In order to satisfy the RSEA language requirement, students must either satisfactorily complete at least a third-year East Asian language course at Harvard, or demonstrate the equivalent proficiency through the language placement tests administered by the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations (EALC) before the beginning of classes each September.

All students entering the RSEA program with some East Asian language background who have not previously taken language courses at Harvard are required to take these placement tests, which are designed to assist the staffs of the language programs in placing students in the most appropriate level courses or, in the case of students who qualify to take courses at 4th year level or above, to enable students to demonstrate fulfillment of the RSEA language requirement.

RSEA students will be informed during the summer prior to entering the program of the scheduled dates and times of the September EALC placement tests, which are usually held in the auditorium of the Harvard-Yenching building at 2 Divinity Avenue. Students are required to register for the tests by entering their names on sign-up sheets posted on the EALC bulletin board at 2 Divinity Avenue, just inside the main doors; the sign-up sheets are normally posted early in September. Details of the tests are not made available in advance, nor are the tests published; ordinarily they include written, aural comprehension, and oral elements, and vary according to the level of placement being sought.

Students should bear in mind that these tests are not examinations, but are intended primarily to facilitate the placement process; occasionally students may find after classes begin that the recommended assignment is not the best fit for them, and it is always possible to discuss reassignment with the language teachers. In the event of some unforeseen inability to take the relevant placement test at the scheduled time, make-up tests may be arranged at a later date, but it is important to take the main test administration if at all possible.

Native speakers of an East Asian language are exempt from the requirement to demonstrate proficiency, except in cases where the language of academic focus is not the student's native language (e.g., a native speaker of Japanese whose academic field is in Chinese studies should take the Chinese language placement test).

Students without prior language background will ordinarily have to devote a total of six half-courses to mastering an East Asian language to the required third-year level. These courses will not count towards the eight RSEA-required half-courses in East Asian studies.

In order to satisfy the language requirement and complete the degree within the normal two years, such students will normally need to take intensive first and second year language courses in their first year of study (entailing four half-courses), or continue after a non-intensive first-year course with an intensive second-year summer program between the two academic years, at the Harvard Summer School or some other approved and equivalent program. Students should be aware that RSEA funding is not expected to be available for summer study.

Other students with limited language background may choose to spend a year or a semester out of residence during the course of the program, most likely in East Asia, to develop their language skills; again, students would be responsible for their own funding for this time abroad, whether through personal resources or outside scholarship funds.

Students who have demonstrated proficiency in an East Asian language may choose to continue studying that language; such courses must be taken at the advanced level (fourth-year or above) in order to count towards the eight required half-courses, and only two such courses may count. Courses in a second East Asian language must be at the second-year level or above in order to count for credit, and again, a total of only two qualifying language courses may be used to count towards satisfying the basic RSEA course requirement for eight approved East Asian courses.