Postsecondary Placement

Four-Year Institutions

Delaware requires that 100% of high school students take the SAT before graduation. Accordingly, students who meet the SAT cut score set by the state’s public colleges and universities are exempt from remedial or developmental courses upon enrollment.

The University of Delaware and Delaware State University require that all first-time freshmen take the ALEKS assessment to determine their math course placement. A score of 45 or higher on the ALEKS assessment allows students to enroll in credit-bearing math courses.

High school students who pass the state’s transitional courses with a 77 or higher are exempt from remedial and developmental courses.

University of Delaware

At the University of Delaware, placement determinations vary by college and intended major. Students cannot register for specific math courses unless they meet the appropriate placement thresholds. Once students know the required math course for their major, use the following chart to determine the placement level.

Delaware State University

All formally admitted freshmen and transfer students must complete the online ALEKS placement test for math two weeks prior to orientation and score at 45 or higher to enroll in college-level math courses. Student performance on the ACT or SAT determines placement into English composition courses.   

Two-Year and/or Technical Colleges

All Delaware Technical Community College students are required to meet one of the following college readiness requirements:

• Earn a 3.0 (83%) or higher high school GPA (junior or senior transcript)
• Meet SAT benchmark scores
• Earn benchmark scores on the ACCUPLACER test
• Enroll in an International Baccalaureate or the Academic Challenge program
• Earn 75 or higher in a Foundations of College English course or 77 or higher in a College Math course
• Earn an A or B grade in AP English or math course
• Earn an A or B grade in Pre-Calculus or Calculus
• Have earned previous college credit or a degree

University System of Georgia

The Board of Regents has established system-wide placement policies and exemptions for community colleges and four-year institutions.

To be exempt from placement testing in English (reading and writing), students must meet one of the following criteria:

• Completed Area A English course with grade of “C” or higher
• English Placement Index of 4230 or higher
• High School grade-point average of 3.1 or higher and completion of required high school curriculum in English
• Score of 480 SAT or higher on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section
• Score of 17 ACT or higher on the English or Reading subtest higher
• Score of 61 or higher on Classic Accuplacer (237 or higher on Next-Generation Accuplacer) Reading Comprehension Test and score 4 or higher on the WritePlacer

To be exempt from placement testing in Mathematics a student must meet one of the following criteria:

• Complete Area A mathematics course with grade of “C” or higher
• Placed into pre-calculus or higher math course
• Math Placement Index of 1265 or higher
• High School GPA of 3.4 or higher and completion of required high school curriculum in mat;
• Score of 510 or higher on the SAT math section
• Score of 20 or higher on the ACT math subtest
• Score of 79 or higher on Classic Accuplacer Elementary Algebra test
• Score of 266 or higher on Next-Generation Accuplacer Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics test

Institutions may set higher scores or require additional measures for screening and placement into Learning Support courses. Students who meet the institution’s admission standards for programs leading to baccalaureate degrees are exempted from further placement testing.

Institutions may calculate a Mathematics Placement Index and an English Placement Index based on high school grade point average, SAT or ACT and, when indicated, the Classic Accuplacer placement test.

Institutions place students who do not meet placement thresholds into co-requisite, Learning Support courses. For more detailed information, please see the University System of Georgia Academic Affairs Handbook 2.9.1 Administrative Procedures for Learning Support Programs.

Technical College System of Georgia

System policy requires technical colleges to assess students’ readiness to enter academic programs of study. Institutions may accept a student’s official entrance score on several validated assessment instruments, including the SAT, ACT, GED, Accuplacer, COMPASS or Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE). Colleges may also use high school GPA and documentation of certain work experiences to exempt students from placement testing.   

Students who do not meet all requirements for regular admission into a selected program are granted provisional admission status. Provisionally admitted students may take learning support classes and certain specified occupational courses until they satisfy program pre- and co-requisites.

Statewide

The Louisiana Board of Regents requires students at all public institutions to earn at least a 19 ACT score in Math for placement in college-level courses or earn an equivalent score on one of the following assessments:

• 500-510 on SAT Math
• 65 on the Accuplacer Elementary Algebra subtest

Students at all public institutions must earn at least an 18 ACT score in English for placement in college-level courses or earn an equivalent score on one of the following assessments:

• 500 on the SAT ERW
• 86 on the Accuplacer Sentence Skills section

Institutions may enroll students in co-requisite math and English courses if they score an 19 or 18 on the ACT Math and English subtests, respectively.  

