Note: The information provided below is only relevant for SAS students for whom English is not the first language or who are bilingual or multilingual.
The English Placement Test is designed to provide information about your English reading and writing skills. The test is online and is allotted 90 minutes. It consists of four sections: a short language questionnaire (5 minutes), an essay (20 minutes), reading comprehension (35 minutes), and sentence sense (30 minutes).
The purpose of the test is to help the Advising Office place you in courses that are appropriate for your level of English proficiency, so that you can have the best chance to succeed at SAS and Rutgers.
Most incoming international students need to take the English Placement Test as early as possible except for the following:
If you are an international transfer student, you should only take the test if advised to do so by a SAS Advising Dean or if indicated on your transfer summary/credit evaluation.
Please be assured that no matter how you score on your English Placement Test, the score will not affect your admission to SAS, appear on your transcript, or affect your GPA. Its only purpose is to place you into the appropriate classes to help you succeed at Rutgers.
The English Placement Test is important to your success at SAS, so please take it seriously and do your best independent and honest work. You must have 90 minutes of uninterrupted time because the test must be completed in one sitting.
Tests are administered online and can be completed from home or in a quiet environment with a reliable internet connection. Please use a laptop or desktop computer – do not use mobile devices .
Read the “PLACEMENT TESTING INFORMATION BULLETIN” for sample tests at the following link: http://oirap.rutgers.edu/Bulletin.pdf
The most important thing is to make sure you have access to reliable internet when you test, since tests can only be attempted once. If you are unsure of how reliable your internet access is, it is best to wait until you have access to a campus computer lab to ensure reliability. If you do have reliable internet access, then please complete testing as soon as possible. The earliest that Fall incoming students can test is March.
It usually takes a few weeks to get your English Placement Test results. Therefore, it is important to take the test as soon as you confirm your attendance at SAS, provided that the test is available and that you are certain you have reliable internet access. Tests can be completed before you come to the U.S.
Within a few weeks of completing the test, you can view your placement result on the Enrollment Pathway (https://www.ugadmissions.rutgers.edu/pathway/) or Degree Navigator or by contacting the SAS Advising Office.
You cannot retake the placement test, but all placements are checked on the first day of your assigned writing class with an in-class written essay. Your in-class essay will be read to insure that you have been correctly placed in the writing course or you may be moved to a different level based on your essay.
*Last updated January 26, 2017. For most current information, please visit an SAS Advising Center.
Note: The information provided below is only relevant for SAS students for whom English is not the first language (or who are bilingual or multilingual) and whose placement test or writing sample indicates the need for additional writing courses.
The English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses are offered by the Writing Program’s Rutgers English Language Institute (RELI). The EAP program is a suite of first-year, credit-bearing composition courses for multilingual students. The specific EAP writing course students are required to take depends on their English Placement Test results as well as their first day writing samples. All students begin with the writing course in which they are placed and continue until Expository Writing is completed. The following courses are currently being offered by EAP:
EAP I 356:155 Writing Across Cultures (4 credits)
EAP II 356:156 Academic Writing in the United States (4 credits)
Optional support course for students in EAP I or EAP II: EAD 356:152 Discussion and Presentation Skills. Can be taken only once, at the request of the student or student's advisor.
355:100 Basic Composition (3 credits)
355:101 Expository Writing (3 credits)
The specific writing course you need to take depends on your English Placement Test result or your writing instructor. All students must begin with the course in which they place, and continue along until Expository Writing is completed. Many international students are placed in one of the EAP courses, but it is possible for an international student to be placed into Basic Composition or Expository Writing.
Yes, after you have successfully completed EAP II, the highest level EAP course, you will need to register for Expository Writing, on a continuous level.
Expository Writing (355:101) is the required writing course for all students at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. The course is designed to prepare students for the writing they will do at the university and in their professional lives.
There are two other writing courses required for the SAS Core (Revision-based Writing or WCr and Discipline--based Writing or WCd) after you finish Expository Writing but do not need to be taken immediately after Expository Writing.
There are some important courses for certain majors, such as General Biology, that require finishing at least Basic Composition as a prerequisite because many courses use the proficiencies developed in writing courses. There are also a few majors (such as Communication) that cannot be declared until you finish Expository Writing with a grade of C or better. Please consult with a SAS advising dean for more detailed analysis of your English placement and the path towards your desired majors/minors.
Limited sections of the EAP and some other writing courses are offered at Rutgers in the summer. SAS requires that all courses in the EAP/Expos writing course sequence must be taken at Rutgers-New Brunswick.
The writing tutoring course, or the Writing Center (355:096), is a 1.5 credit (pass/fail) course. These credits count toward the 12 credits needed to be full time, but do not count toward the 120 credits required for graduation. Any student (ESL student or not) taking a writing course can take the Writing Center. It can be re-taken many times, unlike the Presentation and Discussion course (152) which can only be taken once. Students can sign up for Writing Center through the Writing Program after the second week of classes.
Students transferring from a NJ Community College can use NJ Transfer to assess course transferability. We require a grade of "C" or better for a course to transfer.
Students transferring from a four-year college or university can make the general assumption that classes completed with a grade of "C" or better in an academic department offered at Rutgers University will be accepted for transfer credit. These courses may or may not be utilized to fulfill major requirements but will generally receive a minimum of elective academic credit. Please note that this is a general guideline only and should not be considered a guarantee of any sort.
All transcripts can be sent to the SAS Transfer Center:
SAS Transfer Center
54 Joyce Kilmer Avenue
Lucy Stone Hall Rm. A204
Piscataway, NJ 08854
**only OFFICIAL transcripts can be evaluated. If you are submitting a hard copy transcript, do not break the seal. Opened envelopes are considered unofficial and cannot be reviewed.
The School of Arts and Sciences requires that transcripts from Chinese institutions be submitted with a verification report from the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHESICC) https://www.chsi.com.cn/en/ to be considered official. Any transcript that does not include a verification letter from CHESICC will not be evaluated.
CHESICC does not verify summer or winter sessions for English-language based programs in China or Taiwan. The summer programs are often offered by third-party collaboration with a traditional university in China, Taiwan, or Korea serving as the host campus. The School of Arts and Sciences does not accept transfer credits from any of these programs, including those in cooperation with United States schools (ex: Seminole State University in Florida and Fontbonne University in Missouri).