Placement Guides
Advanced Placement
Students enrolled at the University of Utah who have achieved a minimum score of 3 in an accepted Advanced Placement (AP) examination in high school may be awarded credit. Students may be awarded up to eight semester hours of credit for yearlong courses and three semester hours of credit for half-year courses. Advanced Placement scores must be sent from College Board directly to the University of Utah.
Learn more about Advanced Placement>>
International Baccalaureate
Students enrolled at the University of Utah who have achieved a minimum score of 5 on higher level International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations may be awarded credit. Students may be awarded up to eight semester hours of university credit per course or 30 semester hours of credit for the completion of the International Baccalaureate Diploma. International Baccalaureate scores must be sent from IBIS directly to the University of Utah.
Students must submit a request for evaluation to the Office of Admissions to have credit recorded on their records.
Writing Placement
Take Writing 1010 and 2010 within your first 3 semesters at the U, and before enrolling in upper-division CW writing courses.
First-Year Writing Placement
Writing 1010 placement
- Index Score 1
- Essay Score 2
- AP score 1-2
Any student may take 1010 without a prerequisite.
Writing 2010 placement
- WRTG 1010 or transfer equivalent C- or higher
- Index Score 2
- Essay Score 3
- AP score of 3
All students must have a prerequisite to take WRTG 2010.
Any student may challenge their placement with a Writing Placement Essay. For more information about Writing & Rhetoric Studies Informed Self-Placement please click here.
English for Academic Success Placement
The EAS writing classes help fulfill the University Writing requirement. EAS 1040 is similar to WRTG 1010. EAS 1050 and 1060 are two halves of WRTG 2010.
EAS 1050 +1060 =WRTG 2010
The major difference between EAS and WRTG is that EAS is designed to help English learners improve their English writing skills, and WRTG is designed for native English speakers.
You are welcome to fulfill your University Writing requirement with either EAS or WRTG. To fulfill the university writing requirement with EAS courses students must take the EAS writing placement exam. Students may take this exam during International student orientation or at the Testing Center. Please schedule an appointment with the Testing Center to take the EAS Writing Placement exam. The EAS Writing Placement Exam score is valid for 1 year.
Taking the Writing Placement Essay
Writing placement testing for both WRTG 2010 and EAS 1050 is available throughout the year at the University Testing Center, 498 SSB. You can sign up here for a test date.The Department of Writing & Rhetoric Studies evaluates essays twice per term, before registration begins and shortly before each semester. Results are sent to your UMail address.
The Linguistics Department evaluates EAS placement.
General Education WR2 Requirement:- WRTG 2010 or equivalent transfer course C- or higher
- EAS 1060 C- or higher
- AP English score of 4 or higher
- HONOR 2211
Schedule placement essays with the Testing Center. If you have further questions about writing placementplease contact the Department of Writing & Rhetoric Studies 801-581-7090 orl.shaw@utah.edu.
For questions about transfer credit please contact the Academic Advising Center.
Language Placement
Students who have never taken a language:
Start with 1010 and advance through 2020 with C- or better to complete the B.A. language requirement
Students who have learned a language in a previous classroom setting (high school or college):
Take a language placement test (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, or Spanish) through the World Languages and Cultures Department. You may be able to start higher than 1010 and take fewer courses to advance through 2020. If the placement test is not offered in your language, please review the class schedule and contact an instructor of that language for assistance with placement.
More information on the Language Placement Test>>
Students who have extensive experience speaking another language:
- Pass 3060 with a “C-” or better – 3060 is for students who have spent at least 1.5
years in a non-English speaking country or area (church service, extended study abroad,
for example), bilingual, or native heritage speakers (must be a domestic student).
- Pass an approved language proficiency test and purchase the 16 lower division credits
More information on Purchasing Language Credits>>
International Students with English as their second language:
Once you have completed your lower division writing requirement, the BA language requirement will be completed. Taking EAS 1060 automatically clears the BA language requirement. Students who take WRTG 2010 will need to contact a World Languages and Cultures Academic Advisor (languages.utah.edu) to verify English is their second language and enter WRTG 2010 to fulfill the requirement.
More information on fulfilling the BA Language Requirement>>
Math Placement
Welcome to the University of Utah! An important part of your undergraduate experience will be the math classes that you take, whether for major requirements or as part of your Gen Ed requirements.
We've created guidelines on the Math Placement website to help you enroll and succeed in your courses. Please read through the information on the linked page. If you've taken the ACT or SAT, then you can use those scores to determine which math course you're prepared for. There are also sample questions from some of the more popular math courses, and you can use those to determine if you're already comfortable with the material from those courses. If you're still unsure, we encourage you to take the Accuplacer math placement exam , which is free to you. It will tell you which math courses would be appropriate for you to enroll in.
We offer four-day refresher workshops if you'd like a review of math concepts before the semester begins. A link to information for these workshops is also on the Math Placement website.
Be sure to consult with the advisor for your intended major to be sure that you are choosing classes appropriate for your plans.
We're excited to have you join the University of Utah. We hope to see you in one of our math courses!