We determine your initial placement in a writing course according to your test scores and the English Placement Table:

The English Placement Table:

If your SAT verbal score is 440 or below OR your ACT English score is 17 or below, you need to take English 090 (no credit), 101 (3 credits), and 102 (3 credits).  You should take English 090 in the first semester you are enrolled at the University of Idaho, English 101 in the next semester, and English 102 the following year or in summer school.

If your SAT verbal score is between 450 and 560 or below OR your ACT English score is between 18 and 24, you need to take both English 101 and 102 (3 credits each).  You should take English 101 in the first semester you are enrolled at the University of Idaho and English 102 in the next semester.

If your SAT verbal score is between 570 and 690 OR your ACT English score is between 25 and 30, you receive 3 advanced placement credits for English 101 and need to take English 102.  You should take English 102 during the first semester you are enrolled at the University of Idaho.

If your SAT verbal score is 700 or higher OR your ACT English score is 31 or higher, you receive 3 advanced placement credits for English 101 and 3 advanced placement credits for English 102.  You may still need to take another writing course, depending on your major, but it is not necessary to do this during your first semester.

If you first enrolled in the university before fall 2000, the policy for placing you in a writing course is different.  Click here for more information.  

If your ACT score is much lower than what you think it should be considering your abilities, taking the ACT a second time may improve your score.  If you take a test more than once, the university counts the higher score for your English placement. 

You can also arrange to take a special version of the ACT, called the Residual ACT, on the UI campus at any time, rather than having to wait for one of the usual ACT testing dates.   These scores are then entered into the student records database immediately so that you can be placed in classes right away.  Scores from the ACT taken this way can only be used at the UI; you cannot send this score to other institutions. 

It is also possible to earn credit for English 101 or 102 by taking an advanced placement test that the university recognizes.  See the list of exams and the necessary scores in the chart below.  For further information, contact the Student Counseling Center (208-885-6716). 

If your SAT verbal score is 560 or below OR your ACT English score is 24 or below, you may take the Writing Skills Placement test of COMPASS to better your placement.  This test is administered through the Student Counseling Center (208-885-6716); it takes 20 to 40 minutes to complete. See further information below.

If you attempt to enroll in English 102 without having had English 101 or the necessary test scores, the computer may initially accept your registration (this is because students often register for English 102 while they are taking English 101).  At a later point, however, if you have not received credit for English 101 or retaken the ACT or SAT with higher scores, you will be automatically dropped from the class.  For other methods of being placed in English 090, 101, and 102, see information on the following section.