Placement Requirements

Many UAF courses require placement. All students planning to take courses with specific placement requirements must meet those requirements before registering for those courses. Specific writing, reading and math placement requirements are listed in the sections below.

Students need mathematics placement at DEVM F105 or above and WRTG F111X placement to register for general education requirement science courses.

Placement Tests

Test results are required for first-time degree or certificate students, transfer students with fewer than 30 transfer credits, or students planning to take 100-level English, reading, mathematics, natural sciences and many general education courses. UAF mathematics placement test results must be on file with the Office of the Registrar or the local regional campus registration office before you can register for DEVM, math, statistics or general education science classes. Results from American College Testing Program (ACT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or, for associate degree or certificate students, the ASSET, ACCUPLACER or COMPASS test must be on file with the Office of the Registrar before you can register for classes. Your ability to register may be blocked if you have not submitted required test scores.

Students who enroll in any course without meeting placement or prerequisite requirements may be dropped or withdrawn from the course through the faculty-initiated withdrawal process.

Writing placement exams should be taken within two calendar years before the start of a course; mathematics placement exams must be taken within one calendar year prior. Students enrolling in developmental or lower-division general education requirement courses must have completed any prerequisite courses within two calendar years of their enrollment.

Course Prerequisites

Course prerequisites indicate what previous preparation is needed to enroll in a course. An instructor has the right to waive a course prerequisite if the instructor documents that the student possesses the background required to succeed in the class. An instructor also has the right to drop any student from the course if he or she does not meet the prerequisite or has not received a grade of C- or better in all prerequisite courses. Students who take a course at a higher level than a corresponding prerequisite course required for a degree program are not exempt from taking that required course.

Writing

Placement into writing courses requires either prerequisite course credit or a standardized placement test that measures academic skills such as critical thinking and reading. The score from any of the tests (see English, Developmental English and Developmental Studies Course Placement Scores table) places the student in the appropriate writing class. A writing sample, given on the first day of class, may modify this placement. Degree or certificate students placed in developmental writing or reading courses should register for them during their first semester. These courses help students gain competencies necessary to succeed in college-level courses. If the student’s standardized test scores are below the minimums in English, Developmental English and Developmental Studies Course Placement Scores table and if the student’s high school cumulative GPA is 3.0 or higher, the student may be given permission to enroll in WRTG F111X by the director of university writing or rural campus English/Arts and Letters faculty.

On the basis of test scores, students may be required to take developmental English and/or developmental studies courses. These courses help students gain competencies necessary for success in college-level courses.

English, Developmental English and Developmental Studies Course Placement Scores

Note: WRTG F111X-plus pairs a section of WRTG F111X with WRTG F068. Qualifying students are those who have a combined ACCUPLACER Classic score between 130-169 or an ACCUPLACER Next Generation score between 490-529 and are referred by their academic advisor to Jennifer Tilbury <jltilbury@alaska.edu> at UAF Community & Technical College or the appropriate WRTG F111X-plus instructor of record to interview for the program. WRTG F068 is a writing support group tutorial class, recommended based on the student's needs for writing assistance along with any WRTG course listed in the table. Students may take up to three credits of WRTG F068 per semester for as many semesters as needed.

Note: If a student’s standardized test scores are below the minimums in the table but their high school cumulative GPA is 3.0 or higher, the student may be given permission to enroll in WRTG F111X by the Director of University Writing or rural campus English/Arts & Letters faculty.

Note: WRTG F111X placement is required for all Natural Science GER courses, unless otherwise indicated in the catalog.

Mathematics

Mathematics course placement varies according to the type of degree the student is planning to pursue and the corresponding math course(s) needed. (See the degree program requirements for more detail.) The UAF mathematics placement test is used to determine math placement. Minimum test scores for placement in math and developmental math courses are listed in Math, Statistics and Developmental Math Placement Scores table.

Students who have limited access to or limited experience with the Internet should contact the Department of Mathematics and Statistics or the Department of Developmental Education for assistance.

Foreign Language

Students may not register for foreign language classes higher than F101 unless they have received credit through CLEP, AP, transfer or another UAF-approved test for the prior levels. With approval of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, students may enroll in the level of a language at which they are competent, based on prior experience.

Math, Statistics and Developmental Math Placement Scores

Note: Academic advisors should check test score and prerequisite course dates on BANNER or UAOnline and instruct students to retest if their test scores are more than ONE year old for the placement test date and TWO years old for the course prerequisite date. Students who enroll in any course without meeting placement or prerequisite requirements may be dropped or withdrawn from the course through the faculty-initiated withdrawal process.

Note: Completion of DEVM F068 will meet the requirements needed to enter DEVM F071, DEVM F105, and DEVM F105N.

Note: DEVM F051 is appropriate for students needing a review of basic math skills.

Note: DEVM F065 assists students in reviewing and reinforcing course concepts covered by DEVM F054, DEVM F055, DEVM F062, DEVM F071, DEVM F105 and DEVM F105N. 

Note: Students, in consultation with their academic advisor or course instructor, may opt to take a course lower than their placement.