To ensure that students begin their study of French at the appropriate level, the French Department Placement Test is administered each year during New Student Days. All students who have previously studied French (even those who do not immediately plan to study French at Grinnell) are required to take the test. Based on their results, students will be advised as to where they might best begin their study of French at Grinnell.

New students begin their study of French at Grinnell at a variety of levels, from elementary to advanced. The majority of students (those with 4-6 years of secondary-school study) start at the intermediate level. Students who have not studied French before coming to Grinnell and who begin in their first semester will be eligible for study abroad in France and can complete a major in French.