College of Arts and Sciences
English Composition Placement

Who…

New Students: Students must be admitted to UC and confirm their acceptance with the registrar's office. Only confirmed UC students will be recognized by the system.

Cincinnatus Students: Students who wrote an essay as part of the Cincinnatus Scholarship Competition need not write an additional placement essay for English.  The Cincinnatus Essay will be used as your placement essay for English."

Transfer Students: Transfer credit is determined by the accepting college. Students transferring in with 3 or more credit hours of English DO NOT need to write the placement essay.

Continuing Students: Students who have been enrolled at any University of Cincinnati college but whose English Composition Placement scores are older than two years must re-take the English Composition Placement Assessment.

When… Where… How…

Students may elect to write the placement essay online during Spring on-line sessions or at Quick Start. (Some make-up sessions will be offered on campus at Orientation.)

1. THE ONLINE OPTION
   Baccalaureate college students are encouraged to write the essay online. The online option allows students several days to complete the reading, think about the topic, and draft, revise, and proofread their writing. To take advantage of the online option, students must complete it prior to Orientation. Students who have not completed the English Placement Essay prior to orientation will write the essay at orientation. See Online English Placement



2. QUICK START OPTION
   Students who attend one of the Quick Start sessions will write their essays during a 60-minute period on the day they come to campus. Students will be asked to read a short article and then write: 1) a summary of the article, 2) an essay about the article in response to a specific prompt, and 3) a reflective paragraph about their essay. The essays will be written with pen or pencil on paper unless otherwise requested and pre-arranged. See Orientation
   
   
3. ORIENTATION OPTION
   Make-up sessions: Students who have not written their placement essays prior to Orientation will have an opportunity to write their essays while on campus. As with the Quick Start, students will be asked to read a short article and then write: 1) a summary of the article, 2) an essay about the article in response to a specific prompt, and 3) a reflective paragraph about their essay. The essays will be written with pen or pencil on paper unless otherwise requested and pre-arranged. See Orientation

Unsure…

If students are wondering whether or not to write the placement essay because they are unsure of their Advanced Placement scores or of the transferability of course credits from institutions other than the University of Cincinnati, the safest decision is to write the placement essay. A placement score makes students eligible to register should they need to do so, but Advanced Placement and transfer credit take precedence over whatever placement score is earned.

After Placement...

Placement scores are provided to academic advisors. When students meet with their advisors during orientation, they will be informed of the class for which they should register.

All students must have current English Composition Placement Scores or have passed a prerequisite course to be eligible for English 101B, 101, or 112. Students will be denied access to courses at registration if they are not eligible for that English course. NOTE: This means that students who do not write a placement essay either Online, at Quick Start, or at Orientation will not be eligible to take English Composition during the fall quarter.

Course eligibility criteria:

English 101B: Placement score

English 101: Placement score or C- or better in English 099 or English 100

English 112: Placement score

Contact Numbers