PLACEMENT PROCEDURES FOR

FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS

 

• Students with Verbal SAT scores of 550 or higher will be placed directly into English 101 without testing.

 

• For students with Verbal SAT above 650, Honors Composition (English 103) is an option.

 

• Other students will need to take a placement test as part of the orientation process. This test, which will be given in one of the on-campus computer labs, has three components: a reading comprehension section, a sentence skills section focusing on grammar and usage, and a brief essay. (Some students will also need to test in Mathematics on the same day.)

 

• The results of the placement test determine in which writing class you will start your Rutgers career. The majority of students begin in English 101, but a significant number are placed, based on the test, in one or two precursor courses, Communication Skills 142 and/or Communication Skills 143. These courses are designed to help bring students along to the beginning college level in terms of writing skills. After the completion of 143, students then take English 101 and 102.

 

• For students whose native language is not English, we also have sections of many of our courses available with an English as a Second Language (ESL) emphasis. Some students will be placed into a Grammar and Composition course, taught by the Program in American Language Studies (PALS).

 

• Some students will be placed into a Grammar and Composition course, taught by the Program in American Language Studies (PALS).