High school students have many more options than their counterparts did 10 years ago. However, while the variety of courses available to students continues to increase, the time allocated for additional classes remains unchanged. Even when students extend their school years to take courses in the summer, they must make difficult choices, especially if they work or are heavily involved in extracurricular activities such as band and sports.
Some states help students maximize their time by offering alternate routes to earning credit. Band members earn a PE credit during marching season and a fine arts credit in the spring. In Texas, floral design classes taken through the agriculture science department count as a fine arts credit. And as of 2013, computer science classes can replace traditional foreign language courses on a students transcript.
Some students pursue computer science instead of a traditional foreign language because they have a learning difference, such as dyslexia, that makes mastering a second language more challenging. Others dont want to speak in class and choose courses without a speaking requirement. Still others hope to use computer science classes to prepare for STEM majors in college and to recommend themselves as worthy candidates for selective colleges. According to the (ACTFL)’s in all 50 states and Washington, DC, 24 states have requirements that students can satisfy by taking a variety of classes. Eleven other states require traditional foreign language classes, and another 16 states have no requirements at all.
Substituting courses can sometimes cause trouble down the road, as is the case with counting computer science as a foreign language. Individual colleges ultimately determine which classes they will accept, regardless of how high schools designate them. Some schools offer high school credit classes to sixth graders, which puts the burden of planning for college on fifth graders and their families. Years later, students who chose to study computer science to prepare for a career in engineering may arrive at their senior year and discover that their dream schools recognize only traditional language courses. I know a student with dyslexia who enrolled in one of s satellite campuses only to find himself taking Spanish for the first time two years later, to graduate from the main campus.
While states high schools have become more flexible, many highly selective colleges have not, and students who believe that computer science classes will count as a foreign language credit at their dream school may find themselves coming up short on applications, especially if that school is in a different state from the one in which they attended high school. And while some colleges will initially accept computer science, students may find themselves required to study a traditional foreign language after enrolling in college.
The table below includes examples of recommendations and requirements of some of the countrys most selective colleges.
Students who choose to study computer science instead of a traditional foreign language should verify the requirements of the schools to which they plan to apply, preferably well in advance of the summer before their senior year.
If students discover that their chances of being accepted to the college of their choice will be enhanced by having traditional foreign language classes on their high school transcript, there are several ways to get that credit outside of taking high school courses. Students can take dual-credit courses; however, these classes are often faster-paced than traditional high school courses and may not be a good fit for students with learning differences or for students who have never taken a second language course. Private companies offer online options for foreign language study, but program fees might price out some families. Some colleges offer programs that allow students to take courses to supplement what their high schools offer, providing an additional way to earn credit. Students should check with their school counselor to determine that their high school will accept the courses theyve chosen.
For students from dual-language households, taking a placement test may be an option to fulfill the foreign language requirement without enrolling in a course. The ACTFL created two assessments: the (AAPPL), which assesses American Sign Language, Mandarin Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish, and the , which may be taken through a students high school. Some schools offer the tests year-round, while others proctor them once or twice a year.
The Texas A&M student with dyslexia mentioned earlier in this article found a tutor, and together they powered through two college Spanish courses in two months. He is set to graduate in the spring. An aspiring engineer will attend college, though perhaps not the campus shed dreamt of for years. Not all college majors require foreign language study, and students may be able to get waivers for particular classes. Students should consult a colleges website or speak to admissions officers to learn about their options. While students and their families ultimately choose what courses to take in high school, professionals (school counselors and independent educational consultants alike) owe students the big picture of what those choices will mean for their college aspirations.
| Harvard, Princeton, Yale, University of Pennsylvania | Strong recommendation: 4 years |
|---|---|
| Columbia, NYU | Recommendation: 3-4 years |
| Stanford | Recommendation: 3+ years |
| MIT | Recommendation: 2 years |
| Northwestern | Minimum 2 years (varies by school) |
| Cornell, Notre Dame | Generally 2 years |
| UT Austin, UCF, UIUC, OSU, Texas A&M | 2 years (sometimes alternate options) |
| UC System | 2 years required, 3 recommended |
Sources
ACTFL Assessments. ACTFL, . Accessed 4 Sept. 2025.
The National K-12 Foreign Language Enrollment Survey … The National K-12 Foreign Language Enrollment Survey Report, American Councils for International Education, June 2017, .
Zubrzycki, Jaclyn. States Could Allow Students to Learn Coding Instead of Foreign Languages. Education Week, 21 Mar. 2023, .
By Kim Heffernan, 51勛圖 Associate (TX)