The board authorizes institutions to create alternative placement systems, upon approval by the system’s Division of Academic and Student Affairs.

Four-Year Institutions

Students who do not meet the requirements for unconditional admission may be admitted but must participate in an on-campus placement process at the institution.

Students who score below 16 on the ACT English, reading or math subtest must take intermediate courses. The board allows institutions to require students with an ACT sub-score between 17 and 19 to enroll in intermediate courses. However, students are exempt from the intermediate course requirement if they completed an SREB Math Ready and/or Literacy Ready courses with a grade of 80 or higher.

Students required to take two or more intermediate courses must enroll in the year-long Academic Support Program.

Two-Year and/or Technical Colleges

Institutions have the right to set their own placement thresholds for entry into college-level English and math courses. However, the Mississippi Community College Board convenes a group of 14 of the 15 community colleges’ chief academic officers who have agreed to use an ACT English score of 17 or higher for placement in English Composition and an ACT math score of 19 or higher for placement in College Algebra.

Entering freshmen enrolled at a public postsecondary institution who have an ACT math, reading or English subtest score of 16 or less are required to take Intermediate Algebra or Intermediate English during their first semester of college. Institutions may also require that students who score between 17 and 19 take the intermediate course(s).

However, students are exempt from the intermediate course requirement if they completed an SREB Math Ready and/or Literacy Ready courses with a grade of 80 or higher. Students taking two or more intermediate courses must enroll in the year-long Academic Support Program or equivalent courses.

Statewide

State policy exempts students from remedial and developmental education if they score 19 or higher on each ACT subtest. However, institutions may establish higher standards by requiring additional testing of those students meeting or exceeding the minimum ACT subject test score requirement.

State policy requires institutions to develop entry-level assessment programs for students scoring below the ACT thresholds. These programs should evaluate students’ academic qualifications, goals, study skills, values, and motivation. Students placed in developmental education must start in their first semester and complete these courses within the first year or before completing 24 credit hours.

The president or the president’s designee may allow exceptions on an individual basis for students with extenuating circumstances. Institutions must report these exceptions to the Oklahoma state regents for higher education.

Statewide

Board of Regents

University boards have set placement policies since the enactment of Chapter 869 in 2016. The Tennessee Board of Regents revised placement rules for community colleges in March 2019. Community colleges may use four assessments: ACT, SAT, Accuplacer, and the Seamless Alignment and Integration of Learning Support program. Students scoring at or above the cut score are exempt from Learning Support.

ACT/SAT Placement Cut Scores

Institutions require students who score below the cutoff in writing, reading, and/or math to enroll in corequisite learning support courses.

Community colleges may provide standalone learning support to non-degree seeking students whose program does not require college-level math, English or reading.

University of Tennessee System

The system’s three undergraduate institutions set minimum ACT and SAT cut scores for enrollment in specific English and math courses. Students may document passing scores on an Advanced Placement, CLEP or the online math placement exam to qualify for the first math course required for their major.

All three institutions require students with low ACT English or SAT critical reading sub-scores to take an additional course or participate in a supplemental writing lab.

UT-Martin requires students who score below 21 on the ACT English and/or ACT Math subtests to enroll in the lowest applicable college-level courses.

Four-Year Institutions

Institutional boards set assessment and placement policies.

Community College System

Virginia’s State Board for Community Colleges approved a multiple-measures placement policy in 2017. The policy lists several exemption criteria for students, including high school grade-point average and qualifying SAT, ACT or GED scores. Additionally, students who have completed an associate degree, earned a C or better in a college-level math or English course, or completed developmental courses at a Virginia community college are exempt from placement testing.

Students who do not meet any of these criteria take the Virginia Placement Test for English and/or math.  The tests determine placement in developmental or credit-bearing courses. Students who are considered nearly college-ready in English may enroll directly in College Composition I (ENG 111) while co‐enrolling in a two‐credit‐hour developmental English course.