Language Deficiency

Incoming Penn State students are expected to have completed at least two years of the same language while in high school. However, if they don't meet this requirement, they aren't necessarily denied admission . Instead, they are admitted and considered language deficient . Whether you are working with a student in their first semester or their seventh semester, it's important that you make sure the student is aware of their language deficiency. If the student doesn't fulfill this requirement during or prior to their last semester, their graduation will be delayed. If a student is language deficient, they must take one course in the language of their choosing, regardless of their major. (If a student's major already has a language requirement, they do not need to take an additional course on top of their major requirement to satisfy the language deficiency.) Advisers can utilize the student's degree audit to determine if the student is language deficient. If the student is in pre-major status, you can utilize the "What-If Report" in LionPATH. If the student has already declared their major, you can utilize the "Academic Requirements" in LionPATH. If a student is language deficient, their World Language Admission Requirement will look like this in the degree audit:

The triangle pointing down indicates that the student has not satisfied that graduation requirement. It explains what the student needs to do in order to fulfill that requirement. If the student is NOT language deficient, their World Language Admission Requirement will look like this:

The triangle pointing to the right indicates that the student has fulfilled that requirement. It is the student's decision as to when they take their language course, but it's beneficial if advisers encourage students to fulfill that requirement sooner rather than later. If you speak with a student about their language deficiency, be sure to document the conversation in the student's Starfish profile.

Upcoming Events Join the DUS advisers and Lauri Enterline, Career Counselor, for the next Faculty Adviser Professional Development Series workshop. Academic advisers are positioned to have authentic conversations and engage students to seek opportunities to increase their career understanding and professional attributes. This session will focus on practical resources in career exploration/planning. There will be two sessions: Tuesday, February 26 from 2:30-3:30pm in Reed 114 Wednesday, February 27 from 1:30-2:30pm in Burke 236 Sign Up Here!

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