International Baccalaureate Placement Guide

Williams College Class of 2028

Make sure to reference individual department notes cited below.

Test	HL Score	Major Course Credit	Eligible to Enroll
Anthropology	7	ANTH 101	Upper level ANTH
Biology	1-4		No advanced placement
	5-7		Department assigns*
Chemistry	All	Department assigns*	Department assigns*
Chinese	All		Department assigns*
Computer Science	1-5		CSCI 134
	6, 7		Department assigns*
Economics	All		Department assigns*
English	1-5		No advanced placement
	6, 7		ENGL 200- or 300-level
French	All		Department assigns*
Geography	All		No advanced placement
History	All		No advanced placement
Japanese	All		Department assigns*
Mathematics	1-3		MATH 130
	4, 5		MATH 140
	6, 7		MATH 150, 151, or 200
Philosophy	All		No advanced placement
Physics	1-5		No advanced placement
	6,7	Department assigns*	Department assigns*
Political Science	All		No advanced placement
Psychology	1-5		No advanced placement
	6, 7		PSYC 200-level
Russian	All		Department assigns*
Spanish	All		Department assigns*
Statistics	All		Department assigns*
Theatre	All		Department assigns*
Visual Arts	All		No advanced placement

Major Course Credit

This means credit for a specific course in a major is awarded. If major course credit is blank, there is no reduction in the number of courses required for that major.

Department Assigns

Those departments that assign placement do so on the basis of department placement exams, to be administered during First Days, and/or consultation with the student.

Anthropology

Students may replace ANTH 101 with an upper level elective.

Biology

Placement depends on department exam results. While a placement exam is not necessary to enroll in BIOL 101 or BIOL 102, it is required to place out of BIOL 101 or 102. To be eligible to take the placement exam, students need a score of 5, 6 or 7 on the IB exam or permission from the chair of the department.

Chemistry

Students are required to take the online chemistry placement survey and to have a follow-up meeting with the department for placement during First Days. Students are encouraged to contact one of the CHEM 100 or CHEM 101 instructors with questions.

Computer Science

Students should consult with the department to confirm appropriate placement.

Chinese

Placement depends on department evaluation.

Economics

Placement depends on IB scores and department placement exam results. If you have taken an introductory econ course before, we require that you take the department’s placement exam, irrespective of any standardized test scores. See department web page for details.

French

Placement depends on department exam results.

Japanese

Placement depends on department evaluation.

Physics

Placement depends on HL score, department placement exam results, and individual conferences.

Spanish