High School Students

You will be placed so that you have access to mathematics and English courses at the transfer level if you have completed high school graduation requirements.

• If you have a strong history of academic performance will be most likely be able to directly enroll in one or more transfer level courses.
• If it looks like you would benefit from additional help in passing a transfer level course, you may be required to take a support course along with the transfer level course. The support course is meant to increase your chances of passing the transfer level course on the first attempt.  The support course focuses on just-in-time review in key concepts and developing strong college study skills.
• If you are placed with a support course requirement, you can only enroll in the transfer level course options that include a support course. This requirement only applies to your successful completion of your first transfer level, math or English, course in your major.
  

You will get two mathematics placements. You have one placement for each of Southwestern College's mathematics pathways. However, you probably only need to enroll in one mathematics pathway. The right mathematics pathway for each student will depend on the intended field of study and/ or major. The two mathematics pathways are described below:

• Students who are pursuing fields of study that do not require knowledge of higher level algebra and calculus will be able to take transfer level math classes that focus on statistics or other types of mathematical reasoning that meet the requirements for their chosen field of study. This sequence is called Statistics and Liberal Arts Math (SLAM).
• Students who plan on majoring in Business, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (BSTEM) and related fields will be directed to course sequences that include higher level algebra and calculus courses to prepare them for the work they will do in their chosen field of study.

Placement within each mathematics course sequence will depend on the kinds of math classes that students took in high school, the grades that they received in those courses, and their overall high school GPA (unweighted).

If you have questions about which math pathway and which math courses are right for you, please speak to a Southwestern College counselor after you get your placements but before you enroll in classes.

Students will be placed into the English composition course sequence based on their GPA and the English classes taken in high school.

If you have an unweighted overall high school GPA of 2.6 or higher and have completed 11th grade English or higher, you will probably be placed directly into English 115 College Composition: Reading and Writing Analytically.

If you have an unweighted overall high school GPA below 2.6, you will probably be placed into English 115+, a section of English 115 with a corequisite support course of English 45 Support for College Composition: Reading and Writing Analytically or NC-165, its noncredit equivalent.

Students with a high school GPA between 2.0 and 2.5 may petition to opt out of the concurrent support requirement.

Initial placements consider if you report taking Advanced Placement (AP),  International Baccalaureate (IB), or honors courses in mathematics or English in high school on your application. However, they do not consider AP or IB examination results.

• If you scored 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement Test or 5 or higher on an International Baccalaureate test in mathematics, you may be eligible for a higher mathematics placement.
• A score of 3 or higher on one of the AP English Composition examinations, you may be eligible for a higher placement in English. Unfortunately, we cannot use IB English examination scores in course placement.
• See the section on "Using AP or IB score to satisfy requisites" on the Prerequisites website for more information on how to submit your scores to revise your placements or satisfy a course prerequisite.