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Placement Requirements

Fulfilling Placement Requirements

English and mathematics are an important part of the foundational work at MassBay Community College. All students seeking and enrolling into an Associates Degree program must fulfill the placement requirements.  The following certificate programs also have placement requirements:  Emergency Medical Technician, Human Services: Direct Support, Medical Office Administrative Assistant, Paramedicine, Practical Nursing.  If you have applied to the College you may log in to your Bay Navigator account to check your "To Do" list for the specific placement requirements that apply to you.  If there are no placement items on your "To Do" list then you are exempt or have met the requirement already.

Students can satisfy the placement requirements in several ways. Students may waive the placement test using one of the multiple measures; these students will have the opportunity to enroll in college-level English and mathematics.

College-Level Math (GPA waiver): For courses that require a lower-level college math course as a pre-requsite, like MA 200-Calculus, students using the high school GPA math waiver will be able to enter directly into the pre-requisite, MA 104- Pre-Calculus, and not the higher-level math course, MA 200- Calculus.

 

Here is a complete list of ways a student entering MassBay can meet the placement requirement:

  • High School GPA
    • High school cumulative GPA of 2.7 or greater from an accredited U.S. high school within the last 3 years for math placement and 10 years for English placement.
    • Students must submit a copy of their high school transcript to Admissions@massbay.edu.
  • GED/HiSET
    • GED math score of 165 or higher within 3 years and/or English Language Arts score of 165 or higher within 10 years.
    • HiSET math score of 15 or higher within 3 years and/or Reading and Writing score of 15 or higher within 10 years.
    • Students must submit a copy of their GED/HiSET score report to Admissions@massbay.edu.
  • Transfer Credit
    • College level English or mathematics completed at with a D or higher* (C- or higher required for transfer of credits); for the transfer of credits, students must submit official transcripts to the Office of the Registrar. For the purposes of placement and placement waivers, students should contact the Academic & Transfer Advising Center, advisingcenter@massbay.edu.
    • Developmental coursework* in English and mathematics will not transfer, but can be used for the purposes of placement. Students should contact the Academic & Transfer Advising Center, advisingcenter@massbay.edu.
    • Completion of an Associates degree or higher* at a regionally-accredited US college/university will meet the English placement requirement.
    • Advanced Placement (AP), College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), and International Baccalaureate (IB), are all acceptable exams for the purposes of placement and transfer of credit in English and mathematics. Specific information on which exam credit may be granted can be found here: https://www.massbay.edu/cpl. Official scores should be sent directly to the Academic & Transfer Advising Center for review.
    • For all placement waivers and transfer of credit, coursework must have been completed at a regionally accredited college or university. Foreign documents must be translated and evaluated by a credible agency. English coursework will only be accepted from a US institution
      • SAT or ACT
        • SAT or ACT exams dated within 5 years may be used for placement.
        • SAT score of 500 or higher on the verbal portion or ACT English and Reading score of 37 or higher will waive the Accuplacer Reading Comprehension test. (Writeplacer must still be completed.)
        • SAT score of 600 or higher on the verbal portion or ACT English and Reading score of 49 or higher will waive both the Accuplacer Writing and Reading Comprehension tests and will satisfy placement for English.
        • SAT and ACT scores for math placement are listed in the chart below:
       

      SAT Math score <470

      ACT Math Score <17

      Eligible to enroll in MA 090/MA 090X

       

      SAT Math score 470–490

      ACT Math Score 17

      Eligible to enroll in MA 095 or MA 105/MA 105X, MA 106/MA 106X

       

      SAT Math score 500–530

      ACT Math Score 18-21

      Eligible to enroll in MA 098 or MA 105, MA 106, or MA 104/MA 104X

       

      SAT Math score 540–570

      ACT Math Score 22-23

      Eligible to enroll in MA 102, MA 109 or lower

       

      SAT Math score 580–680

      ACT Math Score 24-29

      Eligible to enroll in MA 104 or lower

       

      SAT Math score 690–800

      ACT Math Score 30-36

      Eligible to enroll in MA 200 or lower

       

      Accuplacer

      Students who do not meet any of the above criteria will need to complete the Accuplacer Placement Test. More information and preparatory materials can be found at: https://www.massbay.edu/placementtesting

      For more information regarding placement, please contact the Academic Achievement Center at aac@massbay.edu.