Does Queen's University accept French A: Language and Literature HL?
Kingston, ON
Yes, Transfer Credit Available!
Minimum Grade Required
Credit Granted
6.0 units — Complementary Studies (Performance Arts & Languages)
Health Sciences students: A score of 6 or higher is required to use this credit as a prerequisite for upper-year FREN courses. A score of 5 grants the 6.0 units but may not unlock upper-year registration.
Engineering exception: In Smith Engineering, French A or B HL is credited as 6.0 units toward Complementary Studies (Performance Arts & Languages), not as FREN 150. Max 6.0 Complementary Studies units from all IB credits combined.
Course note: FREN 150 is a legacy course code — it has been replaced by FREN 151 (3.0) and FREN 152 (3.0). The IB transfer credit still maps to FREN 150 and satisfies the same prerequisites.
💡Expert's Take
A strong 6.0-unit credit — and your placement test result will determine what comes next. Queen's grants FREN 150 (6.0 units) for French A: Language and Literature HL with a score of 5 or higher. That is a full-year course equivalent cleared before you set foot on campus. The Department of French Studies Academic Calendar confirms this credit for IB French A: Language and Literature with a final grade of 5 or higher.
FREN 150 covers the same ground as the FREN 151 + FREN 152 sequence — Queen's course catalogue lists them under a mutual exclusion (maximum of 6.0 units from FREN 150, FREN 151, and FREN 152). In practice, this means your IB transfer credit satisfies the same prerequisite that completing both FREN 151 and FREN 152 would. One important detail: FREN 150 is no longer offered as a standalone course at Queen's — it exists only as a transfer credit designation. So you cannot "retake" it, and no current Queen's student is sitting in a FREN 150 classroom.
The credit award itself — FREN 150, 6.0 units, minimum score of 5 — is consistent across six of Queen's seven faculties: Arts, Science, Smith Commerce, Computing, Nursing, and Health Sciences all grant the same FREN 150 equivalent. However, the faculty-specific tables are not identical in their fine print. The Health Sciences table adds a restriction that does not appear on any other faculty's table: to use FREN 150 as a prerequisite for upper-year FREN courses, Health Sciences students must have scored 6 or higher in IB French. A Health Sciences student who scored exactly 5 still receives the 6.0 units on their transcript, but cannot register for courses that list FREN 150 as a prerequisite. The Arts, Science, Commerce, Computing, and Nursing tables carry no such comment — for those faculties, the standard minimum score of 5 grants both the credit and prerequisite access.
Smith Engineering handles IB French entirely differently. Engineering students do not receive FREN 150 at all. Instead, IB French A or B HL earns 6.0 units of Complementary Studies credit in the "Performance Arts and Languages" category — useful toward Engineering degree requirements, but not a named FREN course and not a prerequisite for upper-year French.
Since French A: Language and Literature is an IB Group 1 subject designed for students with strong proficiency, you are very likely working above the intermediate level that FREN 150 represents. The credit still counts toward your degree, but where you go next depends on the mandatory placement test.
What to watch for:
- Health Sciences students: a hidden prerequisite gate at score 5. If you are in the Bachelor of Health Sciences and scored exactly 5 in IB French, you receive the 6.0 units but cannot use FREN 150 as a prerequisite for upper-year FREN courses. You need a score of 6 or higher for prerequisite access. This restriction does not appear on the Arts, Science, Commerce, Computing, or Nursing transfer credit tables — only Health Sciences. If this applies to you and you want to continue in French, contact the Department of French Studies (francais@queensu.ca) early to discuss your options.
- The Placement Test is mandatory for all students (francophone students are exempt). The Department of French Studies requires a placement test to determine your course level — even with IB or AP credit on your transcript. For a French A student, the test will almost certainly place you at the highest outcome: "Contact French Studies Advisor," which directs you to FREN 219, FREN 230, or FREN 231 rather than any 100-level course. You keep the FREN 150 credit on your record and begin your Queen's coursework at the 200-level.
- Do not attempt to enroll below your assessed level. Queen's French Studies explicitly treats enrolling in a course below your placement result as a violation of academic integrity. If the placement test identifies you as advanced, you cannot drop back into FREN 151 or FREN 152 for an easier grade — and since FREN 150 excludes both of those courses anyway, there would be no credit benefit in doing so.
