more options

 

Eligibility

Applicants do not need to be in a Cornell University degree program to enroll in FALCON. FALCON is a rigorous and intensive program, so all applicants should be highly motivated to learn Chinese or Japanese and be ready to put steady effort into the endeavor. Applications are welcome from anyone, regardless of citizenship or student status. Participants have ranged from qualified high school students, undergraduates who plan careers in East Asia, graduate students with specializations involving Chinese or Japanese, to professionals outside the academic world who need a strong foundation in the language for their careers, or because they plan to live in a Chinese or Japanese-speaking country.

A placement test is required to begin study in any term other than summer.

All FALCON students earn a certificate of completion and Cornell University credit.

Some students enroll in FALCON in order to satisfy the language requirement for a degree program such as the M.A. in Asian Studies or the B.A. in CAPS (China and Asia-Pacific Studies). You should talk with your adviser about whether FALCON would satisfy your language requirement either at Cornell or your home institution.

Non-Degree Status:
  • If you have already completed an undergraduate degree at Cornell or elsewhere, and you are interested only in attending FALCON, you will be considered a non-degree graduate applicant.
  • If you are not in a degree program at Cornell, and you have not yet received an undergraduate degree, you will be considered a special non-degree undergraduate applicant in the College of Arts & Sciences.
Once you are accepted into FALCON and submit the deposit, it enables us to hold your place in the course.  Once you are registered and enrolled you will be granted the appropriate non-degree status with the University. You do not need to submit an additional application to Cornell.

Although the FALCON Program is connected to Cornell’s Asian Studies Department, we do not offer coursework in Asian Studies. Please be aware that admission to FALCON is separate from admission to a degree program in Cornell’s Asian Studies department. Many people take one and not the other.