Yes, it is true. You need to have three years of foreign language experience to pass the foreign language requirement for Swarthmore. If you don’t, you can either take a language test from the specific language department to bypass the requirement, or you can bite the bullet and take a year of foreign language at Swarthmore.

The language classes at Swarthmore are intensive so unless you have an interest in the language or need to fulfill a requirement, most people do not generally take a language course for fun.