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
Gunjeet Bumra, Associate Instructor, Hindi
Anamitraa Chakraborty, Associate Instructor, Bengali
Jibraan Fazili, FLTA, Urdu
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 by submitting an Application for Establishment of Foreign Language Proficiency for International Students who are Non-Native Speakers of English: Undergraduate Forms: College of Arts + Sciences (indiana.edu)
Please contact the program's Director of Language Instruction (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 Fall 2025 Indic language proficiency exams will be given on Friday, August 22, 2025 at 3:30 pm. You must register in advance for the exam no later than Monday, August 15, 2025. Please complete the registration form below and submit your application. You will receive additional information, including the testing location, from Professor Rebecca Manring the week of the exam.
Registration for Fall 2025 is now open.
Indic Language Proficiency Test Registration Form