Learn more about dual credit, credit-by-exam, and placement testsMany of our students take Advanced Placement (AP) exams, IB, or other credit-by-examination tests while in high school. In addition, many high schools in Texas are partnered with community colleges to offer dual credit college courses. Keep in mind that credit-by-exam and dual credit hours should quicken your time to degree and should allow to graduate in four years or less! The information below talks about credit-by-examination, dual credit, and the basics of placement tests.
For more information about how to send your test scores to UT, please see: http://www.utexas.edu/academic/mec/cbe/scores.html.
Once the scores are received by Student Testing Services, they are evaluated and a determination will be made as to the type of course credit that can be earned (if any).
If there is a possibility to earn credit, then you will need to petition online (also known as “claiming credit”) to have the credit-by-examination become part of your official academic record: Sending Scores to UT Austin. During orientation, you will need to talk to your academic advisor prior to claiming the credit.
• SAT Reasoning Test - Writing Section: A score of 600 or higher on the SAT Reasoning Test Writing Section will allow students to claim credit for Rhetoric & Writing (RHE) 306.
• ACT Writing Section: A score of 26 or higher on the ACT Writing Section will also allow students to claim credit for RHE 306.
• AP Language and Composition: A satisfactory score on the AP Language and Composition exam will allow students to claim credit for RHE 306.
• AP Literature and Composition: A satisfactory score on the AP Literature and Composition exam will allow students to claim credit for E 316K.
To review exams and scores accepted by the University visit the Student Testing Services website.
Some courses have credit-by-examination or placement test prerequisites that measure your proficiency in a subject to ensure you are placed in the appropriate level course. You will not be allowed to register for these courses if you have not taken the required tests. Several placement tests are available during orientation, including math, some foreign language, chemistry, and the Texas government tests. Please feel free to contact an academic advisor prior to orientation or during orientation if you have any questions about placement exams.
• ALEKS: Students who are interested in taking calculus or chemistry for B.S. degrees or pre-med should take an ALEKS exam. ALEKS is a web-based assessment and learning tool that provides targeted, individualized instruction. To learn more information on these exams, their cost and to register for them please check the College of Natural Sciences website.
• Students with prior knowledge of American Sign Language, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Spanish, or Russian, however acquired, must take a placement test before enrolling for the first time in a UT Austin course in that language. Tests in foreign languages other than the ones listed above are scheduled on an individual basis; students who need to take placement tests in such languages should make arrangements directly with the appropriate foreign language departments. Tests used for placement in foreign languages generally serve as bases for credit-by-examination in one to four courses. Foreign language tests may be taken only once. There is no need to sign up for a placement exam if you plan on enrolling in a foreign language in which you have no previous knowledge.
For more information on credit-by-examination, placement tests, and sending your test scores to the University of Texas at Austin, visit Student Testing Services.
While in high school, some students take courses that count towards high school requirements and toward college credit. This is called dual enrollment and the courses are typically taken at a community college. Credit earned through dual enrollment (“dual credit”) does not appear on your high school transcript. To have dual credit reflected on your UT record, you must have an official transcript sent from the community college with which your school works to the Office of Admissions at The University of Texas at Austin.
Here are some examples of common dual credit:
• ENGL 1301 (English Composition 1) = RHE 306 (Principles of Rhetoric)
• ENGL 1302 (English Composition 2) = RHE 309K (Topics in Writing)
• GOVT 2305 (US Government) = GOV 3 US
• GOVT 2306 (Texas Government) = GOV 3 TX
• ECON 2301 (Macroeconomics) = ECO 304L (Macroeconomics)
• HIST 1301 (US History 1) = HIS 315K (United States, 1492-1865)
• HIST 1302 (US History 2) = HIS 315L (United States Since 1865)
