Latin 112/113 (intermediate)

It must be stressed, these are general guidelines. Please contact an advisor to find out the best level for you.

Retroactive Credit in Latin

For those students who start out in intermediate or advanced Latin, KU offers retroactive credit for the work done before arriving at KU. Though it is not possible to test entirely out of Latin at KU, using your prior work in the language to satisfy the university's language requirement, it IS possible meet the requirement through a combination of Latin you take at KU and retroactive credit you earn for Latin taken elsewhere. Retroactive credit is assigned according to these guidelines:

  • A student who enrolls initially in LAT 108 or 109 and receives a grade of C or better will earn 3 hours of retroactive credit.

Recommended for students with 1/2 years of high school Latin.

  • A student who enrolls in LAT 112 or 113 and receives a grade of C or better will earn 6 hours of retroactive credit.

Recommended for students with 2/3 years of high school Latin.

  • A student who enrolls in LAT 300 or above and receives a grade of C or better will earn 9 hours of retroactive credit.

Recommended for students with 3/4 years of high school Latin.