Placement Exams
Language Placement
Students who have studied French, German, or Spanish for at least two years in high school and received a grade of A or B in the last semester of study do not enroll at the university in the same language at the first-year level. They enroll at the intermediate or advanced level in the same language or at the elementary level in a different language to meet their CoLA requirements. Students who have studied Japanese or Chinese meet with an advisor for placement.
Placing into a higher-level class gives students the opportunity to earn additional credits by validation. Validating credit is different from proficiency credit. Students who complete a validating class with an A or B grade at SIUC can receive free credit for the previous two courses.
For example: Alyssa placed into the intermediate (200) level of Spanish through the placement exam and began in the Spanish 201A class. She earned a B grade in the 201A class and received credit for Spanish 140A and 140B at no additional cost.
Math Placement
All incoming students take the math placement exam.