Prerequisite/Placement Scores

Early College Program students who wish to take a college-level biology, English, chemistry, math, or physics course need to have completed a prerequisite in order to register for the course. Placement can be satisfied with either the prerequisite course or an ACT, SAT, or ALEKS (Math) test score. Passing placement scores need to be submitted to the Early College Program Office prior to registering for the course.

Placement Information

• Biology Placement
• Chemistry Placement
• English Placement
• Math Placement
• Physics Placement

ISU Biology Placement

Students place into a course by completing the prerequisite course(s) with a grade of C- or better or by achieving appropriate scores on the math portion of the ACT/SAT test, Compass, or ALEKS placement exam.

ISU Chemistry Placement

Students place into a course by completing the prerequisite course(s) with a grade of C- or better or by achieving appropriate scores on the math portion of the ACT/SAT test, Compass, or ALEKS placement exam.

ISU English Placement  

ISU uses The Write Class as the primary method for placement into Objective 1 writing courses (ENGL 1101 and 1102). The SAT, ACT, and high school GPA are no longer used for automatic placement into these courses. The Write Class does not allow for multiple attempts, and placement results are final. Based on the information students provide in the The Write Class, they will be placed into ENGL 1101, 1101P, or 1102. In order to take The Write Class, you must be admitted to ISU and have your ISU login and password.  Click here to take The Write Class

For questions regarding test scores, contact the Department of English and Philosophy at (208) 282-2478.

ISU Math Placement              

All mathematics courses except MATH 0025 have prerequisites. Students place into a course by completing the prerequisite course(s) with a grade of C- or better or by achieving appropriate scores on the math portion of the ACT/SAT or ALEKS placement exams.              

Students should review the math requirements for any majors they are considering at ISU or elsewhere. Only certain mathematics courses will meet Objective 3 at ISU or general education mathematics at other colleges and universities. When considering enrollment in a math course, we recommend that you speak with your instructor, the Early College Program, or advisors at other universities or colleges you are considering.      

Students should plan their mathematics coursework according to their intended majors. Some majors, for instance, require MATH 1153, and others require MATH 1160. Students planning to take calculus must be especially careful to determine whether MATH 1160, Brief Calculus, or MATH 1170, Calculus I, is appropriate. Taking one after the other counts as a repeat and provides no further credit toward graduation.               

Note: for additional math courses offered at ISU please refer to the ISU course catalog for prerequisite information.

ISU Physics Placement

Students place into a course by completing the prerequisite course(s) with a grade of C- or better or by achieving appropriate scores on the math portion of the ACT/SAT test, Compass, or ALEKS placement exam.