DELF Testing Center at Pitt
The Department of French and Italian at the University of Pittsburgh opened a DELF testing center in 2021. The DELF is a series of four diplomas issued by the French National Ministry of Education to certify an individual’s French language skills. All four skills are tested: listening comprehension, oral production, reading comprehension, and written production. DELF standards are based on the Common European Reference Framework for Languages (CEFRL), and the DELF Center at Pitt can certify students at the A1-B2 levels following a 1.5-3 hour set of oral and written exams.
The diplomas allow students, among other things, to matriculate to French universities at the B2-level and to demonstrate their French proficiency to potential US- or Europe-based employers at the B1- and B2- levels. The exams are offered twice during the academic year, once in early December and once in late March or early April. At the present time, exams are only available for French majors and minors, but as the Center grows, we plan to expand the availability of the exam to all Pitt students and eventually to students at other high school and colleges in the Western Pennsylvania region.
Context
The decision to open a DELF testing center at Pitt is a part of the French program’s efforts to rethink undergraduate education in French at a time when students are increasingly looking to combine French Studies with a diverse set of professional goals, including careers in medicine, business, engineering, media and arts management, and diplomacy and politics, among other fields. The DELF exams are designed with the professions in mind, and the French program is in the process of adapting its curriculum at all levels to include more professional vocabulary, rhetorical strategies, texts, and media objects. The DELF standards offer an ideal framework to do this, especially given that many language textbooks in France are already organized around the DELF exams and standards.
The French program feels that the decision to open a testing center and to integrate the DELF standards into its curriculum will allow us to better prepare students for the international careers of tomorrow. We also hope that it will enable us to create greater synergies in the region with respect to French studies, French language learning, and French proficiency certification, making Pitt a major locus for the study French in Western Pennsylvania.
We may be able to offer exams to interested parties who are not Pitt-affiliated if space permits. Priority for these exams will be given to Pitt French majors.
If you are interested in taking the exam, please email: delfdalf@pitt.edu.
Exam Format
A2: Written - 1 hr 40 mins, Oral - Preparation: 10 mins; Interview: 8 mins
B1: Written - 1 hr 55 mins, Oral - Preparation: 10 mins; Interview: 15 mins
B2: Written - 2 hrs 30 mins, Oral - Preparation: 30 mins; Interview: 20 mins
For more information about the exam format or to view sample exams, please visit: https://www.france-education-international.fr/en/diplome/delf-tout-public
For Pitt students, the French program occasionally offers DELF preparation workshops. For information about these offerings, please email delfdalf@pitt.edu
2026 Pricing
We have grant funding to cover the DELF exam fees for Pitt students. Priority for grant-subsidized DELF exams is given to French majors. Please mention that you are a Pitt student or a French major at Pitt when you register.
The A2 exam costs $145 for the general public.
The B1 exam costs $155 for the general public.
The B2 exam costs $190 for the general public.
Payment is due at the time of registration and can be made by credit card. Please note that exam fees are not refundable. You may transfer your exam to the next session once in the case of illness if a doctor’s note is sent to delfdalf@pitt.edu within three days of the exam date.
2026 Dates
December 2026
Registration Deadline: October 30, 2026
A2: December 7, 2026
B1: December 8, 2026
B2: December 9, 2026
We have the option to give B1 and B2 exams in mid-October for Pitt students needing to certify their French competency for Fulbright and other competitive fellowships. To inquire about this possibility, please email: delfdalf@pitt.edu
For More Information or to Register for an Exam
If you have additional questions not addressed in this page or if you want to register for an exam, please email: delfdalf@pitt.edu
Frequently Asked Questions
If I am not a Pitt student, can I still take the DELF exam at the University of Pittsburgh’s center?
Yes. We prioritize Pitt French majors first and then Pitt students for the DELF exam. We are a small team of examiners, and when we have space and available labor, we open up spots for community members to take the exam. Send us an email, and we’ll put you on the list of community members wanting to take the exam. As we near the end of registration, we’ll let you know if there’s space.
Do you offer preparation for the DELF exams?
DELF-style activities and assessments are built into our French language, media, and culture curriculum at all levels. For Pitt students, the best way to prepare for the DELF is to take French classes with us. In addition, we occasionally offer DELF preparation workshops for Pitt students. You can write us to see if any such workshop is currently planned.
For non-Pitt students, there are plenty of resources on the France Education internationale website (https://www.france-education-international.fr/diplome/delf-tout-public?langue=fr) and many French FLE (français langue étrangère) textbook publishers offer DELF/DALF preparation materials.
Can I take the DALF C1 or C2 exam at Pitt?
We currently only have one examiner DALF certified, and we are working the rest of our team certified. As soon as that happens, we will update our calendar with DALF dates.
When will I receive my official exam results?
Results will typically be available within a month after you took the exam. We send them by email to the address you gave us during registration. The jury’s evaluations of the exams have to be validated by the US French embassy, and this administrative step can take time.
If I passed my exam, when will I receive my diploma?
Diplomas are printed in and mailed from France to the US French embassy and then from there to our center. This process can take several months. When the diplomas are available for pick up, we will contact you at the email address you gave us during registration.
Will you mail me my diploma if I don’t live in Pittsburgh?
If you live in the US and you want us to mail you the diploma, please leave us a self-addressed, pre-paid USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope when you take your exam or send us one when you receive your results. We can’t mail diplomas outside the US.
Can I take the DELF exam at some other time than the ones that are listed here?
No. The US French embassy strictly regulates the dates for the DELF exams at a national level. We choose our center’s dates a year ahead of time, and there are no modifications possible to the calendar.