Placement Guidelines for English and Math

English Placement

Per KBOR policy, each student who meets either a systemwide course placement measure or an institutionally designated course placement measure is eligible to enroll in a gateway course without developmental support. Each student meeting neither measure shall be placed into the gateway course with developmental support.

EN176 English Composition I

Students meeting one of the following measures are eligible to enroll in EN176 English Composition I:

  • 18 or higher on ACT Reading and ACT English; or
  • 500 or higher on SAT ERW, Evidence-Based Reading and Writing; or
  • 255 or higher on Accuplacer Reading and Writing; or
  • 3.0 or higher high school cumulative unweighted GPA after five or more semesters; or
  • 16 or higher on ACT Reading and ACT English and a B or higher, not B-, in the most recent high school English course; or
  • 2.7 or higher high school cumulative unweighted GPA after five or more semesters and a B or higher, not B-, in the most recent high school English course; or
  • GED® score of 160.

If a student does not meet the systemwide course placement requirements, they will be required to enroll in EN079 English Composition I Workshop, a co-requisite course for Composition I. EN079 consists of two co-requisite hours, or 2 credit hours, that do not count toward degree requirements. Students who need the co-requisite section should enroll in the same section number of EN176 and EN079.

Math Placement

Per KBOR policy, each student who meets either a systemwide course placement measure or an institutionally designated course placement measure is eligible to enroll in a gateway course without developmental support. Each student meeting neither measure shall be placed into the gateway course with developmental support.

Note: Student-athletes intending to transfer to an NCAA Division I institution should consult with an advisor regarding mathematics requirements. College Algebra may be required for transfer eligibility.

MA178 College Algebra

Students meeting one of the following measures are eligible to enroll in MA178 College Algebra:

  • Math ACT: 22 or higher; or
  • Math SAT: 540 or higher; or
  • ALEKS PPL: 46 or higher; or
  • Accuplacer QAS: 263 or higher; or
  • High school GPA and course grade: 3.25 cumulative GPA, unweighted, and B- or higher in second-semester Algebra 2 or Integrated Math 3; or
  • GED® score of 165; or
  • Institutional measure.

Students who do not meet one of the measures above will be required to enroll in MA179 College Algebra with Review.

MA179 College Algebra with Review

MA179 integrates developmental support within the course structure. The course is a 4-credit-hour course; however, only 3 credit hours apply toward degree requirements.

MA170 Contemporary Math and MA205 Elements of Statistics

Students meeting one of the following measures are eligible to enroll in MA170 Contemporary Math or MA205 Elements of Statistics:

  • Math ACT: 19 or higher; or
  • Math SAT: 510 or higher; or
  • ALEKS PPL: 30 or higher; or
  • Accuplacer QAS: 255 or higher; or
  • High school GPA and course grade: 3.00 cumulative GPA, unweighted, and C- or higher in second-semester Algebra 2 or Integrated Math 3; or
  • GED® score of 160; or
  • Institutional measure.

If a student does not meet the systemwide course placement requirements, they will be required to enroll in a workshop section, a co-requisite course. The following additional co-requisite hours are required but do not count toward degree requirements:

  • MA070 Contemporary Math Workshop: 1 credit hour
  • MA099 Elements of Statistics Workshop: 1 credit hour

Institutionally Designated Course Placement Measures

An institutionally designated course placement measure is any course placement measure that is not included in the systemwide course placement measures and is used to determine eligibility to enroll in a gateway English or math course. These measures could include, but are not limited to, vendor-based assessments, institutional assessments, or an evaluation of non-cognitive factors. These measures are approved at the institutional level and apply only in cases where the student did not meet any of the applicable systemwide course placement measures.

This category also provides institutions with the professional discretion to place students in the gateway course by considering scores on multiple measures, as well as non-cognitive factors known to the institution.

See the full placement guide in the Academic Catalog (opens in a new window). 

 

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