Placement Tests

Policies and Procedures

In an effort to meet the academic needs of a diverse student population and enable students to be successful, Lincoln University uses an English ACT score and a mathematics placement test to determine a student's readiness for college level courses.  To assist in the process, students are required to submit ACT scores to the University as a condition of admittance.

The English sub-score of the ACT is used to place first-time freshmen in the appropriate English class.  Students scoring 16 or greater on the ACT will be placed in ENG 101.  Students with an English sub-score of 15 or less will be placed into ENG 90/Basic English.  Students may appeal their placement into ENG 90 through a written request to take the local essay administered on the same day as the mathematics placement examination.

All first-time freshmen are required to take the Lincoln University Mathematics Placement Test for placement into the appropriate mathematics class.

Additional guidelines for placement in English and math courses include the following:

  1. Students admitted without an ACT/SAT score may enroll in the lowest level English course, or may postpone taking an English class until the ACT score is available.
  2. Transfer students who have not taken a college-level English course must submit an ACT/SAT score for placement in English; transfer students who have not taken college-level mathematics courses must take the Lincoln University Mathematics Placement Test.
  3. Transfer students who have taken and passed with a minimum grade of "C" a developmental English course or sequence of courses (as determined by the Lincoln faculty) at an accredited university or community college may be placed into a college level English course.
  4. Transfer students who transfer developmental coursework in mathematics will be encouraged to take the Mathematics Placement Exam.  Transfer students who have completed with a minimum grade of "C" a developmental course equivalent to MAT 50/Basic Mathematics or MAT 51/Basic Algebra at an accredited university or community college may be placed in MAT 51/Basic Algebra or MAT 111/Intermediate Algebra.
  5. Visiting students who wish to enroll in English and/or math courses are not required to submit ACT scores or take placement tests.