South Asia is home to thousands of different languages, including some of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Faculty members of the Dhar India Studies Program regularly provide in-depth instruction to undergraduate and graduate students in Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and Sanskrit. We offer classes in these languages from beginning through to advanced levels. Students may also pursue Persian or other languages appropriate to their course of study through the Department of Central Eurasian Studies.
Language Staff
Rebecca Manring, Director of Language Instruction, Sanskrit
Rashmi Sharma, Lecturer, Hindi
Anam Ikhtiar, FLTA, Urdu
Nazia Masood, FLTA, Bengali
Language Proficiency Testing and Certification
Dhar India Studies administers language proficiency tests in Bengali, Hindi, Sanskrit, and Urdu every semester for undergraduate students. You must, however, register for language proficiency tests in advance. Graduate students can use the test to certify proficiency for their degree programs or grant applications. The tests measure whether students have the proficiency in their target language that they would have developed through two full years (four semesters) of university-level instruction in that language. The test is entirely written and takes one hour.
We can provide proficiency testing for students elsewhere in the IU system; testing for those registered at other institutions can also be arranged for a fee.
Watch this website for announcements of upcoming tests.
International students who wish to use their native language (if their native language is not English) to establish foreign language proficiency should complete the Application for Establishment of Foreign Language Proficiency for Non-Native Speakers of English. Students interested in this option should complete the process as early in their undergraduate careers as possible.
Please contact the program's Director of Language Instruction (Professor Rebecca Manring, rmanring@iu.edu) for additional information.
Upcoming Language Proficiency Tests
Indic language proficiency exams are offered one time at the start of each semester.
The Spring 2026 Indic Language Proficiency Tests will be held on Friday, February 13, 2026 at 3:30 pm. Registration will end on February 5, 2026.
Please complete the registration form below and submit your application. We will provide further details to registered students a few days before the test.
Registration for Spring 2026 is now open.
Indic Language Proficiency Test Registration Form