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.

First-Year Freshman

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 (EPL) 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
  • High school official transcript

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

Placement Level Placement Criteria You are eligible to take...
EPL 1
  • SAT Reading 10-24
  • ACT Composite 1-17
ENG 110 first semester and ENG 112 second semester
EPL 2
  • SAT Reading 25-30
  • ACT Composite 18-24
ENG 112 second semester
EPL 3
  • SAT Reading 31-40
  • ACT Composite 25-36
  • HS GPA of 3.4 or higher on a 4-point scale 
  • AP Score 3 on Language Exam
ENG 112 first semester
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.

Note: 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.

You may also be required to complete the English Assessment prior to orientation to obtain your placement score. The English placement assessment is a 40-minute online exercise used to place students in an appropriate English course. Once you login, you will be asked to complete two tasks:

  1. Read four brief student profiles. Choose the one that best describes who you are as an academic reader and writer (5-10 minutes).
  2. Read a short opinion piece from The New York Times and write a paragraph summarizing its argument (30 minutes).   

There is no passing or failing; results are used only to place you in the English course that is best for you. You do not need to study for the assessment, but it would be helpful if you can set aside 40 minutes in a quiet place that is free from distractions.

If you need special testing accommodations due to a documented disability, please contact the Center for Academic Success and Accessibility Services.

Register for the English Placement Assessment

Transfer Students

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 transfer course ENG 112
Overall Transfer GPA 2.50 or higher and one ENG transfer course ENG 112
Does not meet any criteria above ENG 110

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

You may also choose to complete the English Assessment to establish your placement level. This should be completed prior to attending your Transfer Advising meeting if you would like to take an English course during your first semester at Southern. The English placement assessment is a 40-minute online exercise used to place students in an appropriate English course. Once you login, you will be asked to complete two tasks:

  1. Read four brief student profiles. Choose the one that best describes who you are as an academic reader and writer (5-10 minutes).
  2. Read a short opinion piece from The New York Times and write a paragraph summarizing its argument (30 minutes).   

There is no passing or failing; results are used only to place you in the English course that is best for you. You do not need to study for the assessment, but it would be helpful if you can set aside 40 minutes in a quiet place that is free from distractions.

If you need special testing accommodations due to a documented disability, please contact the Center for Academic Success and Accessibility Services.

Register for English Placement Assessment