Placement
Placement is an assessment of your level of preparation in a subject. The purpose of placement is to help you enroll in the courses in which you are most likely to be successful.
The following commonly taken courses require placement:
Who Needs to Review Placement Requirements for these Courses?
English Composition: All students, unless you already have college credit for an English Composition course.
Calculus and General Chemistry: If you intend to pursue a science or engineering major or you intend to go on to a health profession after completing the bachelor’s degree, you probably need to take these courses. A number of business and technical majors require calculus. You should check the information on majors of interest to determine if calculus and/or general chemistry are required.
College-level foreign language is required by several programs: Liberal Arts and Sciences and the B.A. programs in the College of the Arts have a proficiency requirement; students in Journalism and Communications may choose between foreign language proficiency or a quantitative option. Building construction majors must complete one semester of Spanish.
English Composition Placement
You will be placed based on your SAT or ACT verbal score, unless you already have college credit for an English composition course.
- Students with a 640 (or lower) on the verbal portion of the SAT and/or a 28 (or lower) on the verbal portion of the ACT must enroll in ENC 1101.
- Students with a 650 (or higher) on the verbal portion of the SAT or a 29 (or higher) on the verbal portion of the ACT may enroll in any 1000/2000-level composition course beyond ENC 1101. These students should not enroll in ENC 1101.
- Students with college credit for English Composition (from AICE, AP, CLEP, IB or dual enrollment) should consult an advisor to determine which, if any, additional courses are needed to meet degree requirements.
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Calculus 1 (MAC 2233 and MAC 2311) Placement
The Department of Mathematics offers two Calculus 1 courses: MAC 2233 Survey of Calculus 1 and MAC 2311 Analytic Geometry and Calculus 1. To determine which calculus course (if either) is required for a major, please check the requirements for that major. Some graduate programs in the health professions such as pharmacy, optometry and veterinary medicine may require Calculus as a pre-requisite to admission. You may consult the pre-health website for more information on the profession you plan to pursue.
The Department of Mathematics encourages you to take the placement exam (ALEKS) even if you have met one of the prerequisites for MAC 2233 or MAC 2311. ALEKS scores are a very effective means of helping you determine the course in which you are most likely to be successful.
ALEKS is designed to determine whether you have adequate background for potential success in calculus at the college level. You can take the placement exam at a charge of $10 each time, and retakes are permitted. As a result, scores will be rigidly enforced for students who do not meet any other prerequisite for MAC 2233 or MAC 2311.
- The minimum score to register for MAC 2233 is 50%.
- The minimum score to register for MAC 2311 is 75%.
Please read the complete information about the mathematics placement exam.
General Chemistry Placement
The general chemistry sequence CHM 2045/2045L and CHM 2046/2046L meets the preprofessional requirements for many science and engineering majors. CHM 2095/2045L and CHM 2096/2046L is an alternate general chemistry sequence specifically for engineering majors.
Placement into CHM 2045 or CHM 2095 requires:
- Successful completion of MAC 1147 Precalculus: Algebra and Trigonometry (or both MAC1140 and 1114)
OR
the equivalent as determined by the Department of Mathematics (a 75% on the ALEKS math placement exam).
AND
- Successful completion of CHM 1025 Introduction to Chemistry
OR
a 75% on the ALEKS math placement exam.
If you enroll in and successfully complete CHM 1025 and MAC 1147 (or MAC 1140 and 1114), you can enroll in CHM 2045 or CHM 2095 the next semester. Students who enroll in CHM 1025 but do not successfully complete with a C or better cannot place into CHM 2045 using an ALEKS score of 75%. Such students will need to repeat CHM 1025 and earn a C or better to go on to CHM 2045.
Students with credit for CHM 2045 via AP and IB scores or dual enrollment (with a minimum grade of C) should discuss their next chemistry course with an advisor. Students who wish to repeat CHM 2045, take CHM 2095 or go on to CHM 2046/2096 must have successfully completed of MAC 1147, Precalculus Algebra and Trigonometry, MAC 1140 and MAC 1114, or the equivalent as determined by the Mathematics Department (a 75% on the ALEKS math placement exam).
If you wish to enroll in CHM 2047, the one-semester General Chemistry, and its co-requisite laboratory CHM 2047L, you must meet the following conditions:
- AICE, AP or IB credit for at least CHM 2045 and laboratory
- Approval of the Honors Program office or the Department of Chemistry.
Foreign Languages Placement: French, German and Latin
If you have previous background in one of these languages and you wish to enroll in the same language at UF, you must demonstrate placement. You should take the SAT subject placement exam for the appropriate language (unless you have passing AICE, AP or IB scores for that subject). Please consult the placement charts for SAT Subject Tests, AICE, AP, CLEP or IB to determine placement based on your scores.
In general, language placement is determined by a combination of placement scores and high school background in the language.
Foreign Languages Placement: Spanish
Students with any prior study or knowledge of Spanish who wish to enroll in a Spanish course are required to take the WebCAPE online placement test, which is designed to help them determine the best course based on their background.
- Students who took a language other than Spanish in high school are not required to take this test. They may enroll in SPN 1130.
- Students who have taken Spanish exams via Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) are encouraged but not required to take the WebCAPE and should consult the Spanish Placement and Course Equivalency page to determine whether they have received credit for a Spanish course and which course to take next.
- Students who wish to demonstrate proficiency in Spanish in order to meet the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), College of Journalism and Communications (JM) or B.A. in the College of the Arts (FA) degree requirements must do one of the following:
- Complete the terminal course in the Beginning Spanish sequence (or higher) with a satisfactory grade
- Take the SATII Spanish exam and score a 430 or higher
- Earn sufficient scores on an AICE, AP, CLEP or IB exam.
Anyone with any prior study or knowledge of Spanish MUST provide a test score to register for a Spanish course.
A passing grade in SPN 1131 or a higher level SPN courses successfully fulfills the foreign language proficiency requirement for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Journalism and Communications and B.A. programs in the College of the Arts. Students wishing to satisfy the foreign language proficiency requirement by examination must do so through the appropriate AP, IB, or AICE Spanish scores, or through the SAT II Spanish test. WebCAPE is only a placement exam.
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