Foreign Language Credits 101: How to Earn Credits for College
Would you like to have foreign language credits on your high school transcript?
Have you ever thought about a foreign language you would like to learn?
If your answer to those questions was yes and yes, keep reading to know how foreign language credits increase your chances of getting into college.
You will learn about how many credits you need, which foreign languages are the most popular among high school students, and where you can get your foreign language credits.
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Why Do Foreign Language Credits Increase Your Chances to Get Into College?
Getting foreign language credits in high school improves the quality of your transcript.
It also increases the chances that a university you’re interested in enrolling in accepts your college application.
Remember that when universities look at your high school transcript, “they want to see that you have chosen the most challenging coursework possible.”
There’s a reason that colleges want to attract the best possible students, and having foreign language credits in your transcript is a good sign that you’re one of them.
Furthermore, with universities becoming increasingly globalized, many have “academic centers and exchange partnerships in other countries.”
If, for example, a university has ties with Latin America, a student with credits in Spanish may be more attractive than one without them.
How Many Credits Do You Need?
Obviously, the answer to this question depends significantly on the university you want to apply to.
However, a competitive college generally requires “2 to 4 years of foreign language classes at the high school level”.
That means you need to study at least two full years of a foreign language to be considered for that college.
But if you really want to increase your chances of being accepted, you should have 3 or 4 units or foreign language credits, which means 3 or 4 years of studying a foreign language.
For specific information about the foreign language credits required and recommended by the university, take a look at this useful chart.
Which Foreign Language Should You Study?
This is a difficult question to answer, and it depends a lot on your specific situation and your plans for the future.
In general, Spanish is one of the main foreign languages you can focus on due to the significant number of Spanish-speaking people in the U.S. and its closeness to Latin America.
After Spanish, different sources will mention different languages, but the most common ones may be Mandarin (Chinese), French, and maybe German, and Arabic.
Again, it all depends on what you want and what is your specific personal situation, but from an American context, these 5 languages seem to be a good bet.
Let’s explore the first three a little bit deeper.
Spanish
Well, if you haven’t heard, Spanish is actually the language with the second most native speakers in the world (just after Mandarin) and before English.
Impressive, right?
Moreover, there are over 50 million Spanish speakers in the U.S., which is 17% of the American population.
If you still need more reasons to choose Spanish for your foreign language credits, I strongly recommend reading 15 Impressive Reasons to Learn Spanish.
Mandarin
Mandarin Chinese isn’t only the language with the most native speakers but also the language with the second most total speakers (just after English) with over 1.1 billion.
It isn’t only about the number of speakers.
We must also mention the economic and geopolitical importance that China is acquiring in the 21st century, which makes Mandarin a very intriguing option to learn.
French
French has always been a traditional choice for high school students interested in getting foreign language school credits.
French is also one of the most spoken languages in the world (5th), and it’s one of the languages spoken in Canada, which is obviously an important thing to consider.
Where Can You Get Your Foreign Language High School Credits?
In order to get your foreign language credits, there are a few different options you can consider. The main, and most obvious is to study a foreign language at high school.
Nevertheless, some students prefer to study other subjects during high school and get their foreign language credits from a different source.
These external sources can be online high schools or specific language online schools such as Homeschool Spanish Academy (HSA).
High School
This is the most common way to go if you want to get foreign language credits in your transcript.
If your high school offers the foreign language you’re interested in, it just makes sense to take this course during your time at school.
However, it doesn’t always work like that. Many high schools don’t have a solid foreign languages department or don’t offer a great variety of language courses.
If that’s the case, you still have other options.
Online High Schools
Nowadays, several online high schools, such as James Madison High School and The Keystone School, offer a complete high school education online.
These courses include foreign language credits and are becoming a trendy option in the U.S.
Homeschool Spanish Academy
If your language of choice is Spanish, there’s no better option than the High School Spanish Program at HSA.
The high school Spanish curriculum at HSA “includes eight courses, from Spanish 1A to Spanish 4B” and offers a lot of flexibility, making it a very appealing option.
HSA has been accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC), and the University of California “a-g” Program.
This way, students enrolled at HSA earn their Spanish school credits and have an advantage if they are interested in the UC a-g program.
Others
There are other less traditional ways to earn foreign language credits, such as enrolling at a community college or taking the AP Spanish exam.
But it all depends on your personal situation and what road you plan to take in the future.
Some online universities even offer Spanish courses to help students get their foreign language courses.
Start Working to Get Your Foreign Language Credits Today!
Whatever language you choose and the road you take to get your foreign language credits, the important thing is to start as soon as possible.
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