Global Seal of Biliteracy

The Global Seal of Biliteracy is an international credential that certifies proficiency in two or more languages.

The Global Seal of Biliteracy allows employers to easily verify job candidates’ language skills and be confident that they possess valuable employability skills linked to language learning.

The Global Seal of Biliteracy is serial-numbered and can be added to a résumé or LinkedIn profile under "Licenses & Certifications.”

The Global Seal of Biliteracy is:

CONSISTENT: Consistent standards allow anyone, be it a school or employer, to easily determine your language skills.

INCLUSIVE: The Global Seal of Biliteracy credentials your proficiency in two or more languages. It does not matter whether you learned your languages in a classroom, at home, or through real world experiences.

MEANINGFUL: Regardless of your career path, the Global Seal of Biliteracy certifies your bilingual ability and distinguishes you as globally competent.

1. Submit a short application form. This form will take you about six minutes to complete. Please note that if you would like to take a test / become certified in more than one language, you will need to fill out this form for each language.
2. Test at UTA (Avant STAMP test online) or provide a qualifying proficiency test* result (e.g., TOEFL, AAPPL, etc.) obtained within the last 12 months.
3. Wait for your certificate. The UTA Department of Modern Languages will apply for the Global Seal of Biliteracy on your behalf once we receive all needed documentation. We will notify you when your certificate is ready to be picked up.
4. Collect your personalized and unique serial-numbered Global Seal of Biliteracy Certificate in the Department of Modern Languages main office (Hammond Hall 230) during normal business hours.

*If you have another qualifying test result obtained within the last 12 months, you can use those results. Please consult a list of other tests and score requirements on the Global Seal of Biliteracy’s website.

Note: Qualifying for the Global Seal of Biliteracy in one of the languages that we offer at UTA MODL (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Korean, Russian, or Spanish) can potentially allow you to add 14 lower-level language credits to your transcript and waive a UTA language requirement. Contact us for more details. Obtaining the Global Seal of Biliteracy in other languages will not result in UTA college credits or waiving UTA language requirements. 

If you have any questions, please contact modltesting@uta.edu.

If you test through the UTA Department of Modern Languages, you must take the Avant STAMP test and achieve a score that meets one of two qualifying award levels: 

• For a “FUNCTIONAL FLUENCY” Global Seal of Biliteracy Certificate, students must score at 5 (Intermediate-Mid) or higher on all parts of Avant STAMP proficiency test.
• For a “WORKING FLUENCY” Global Seal of Biliteracy Certificate, students must score at 7 (Advanced-Low) or higher on all parts of Avant STAMP proficiency test.

The Global Seal of Biliteracy offers a free adaptive self-assessment so that you can have a general estimate of where you might place on the ACTFL Proficiency Scale.

The Avant STAMP (Standards-Based Measurement of Proficiency) test is fully online and takes about three hours to complete. It is an internationally recognized web-based test that assesses language proficiency. The test questions are based on real-world, everyday situations. Avant STAMP measures a test taker’s language ability according to Benchmark Levels that are based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. Test results will indicate the level of proficiency achieved for each section of the test.

You can find test demos, learning tips, scoring rubrics, and other helpful test-taker resources on the Avant website https://avantassessment.com.

Aside from the testing costs listed below, there are no extra charges for the Global Seal of Biliteracy!

• The proficiency test costs $60 and includes remote proctoring so that you can take the test anywhere.
• Students in the Department of Modern Languages may apply for a discount if they demonstrate financial need.
• For International Business students, the cost of the exam may be subsidized by the College of Business.
• If you already have a qualifying proficiency test score obtained within the last 12 months, you will only pay a $20 processing fee to receive the Global Seal of Biliteracy through UTA.
• Limited financial assistance may be available for eligible applicants. To request more information, contact proficiency@uta.edu after submitting your proficiency test application form.

Contact the Department of Modern Languages at proficiency@uta.edu to learn more.