How Can Students Earn College Credit for Languages Beyond AP®?

Students can now earn recognition and potentially college credit for many languages that are not offered through Advanced Placement (AP®) exams. For students who speak, study, or use languages that have historically had fewer formal academic pathways, this opens an important door.

Through a collaboration between Avant Language and College Board, schools can use Avant proficiency assessments, which are recommended for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE), to recognize student proficiency in more than 150 languages. These include widely spoken community and heritage languages such as Arabic, Korean, Vietnamese, Polish, Hebrew, American Sign Language (ASL), and many others.

Many students bring valuable language skills to school that are not always reflected in traditional course catalogs or exam options. Proficiency-based assessment gives schools a way to recognize those skills, connect them to academic opportunity, and support broader goals such as Seal of Biliteracy attainment, college placement, and potential college credit.

Can students get college credit for languages not offered by AP®?

Yes. Students can earn college credit for languages outside the AP® portfolio by demonstrating proficiency on assessments that are recommended for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE). A collaboration between Avant Language and AP® helps schools recognize these skills and connect them to credit and advanced coursework. In fact, College Board’s AP program itself directs institutions seeking to assess languages it does not offer to Avant’s ACE-recommended assessments.

Avant assessments are available in more than 150 languages and measure proficiency up to the Advanced-High level, so students can demonstrate the real-world communication skills that align with upper-division college courses. Final credit decisions are made by each college or university.

What languages qualify for college credit outside AP®?

Avant offers ACE-recommended assessments in more than 150 languages, which makes it possible to pursue recognition, credit, or placement in many languages that rarely appear in traditional credit pathways.

These include widely spoken community and heritage languages such as Arabic, Korean, Vietnamese, Polish, Hebrew, ASL, and many others. Because the assessments measure what students can actually do with a language, they allow students to show proficiency in languages that AP® does not test.

For many students, this can be especially meaningful. A student who grew up speaking a language at home, attending a community language program, or learning through family and cultural experiences may have strong proficiency without having access to an AP® course or exam in that language. Proficiency-based assessment gives schools a way to recognize that learning.

Can students earn college credit for Arabic, Korean, Vietnamese, Polish, Hebrew, ASL, or other languages?

Yes. With ACE-recommended assessments available in more than 150 languages, students can pursue college credit or placement for languages including Arabic, Korean, Vietnamese, Polish, Hebrew, and American Sign Language (ASL), depending on each institution’s credit policy.

Avant’s assessment lineup, which includes STAMP, Arabic Proficiency Test, and SuperLanguage, covers commonly and less commonly tested languages alike. Students earn recognition by demonstrating proficiency through an assessment offered at their school or district.

This is especially important for districts serving multilingual communities. Students may already have meaningful proficiency in languages that are spoken at home, in their community, or across generations. Schools can use proficiency assessment to turn those skills into recognized academic assets.

Does Avant STAMP count for college credit?

Yes. Avant STAMP, along with the Arabic Proficiency Test (APT) and SuperLanguage, has been reviewed by the American Council on Education (ACE) and is recommended for college credit.

ACE’s College Credit Recommendation Service evaluates standardized assessments and nontraditional learning experiences to determine whether they meet college-level learning standards. Colleges and universities across the United States use these recommendations when deciding whether to award credit or course placement.

Students who demonstrate sufficient proficiency can earn recognition for what they already know and may be able to begin language study at the appropriate level instead of repeating introductory courses.

How can heritage language speakers earn college credit?

Heritage and community language speakers can pursue college credit by demonstrating their proficiency on an ACE-recommended Avant assessments through their school or district, even if they developed the language at home rather than in a classroom.

In many districts, students speak languages that have historically lacked formal assessment pathways. Proficiency-based assessment recognizes these skills and connects them to academic opportunities, including Seal of Biliteracy pathways, college placement, and potential college credit.

This connection is important because many districts working to expand college credit opportunities are also focused on expanding Seal of Biliteracy access. When assessments are available across a wider range of languages, schools can recognize more students for the language skills they already have and create clearer pathways from high school recognition to college opportunity.

Because Avant assessments are offered through schools and districts rather than sold to individuals, students typically access testing by contacting their school or district testing coordinator.

What if AP doesn’t offer the language I need?

The main alternative to AP language exams for earning college credit is an ACE-recommended proficiency assessment such as Avant STAMP, APT, or SuperLanguage, which can be used for languages outside the AP portfolio.

Avant assessments expand upon AP’s offerings:

Students who reach higher proficiency levels may also qualify for the Global Seal of Biliteracy, an internationally awarded, test-agnostic credential that certifies real-world language skills and can be shared through digital credential profiles and LinkedIn. Both AP and Avant assessments qualify for this certification.

How does demonstrating proficiency help students in college?

When students demonstrate proficiency before college, they can often skip introductory courses and enroll directly in higher-level classes, which helps them complete a language major or minor more quickly.

At the University of Texas at Arlington, the Department of Modern Languages uses Avant proficiency testing to place students and award credit for lower-division language classes. Students who demonstrate sufficient proficiency can receive up to 14 college credit hours and begin their studies in advanced courses. This kind of articulated pathway benefits students, who gain recognition for their skills, and universities, which strengthen enrollment in upper-level courses and build sustainable language programs.

Why does this matter for schools and districts?

For K-12 leaders, the ability to assess proficiency across a wide range of languages supports more equitable recognition of students’ linguistic abilities and creates clearer bridges to college credit.

Many students have language skills that were developed at home, in community settings, through dual language programs, or through less commonly taught language courses. When schools have a way to measure those skills, they can help students turn proficiency into recognition, credentials, placement, and potential credit.

Schools and districts can:

• Expand Seal of Biliteracy pathways across more languages
• Support heritage speakers and community language learners
• Recognize languages that have historically had limited formal testing options
• Provide evidence of proficiency for college placement and potential credit
• Create clearer bridges between high school and university language programs
• Help students see their multilingualism as an academic and career asset

The collaboration with College Board’s AP® marks an important step toward recognizing the full range of language learning in today’s classrooms. It also helps ensure that students’ skills, whether developed at school, at home, or in their communities, can open doors to future academic and professional opportunities.

Explore how Avant and AP® are expanding college credit across more than 150 languages.