- Francophone or native-proficiency students face additional restrictions. If you are francophone, you are exempt from the placement test but are barred from all 100-level FREN courses as well as FREN 219 and FREN 320. Across the Major, Minor, and Specialization plans, alternate courses can be substituted with the Undergraduate Chair's permission, but you should plan for this early.
- Engineering students get a different credit entirely. If you are in Smith Engineering, your IB French earns Complementary Studies credit (Performance Arts and Languages, 6.0 units) — not FREN 150. This counts toward your Engineering degree requirements but does not serve as a prerequisite for upper-year French courses.
- Transfer credit deadline. You must submit your IB results to Queen's by the end of fall term of your first year. Miss that window and Queen's considers you to have declined the credit — permanently.
If you are not pursuing a French plan: accept the credit without hesitation. The 6.0 units count toward your degree as electives, and you never need to take another French course. This is one of the more generous IB transfer credits at Queen's.
If you are pursuing a French Major, Minor, or Specialization: still accept the credit — it satisfies the FREN 151/FREN 152 prerequisite for upper-year courses on paper. Your placement test will then determine your starting point. The Minor plan notes explicitly address this: students too advanced for FREN 151 take FREN 152 plus one of FREN 230 or FREN 231; students too advanced for both proceed directly to FREN 230 and FREN 231, with additional 300-level units to compensate for the skipped courses. Since you already hold the FREN 150 equivalent, expect to begin at the FREN 230/231 level and budget your course load accordingly.
Bottom line: the 6.0 units are yours to keep regardless of what happens next. For most faculties, the placement test — not your IB score — is what determines which French course the department lets you take first at Queen's. The one exception is Health Sciences, where a score of exactly 5 blocks prerequisite access even though the credit itself is granted.
Official award line (French A: Language and Literature HL):
Minimum score: 5 (out of 7)
Credit granted: FREN 150 (6.0 units) — applies to Arts, Science, Commerce, Computing, Nursing, and Health Sciences
Health Sciences only: to access upper-year FREN courses requiring FREN 150 as a prerequisite, a score of 6 or higher is required (Health Sciences table)
Smith Engineering: Performance Arts and Languages (6.0 units) — no FREN 150 equivalent (Engineering table)
FREN course catalogue
Need help preparing for IB French A: Language and Literature HL?
Your Potential Savings
Credits Earned
6
= Full-year equivalent
Ontario Resident
~$200-494/credit
~$1,200 - $2,964
Est. Savings
Out-of-Province
~$200-600/credit
~$1,200 - $3,600
Est. Savings
International
~$1,126-1,844/credit
~$6,756 - $11,064
Est. Savings
(Commerce/Eng higher)
*Tuition rates are for 2025-2026 and vary by faculty. Always verify with Queen's official sources before making decisions.
📊 Compare French A: Language and Literature HL at Other Universities
See how French A: Language and Literature HL transfer credits compare across Canadian universities. Each school has different grade requirements and savings potential.
McGill University
Montreal, QC
Min Grade
5/7
Credit Granted
FREN 1XX (6 credits)
(6 credits)
Est. Savings
$2,520
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, BC
Min Grade
5/7
Credit Granted
SFU FREN 1XX (6), or SFU FREN 1XX (3) + ...
(6 credits)
Est. Savings
$1,398
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB
Min Grade
6/7
Credit Granted
FREN 100-level (3 units) + FREN 211 (3 u...
(6 credits)
Est. Savings
$1,302
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC
Min Grade
5/7
Credit Granted
FREN_V 401 + FREN_V 402 (6 credits)
(6 credits)
Est. Savings
$1,242
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, ON
Min Grade
5/7
Credit Granted
FR 1XX (0.5 units) — Elective credit
(1 credit)
Est. Savings
$450
Tip: Different provinces have different tuition rates. Use these comparisons to find the best value for your residency status.
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Data Disclaimer
This information is compiled from Queen's University official sources and verified community reports. It is NOT a substitute for official academic advising. Always confirm with your advisor before making decisions.
Last updated: December 2025
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