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English Placement

Southern requires all students to complete ENG 112 to fulfill the general education Written Communication requirement. You will start in either ENG 110 or ENG 112 based on your placement level. Equivalent courses specifically designed for bilingual or multilingual students are also available.

First, please log into the MySCSU student portal to verify that you have an English placement level:

  • Go to Banner Student
  • Select Record and Registration
  • Select Prior Education and Testing
  • In the testing section, if an English Placement score is present, you have a placement level
  • In the testing section, if an English Placement score is not present, you do not have a placement level

If you do not have a placement level, please submit one or more of the following to admissions@southernct.edu, to help ensure you receive an appropriate schedule at orientation:

  • Standardized test scores (SAT or ACT)
  • Advanced Placement exam scores (AP) 
  • Official High School transcript

You may take the following courses based on your placement level:

Placement Level

Placement Criteria

You are eligible to take...

ENG 110 or 119
  • SAT Reading & Writing 200-490
  • ACT Composite 1-17
  • HS GPA of 2.69 or lower (on a 4-point scale)

ENG 110 (ENG 119 for bilingual students)

English Placement Pending (see below)*

Any of the following:

  • SAT Reading & Writing 500-580
  • ACT Composite 18-24
  • HS GPA 2.7 - 3.39

Recommendation based on discussion with ENG faculty (At New Student Orientation or in a Next Steps Meeting)

ENG 112  or 120
  • SAT Reading & Writing 590-800
  • ACT Composite 25-36
  • HS GPA of 3.4 or higher on a 4-point scale 
  • AP Score 3 on Language Exam

ENG 112 (ENG 120 for bilingual students)

N/A
  • AP Score 4 or higher on Language Exam
  • AP Score 4 or higher on Literature Exam

You will be granted credit for ENG 112 and have completed the general education Written Communication requirement upon admission.

*English Placement Pending

Based on your HS GPA or SAT/ACT exam scores received, you will be asked to meet with a representative from the English Department to discuss your reading and writing experience. These 10-minute discussions will take place during your New Student Orientation or, if you would prefer to schedule your meeting in advance of orientation, you may also come to one of our Next Step Days:

  • Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 3-6 pm
  • Thursday, May 1, 2025, 3-6 pm
  • Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 3-6 pm
  • Tuesday, June 10, 2025, 3-6 pm

AP or Early College English In-Progress Courses
If you are taking an AP or Early College English course but will not have your scores by your orientation session, your schedule will be adjusted when your official AP/ECE transcripts arrive later in the summer. If you have not requested your official transcripts to be sent to Southern, please do so as soon as possible.

For any questions regarding English Placement, please contact Dr. Brian Johnson, English Composition Coordinator, at JohnsonB2@SouthernCT.edu.

 

If you transfer in the equivalent of ENG 112, then you have fulfilled the general education Written Communication requirement. If not, English placement will be based on the following guidelines:

You transfer in: You are eligible to take...
ENG 110  ENG 112
A minimum overall Transfer GPA 2.50 and one ENG course ENG 112
None of the above ENG 110 (or student can choose to have a placement conversation at a Next Steps Day*)

Note: Transfer students may not use SAT/ACT scores or high school grades for English placement.

* Next Step Days

  • Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 3-6 pm
  • Thursday, May 1, 2025, 3-6 pm
  • Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 3-6 pm
  • Tuesday, June 10, 2025, 3-6 pm

If you are bilingual or multilingual, you will benefit from the ENG 119/120 course sequence to meet the Written Communication requirement. Instruction in these courses is specifically designed for students with a bilingual or multilingual background. If this sounds like you, please let us know by:

  • Completing the New Student Orientation survey and saying you speak more than one language; or
  • Responding to the email inquiry you receive from Admissions; or
  • Talking to us at New Student Orientation.

Course Descriptions

ENG 119 (College Composition for Bilingual Students) is designed to help bilingual and multilingual students. You'll have smaller classes of no more than 12 students with a focus on understanding complex texts, writing different types of essays, and using U.S. standard English. You'll also build a portfolio of your writing.

ENG 120 (Writing Arguments for Bilingual Students) helps students improve their academic reading and writing in English with targeted academic supports and carefully selected faculty who specialize in multilingual education. You'll develop your academic reading and writing skills in English, and learn to understand, summarize, respond to, and use academic texts in your writing. The course also includes a complete review of English grammar.