Admission Requirements and Deadlines
Requirements for Degree Undergraduate Students
All students must sit for an Arabic Language Placement exam during their freshman year unless they have submitted a Thanawiyya Amma certificate or its equivalent before the date of the last placement exam for any given academic year. Based on the placement exam score, students will either be exempted from required Arabic Language courses or be required to take one or two sequenced courses in Modern Standard Arabic to meet the University’s Arabic-language requirement for their bachelor’s degree. Students exempted from Arabic may still opt to register in elective Arabic courses.
Students required to sit for the Arabic language placement exam:
All non-Thanawiya Amma students are required to sit for the Arabic language placement exam, which is only administered by the AUC Department of Arabic Language Instruction to determine their Arabic language level. Based on the result of the Arabic language placement exam, students will fall into one of the following categories:
- Exempted from Arabic language courses
- Required to take one Arabic language course (3 credits)
- Required to take two Arabic language courses (6 credits)
Students exempted from the Arabic language placement exam and Arabic language courses:
- Thanawiya Amma holders or equivalent
- Non-Thanawiya Amma holders who have passed the Arabic test administered by the Egyptian Ministry of Education prior to enrolling at AUC
- Grade-11 non-Thanawiya Amma holders who have passed the Arabic test
administered by Cairo University and who are enrolled at AUC as of Fall 2022,
provided that the test results are submitted within one year of enrollment at
AUC. - Holders of the IGCSE/GCSE degrees who have also achieved a minimum grade of C in the IGCSE's Arabic as a First Language exam
Requirements for Graduate Students
ALNG also provides a proficiency placement exam service for other departments in AUC. Departments using this service are urged to ask their applicants to take the Arabic placement exam upon their admission. Because the ALI proficiency placement test is open on scheduled days and times each semester, the respective department should:
- Visit the ALNG webpage regularly to check the exam info and instructions.
- Send the applicant(s) info (student name, ID, and affiliated department) to [email protected] prior to the exam.
After the exam, ALNG will send the level of the applicant to his/her department. Because each department may have different rubrics/scores for the required level of Arabic, please note that it is the applicant’s department to decide whether s/he is exempted from Arabic or a number of courses should be taken to meet the rubrics. So, applicants need to contact their departments to know the result of their Arabic exam and translate their Arabic level into a numeric score.
Requirements for Study Abroad and Non-degree Students
- Applicants who are not seeking an AUC degree, but wish to take AUC courses for academic credit may be admitted as non-degree students if they meet the minimum requirements for AUC admission.
- Non-degree and study-abroad students should follow the instructions below to ensure a smooth registration process: Fill out and submit the Preliminary Course Planning Form and the Background Form, and then you will receive the online exam once you submit the below forms.
International students applying for the ALNG through the exchange program:
Be informed that the maximum number of credits for exchange students is 15 for undergraduates and nine for graduates. Students exceeding the maximum number of credits will have to pay for the extra credits. Please note that it is the responsibility of the exchange students to inform the IPO about the number of Arabic courses/credits that are registered by ALI.
General information about the Arabic placement exam for non-degree international students:
- The online entrance test is simple to get through
- We assume that the applicant taking the online test has a basic familiarity with computers and is comfortable with the use of a keyboard and mouse
- The Arabic placement is a proficiency-based exam aimed at identifying your level of proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic
- The exam tests for high elementary and intermediate levels. Hence you are not expected to complete all questions. You are encouraged to attempt to answer as many questions as you can. If you do not know the answer to any of the questions, do not guess. Submitting answers of which you are quite sure will help us place you at the appropriate level
- Do not attempt to take this exam if you have not studied Arabic before
- The estimated time for the actual exam sections is three hours
- We urge you not to leave any of the exam sections/pages idle for more than 20 minutes (e.g. move to the next or previous page). Otherwise, the exam will automatically terminate
- Once you click on submit your answers on the last page of the exam, you will not be able to go back to make any changes
- After the three-hour exam period, the exam will automatically end
- To start the exam, have your username and password (sent to you by ALI) ready
- Further detailed information will be sent to you by the ALI. Make sure that you read the instructions carefully before you start the exam.
Admissions Deadlines
For more information about the admission deadlines, click here.
Arabic Placement Exam Guidelines and Dates
Arabic Placement Sample Exam Instructions
Learn more about our Arabic placement sample exam instructions. To start the sample exam, click here.
Advising and Registration
Advising and registration are done through the ALNG unit. Course registration cannot be completed online because it requires permission from the ALNG director.
Upon completing their advising session at the ALNG unit, nondegree students are requested to pursue advising with the director of international academic advising, in accordance with their advising procedure.
The courses are in high demand, and students are enrolled on a first-come, first-served basis. Students should change courses or sections during the drop/add period, as outlined by the Office of the Registrar.
Course Levels and Listings
Courses are offered in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (ECA), simultaneously catering to different skill levels.