Placement Exams

Composition Placement 

All students are required to take six credit hours of Written and Oral Communication courses within the Dearborn Discovery Core. Most FTIAC students will have initial placement into COMP 105, with the option for students to appeal their placement via the submission of a portfolio. Portfolios will be individually reviewed by COMP faculty. If the appeal is successful, students will be placed in COMP 106.[1] If applicable, FTIAC student placement may be based on a student’s test score Advanced Placement (AP) exam, International Baccalaureate (IB) exam, or dual enrollment credit.[2]

For transfer students, UM-Dearborn will accept their COMP 105/106/270/280 equivalencies. If the transfer students have not brought in any COMP courses, then they will be placed in COMP 105 (with the option to appeal via portfolio) and will need to satisfy the remaining requirements of the Dearborn Discovery Core.

 

Mathematics Placement

All Students 

To ensure students are placed into the appropriate course, they may be required to take the math placement exam. This varies based on a student’s college and declared major, combined with their transferable credit.

 
Exemption Criteria 

Students may waive the math placement exam requirement for any program if they meet any of the following criteria:

  • transferable credit equivalent to Math 105 or above 
    • ​placement will be into the next course in the sequence
  • a 3, 4, or 5 on an AP Calculus exam
  • SAT math section score of 620 or higher
    • ​placement into Math 115 (Calc I)
  • ACT math score of 26 or higher
    • ​placement into Math 115 (Calc I)

*These results must be on record at UM-Dearborn for this placement exam waiver to apply.

Placement Guidelines for Health Professions Tracks
If you are intending on completing a Health Professions Advising (HPA) curriculum track designed for those interested in pursuing further education to be a healthcare professional, you must complete the math placement test regardless of what major you declare if you do not qualify for an exemption.
 
Placement Guidelines by College 
Here are guidelines for which majors are required to take the math placement exam if they do not have an exemption. Please note some programs require only credit for MATH 104 to be exempt from the math placement test.
 
College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters (CASL):
The following majors are required to take the mathematics placement  exam if they do not meet the exemption criteria: 
  • Business Studies as a Second Major, Economics, Environmental Studies, International Studies-exempt with credit for MATH 104 (College Algebra) or higher 
  • Actuarial Mathematics, Applied Statistics, Behavioral and Biological Sciences, Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Chemistry (ACS certified), Chemistry (Instructional), Environmental Science, Geological Sciences, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Microbiology, Physics 
  • All other CASL majors are exempt from taking the mathematics placement exam. 
College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS):
All majors are required to take the mathematics placement  exam if they do not meet the exemption criteria.
 
College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS):  
  • Mathematics Studies majors are required to take the mathematics placement exam if they do not meet the exemption criteria 
  • All other CEHHS majors are exempt from taking the mathematics placement exam. 
    • Mathematics Studies majors and students in HHS with Pre-Health Professions concentrations are  required to take the mathematics placement exam if they do not meet the exemption criteria.  
College of Business (COB): 

All majors are required to take the mathematics placement exam if they do not meet the  exemption criteria - exempt with credit for MATH 104 (College Algebra) or higher.

Other Cases (Undecided, Major Changes, Etc.):
Students unsure if they should take the math placement test are always welcome to take the test, especially if they may  need to take a course that requires it. Undecided students or students who believe they may change majors should take  the math placement test to avoid potential scheduling delays if they do not have an exemption.
 
 

Foreign Language Placement 

The Foreign Language Placement Exam is strongly encouraged of all College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters students. Placement exams are offered in French, German, and Spanish as a computer-based exam, and Arabic as a paper-based exam. It will take approximately 2-3 weeks to receive your placement exam results in the mail.

[1]

Students who place into COMP 106 or its equivalencies satisfy 3 credits of the Written and Oral Communication category of the Dearborn Discovery Core.

[2]

Existing policies and practices around AP, IB, and dual enrollment will remain unchanged.