Language Placement and Proficiency Test Information

Language Placement Tests

Please contact the department regarding your language placement tests (for languages other than Russian).

Russian Language Placement Tests

Students who would like to attend Russian language courses in the academic year 2024–25 can register for a Russian language placement test.
 

• Russian Course Enrollment Information
  • A student may enroll into SLA100 without any placement test / a permission of an instructor if (1) a student did not study Russian before outside of the University of Toronto, (2) is not a heritage, or (3) is not a native speaker of Russian.
  • A student may enroll into SLA 101, 220, 320, 321, 322 or 420 without a permission of the instructor / a placement test if a student took Russian language courses consecutively in our department (SEELC) prior to enrolling in the current course. All students who have studied Russian outside the University of Toronto must take a language placement test prior to enrolling into a current Russian language course. Contact Prof. J. Mikhailova, Russian Language Programme Coordinator (julia.mikhailova@utoronto.ca) to schedule a test.
  • Heritage speakers of Russian are allowed to enroll into a Russian language course (SLA 210, 410 or 430) only by special permission from the Russian language program coordinator, Prof. Mikhailova (julia.mikhailova@utoronto.ca). Please contact Prof. Mikhailova to schedule a placement test. Heritage speakers may enroll into any Russian literature and culture course, and any Russian language and literature POST (if necessary, language requirement will be replaced with the equivalent number of literature and culture FCEs in consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator).
  • Native speakers of Russian are not allowed to enroll into any Russian language course. Native speakers may enroll into any Russian literature and culture course. If native speakers wish to receive a degree of major, minor or specialist from the SEELC, they should consult with the Undergraduate Coordinator to choose courses for the elected programme).
  • Who are native and heritage speakers of Russian?
    • For academic purposes, the Department considers a student to be a native speaker of Russian if they meets one of the following criteria:
      • The student left Russia at the age of 10 or later.
      • The student lived in a Russian-speaking country (any former Soviet republic) before the age of 10 and did elementary schooling in Russian.
      • The student lived in a Russian-speaking country (any former Soviet republic), did elementary schooling in a language other than Russian, but learned Russian at school.
      • The student was born lived in any former Soviet republic, did elementary schooling in a language other than Russian, but also lived or studied in Russia.
    • For academic purposes, the Department considers a student to be a heritage speaker of Russian if s/he meets one of the following criteria:
      • The student left Russia before the age of 10.
      • The student lived in a Russian-speaking country (any former Soviet republic) before the age of 10 but did elementary schooling in a language other than Russian.
      • The student was born and/or grew up outside of a Russian-speaking country but speaks some Russian at home.

  • Heritage and native speakers of Russian who enroll in a Russian language course and fail to identify themselves to the Department engage in cheating and will be treated in accordancee with the university policy on academic misconduct. It is the responsibility of individual students to furnish documentation proving their native- or heritage-speaker status. In the absence of such documentation, the Department reserves the right to deny enrolment into Russian language courses.