Placement Testing

The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and Framingham State University require ALL students to complete courses in writing and math. There is also a world language requirement that can be fulfilled by taking one semester of a language or by demonstrating competency in a language other than English.  We review adjusted high school GPA, standardized test scores (if provided), and any college credits already earned to determine course levels in these areas:

WRITING PLACEMENT
Students are asked to take a placement test in writing if their adjusted high school GPA is less than 3.0 to determine which level of writing is most appropriate. If you should take the writing placement test, the Director of the First Year Writing program will notify you by e-mail (your Framingham State e-mail account) with instructions on how to access the test online.  

* Due to current COVID19 precautions we are not able to offer testing on campus for math and language.  We plan to resume testing in the fall semester. The following guidelines pertain only to new students starting at Framingham State in Fall 2021​*​​​​​​

​MATH PLACEMENT

Are you enrolled in a STEM major? Majors include: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Food and Nutrition, Food Science, Mathematics, and Pre-Engineering. If you are, then you will select your first math class in consultation with faculty during Advising and Registration. It is important to review the following information about math courses and placement before your Advising and Registration appointment:

Fall 2021 - Math Placement For New STEM Majors  (for new STEM majors only)

If you are not enrolled in a STEM major or are Undeclared, your faculty will advise you on which math course you will take and if you should register for math at this time (refer to the Math Pathways guide).  

Students with an adjusted high school GPA less than 2.7 can enroll in the course level that includes Math Lab Emporium. This is additional time each week (2 hours) when a smaller group meets with the professor to review course material and receive additional help. It is a great support for students who find math to be challenging, feel underprepared for college math (especially after this last year of online learning), or haven’t been in a math class for awhile.  You will also have an opportunity to take a math placement test (resuming this fall) and with a high enough score, you could take your math course without the Emporium.

Students with an adjusted high school GPA of 2.7 or greater can enroll in a 100 level math course without the Math Lab Emporium.

LANGUAGE PLACEMENT

Languages at FSU include American Sign Language (ASL), Chinese, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.  Students may take a course in any of these fields to fulfill the language requirement. ASL and Spanish are offered as Majors and Minors.  Chinese, French, and Portuguese are offered as Minors. 

If you plan to study one of these languages in the Fall 2021 semester, and have academic and/or heritage experience with that same language, please contact the Placement Coordinator by e-mailing placement@framingham.edu.  You may be asked to be tested for your level of fluency and knowledge in order to place you into the appropriate course level.  If you do not have any experience with the language you wish to take a course in, you would select the 101 level.

Students who have significant experience with a language other than English will have the opportunity to be assessed for a waiver through a standardized test or an assessment with a member of the World Language Department.  The method of assessment depends on the language.  A waiver does not give course credit.  It allows the student to choose a non-language course from a selection of other courses to earn the credit.
Please e-mail placement@framingham.edu for information about language waivers.