I P F W

A C A D E M I C    R E G U L A T I O N S

A N D

P R O C E D U R E S

Senate Document SD 85-18, Page 4

(Amended & Approved, 4/21/86)

(Last Amended, 2/11/2008)

                3.2           Placement tests .  Students should take the following tests as soon as possible after admission to IPFW.  Students completing these tests shall be notified of the test results and their implications in a timely fashion.

                                3.2.1        English and mathematics.  A regularly admitted beginning student is allowed to register for classes only after taking the IPFW English and mathematics placement tests.  Any other student is allowed to register for classes beyond the session in which the first 12 credits are completed at IPFW only if the student has (1) taken these tests or (2) established credit in entry-level English and mathematics courses.

Students who place into developmental mathematics or English must complete the appropriate developmental course(s) in their first twenty-four credits of IPFW course work, with the exception of developmental mathematics for those students enrolled in a certificate or associate degree program that does not require mathematics.

                                3.2.2        Reading.  A regularly admitted beginning student is allowed to register for classes only after submitting one of the following:

                                                                (1) SAT test score above 450 on the verbal test;

                                                                (2) ACT test score above 19 on the individual reading test;

                                                                (3) Scoring above the lowest 15 percentile (determined by national norms) on the

                                                                IPFW placement test.

Students who do not meet at least one of these requirements will be required to complete a reading course as specified by the Department of English and Linguistics and approved by the College of Arts and Sciences during one of the student’s first two enrollment periods.

                                3.2.3        Foreign language.  A student who has studied a foreign language before entering IPFW should take a foreign-language placement examination before continuing study in that language.

                                3.2.4        English-as-a-Second-Language¹. Prior to Admission, the Admissions Office shall determine which prospective undergraduate students have a native language other than English.  All such students who do not have transfer credit for an English composition course that carries credit toward graduation shall be identified as ESL students and shall be required to submit scores on the TOEFL or an equivalent test approved by Transitional Studies.

ESL students shall be admitted with the condition that they achieve appropriate competency levels in English composition.

Based upon TOEFL or equivalent test scores, Transitional Studies shall determine which ESL students need ESL instruction.  Students who are found to be exempt from ESL course requirements shall be subject to the regular English placement-testing and course-completion requirements described in these regulations.  Other ESL students shall:

                                                3.2.4.1     Be admitted only to Transitional Studies unless they score the equivalent of 550 or above on the TOEFL and meet the admission requirements of a degree-granting academic unit.  Students admitted in this fashion to Transitional Studies shall not be eligible for admission to another academic unit until they have completed ESL-related requirements.

                                                3.2.4.2       Enroll in the appropriate ESL course each semester until the requirement is satisfied.

                                                3.2.4.3       Complete the prescribed series of ESL courses within their first 36 credits at IPFW. 

                                                                  Transitional Studies shall have authority to alter any student’s registration if the provisions of Sections 3.2.4.2 and 3.2.4.3 are not being met.

¹ This section applies to undergraduate students only.  As noted in the Graduate Programs Bulletin, graduate applicants must follow university-specific requirements to demonstrate compentency in English.