Placement into College Courses

Students must meet a minimum qualifying exam score for placement in English and Math courses as established by North Dakota University System (NDUS) policy and procedure. For more information and exam options, see NDUS Procedure 402.1.2 Student Placement into College Courses.

English Placement

Students with an ACT English subtest score of 18 or higher or an equivalent assessment or transfer students entering Mayville State University with a developmental writing course graded “C” or higher, may enroll in ENGL 110. New students who do not demonstrate readiness for ENGL 110 will use the matrix below to determine placement.

Mayville State University students with an ACT English score of 27 or higher or an equivalent assessment may choose to be placed in ENGL 120 College Composition II or ENGL 125 Business and Technical Writing.

Students who have been awarded institutional test credit for ENGL 110 College Composition I (or its equivalent) from an accredited college or university, and who have successfully completed ENGL 120 College Composition II with a C or better, are required to take ENGL 408 Advanced Composition or other writing intensive course as approved by division chair to fulfill the general education communication/writing requirement at Mayville State University.  

Math Placement

Students with an ACT Mathematics subtest score of a 21 or higher or an equivalent assessment may enroll in MATH 103. Students will be placed in ASC 91, ASC 92 or ASC 93 based on their test scores.

Mayville State University students with an ACT Mathematics score of 28 or higher or an equivalent assessment may choose to waive MATH 103.

Under NDUS policy, the following students may be exempt from this placement in English and Math procedure:

1. Students 25 years old or older on the first day of class
2. Students from countries other than the U.S. and Canada
3. Students transferring 24 or more semester credits

MSU students who are exempt from this placement must secure a Registration Action Course Override approval from the course instructor, division chair, and advisor.

Students may also request to take a placement test.

Advanced Placement Credit

Students who have completed certain College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) advanced placement courses in high school and who have earned a minimum score of 3 on the Advanced Placement Examinations will be awarded college credit following the guidelines adopted by the Academic Affairs Council. The required minimum credit-granting scores, number of semester hours of credit to be granted and specific course equivalents are listed in the following table.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Credit

CLEP is one of the accepted means by which a student may establish college credit. It is a national program that affords the student an opportunity to obtain college recognition for his/her formal or informal preparation prior to attending college. Generally, colleges and universities accept CLEP credit; however, students who plan to transfer to another institution should first check to see what the limitations of the receiving school might be.

A student must be enrolled at MSU to receive CLEP credit. Students may not take CLEP subject exams after enrolling in that course.

Cambridge Assessment International Education

Students can submit official General Certificates of Education (GCE) from University of Cambridge International Examinations for prior learning credit. GCEs should be received within the first semester of enrollment at Mayville State University.

Students can earn credit for Advanced “A” level and Advanced Subsidiary “AS” level examinations only with grades A-E. Elective credit will be granted using an S/U grading scale. Students may work with academic divisions to apply credits to specific MSU general education core.

Credit will be awarded for each examination passed as indicated below:

• 8 semester credits will be awarded for Advanced “A” level examinations
• 4 semester credits will be awarded for Advanced Subsidiary “AS” level examinations

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)

Students who have achieved a significant degree of educational growth in disciplines offered by Mayville State University through professional, cultural, or community activities may seek to be granted credit for prior learning. A student may earn a maximum of 30 semester hours of credit by examination, including Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), CLEP credit, advanced-standing credit, etc. Students who believe they are eligible for PLA must complete an application form available at the Office of Academic Records who will assist in identifying the appropriate academic discipline and a faculty member representing that area. The student and faculty advisor work to develop the validating documentation. This evidence is, in turn, reviewed by the discipline faculty and by the Curriculum Committee before a final decision is made by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Credit awarded under this program is considered the same as transfer credit and may not be used to satisfy the 30-hour resident requirement. This credit will only be awarded with an “S” satisfactory grade and placed on the transcript when the student has successfully completed one semester of resident work. A student must be currently enrolled to receive prior learning credit. When credit is granted the transcript will be noted as ‘Prior Learning Credit.’

A maximum of 30 semester credits total prior learning credit may be awarded.