Placement

Welcome to Placement at UBalt

In order to accurately assess and prepare new students for the rigors of their first semester, The University of Baltimore requires placement testing to determine accurate writing and math courses for its new and current students. Newly admitted first-year students with valid SAT/ACT scores should consult their admission counselor to determine if math placement is required.

Transfer students requiring placement should register for placement tests no later than their second semester at UBalt. Failure to do so may impact your intended graduation schedule and course registration.

If placement testing accommodations are required and you are new to UBalt or not registered with the Office of Disability and Access Services for accommodations, please send current documentation of a disability (at least two weeks in advance) to the Office of Disability and Access Services .

First-Year Student Placement

All first-year students should contact their admission counselor to verify their placement requirements. All students are required to complete the Haven and Plagiarism tutorials and placement activities prior to meeting with their first-year adviser.

For additional information, email Mr. Carey Miller, Director of Student Success and Retention, at cmiller@ubalt.edu.

Upper-Division Writing Placement

If you have completed WRIT 101 or you have been given credit by taking a similar course at another institution, you are eligible to take the placement assessment provided here which will determine whether you will be taking WRIT 200 or WRIT 300.

Directed Self Placement (DSP) is an online process that helps you decide which course path is right for you. This assessment is a combination of questions that ask about your history with reading and writing as well as some skill-oriented questions that help us determine the abilities you have at this time. In addition, there is a short writing prompt that will assist us in placing those who are "borderline."

You should plan to spend approximately 90 minutes completing this DSP process, but you may take as much time as you wish.

While students can take the test on their own time, we are requesting that they keep these dates in mind if they'd like to be guaranteed registration:

Summer: May 5
Fall: Aug. 5
Spring: Jan. 10

Complete Directed Self Placement

All questions regarding this process should be directed to Dr. Rachael Zeleny, Writing Program Director, at rzeleny@ubalt.edu.

Transfer and Upper-Division Math Placement

The ALEKS Math Placement is offered completely online, and can be completed on your own time and at your own pace. The ALEKS Math Placement has two components: the pre-assessment, and the official placement. The pre-assessment will generate a study path which students can use as a preparation tool to complete the official placement. The official math placement will determine the math course(s) you will be required to complete.

For additional information and preparation for the Math Placement, please email mathplacement@ubalt.edu.

Math Placement

Transfer and Freshman Math Placement Exemption Policy

Students who are required to sit for the math placement will take the ALEKS Placement. Students will complete an unproctored placement 48 hours prior to their arrival for their official Math Placement assessment. Once a student completes their placement on campus and places into developmental math, they will have the opportunity to re-take the placement for a better score. Students are encouraged to utilize the learning and prep module developed in ALEKS, based on their placement results. The prep and learning modules are open for six months from the first completed placement.

Placement scores determine initial enrollment in MATH 82: Introduction to Algebra and MATH 153: Statistics (Math 82 & MATH 153 must be taken together in the same semester), MATH 86: Developmental Mathematics-Algebra and MATH 163: College Algebra (MATH 86 & MATH 163 must be taken together in the same semester), MATH 111: College Algebra, MATH 113: Math for Liberal Arts, and MATH 115: Statistics.

Students will be advised to register for appropriate courses based on placement scores.

A score of 46 or higher will place a student into general education math i.e. MATH111: College Algebra, MATH113: Math for Liberal Arts, or MATH115: Statistics.The placement results are posted to a students' UBPortal, under Placement Test Results.

Placement FAQs

What is placement?

Placement helps evaluate a students' current knowledge or skills.
Why do I need to take placement?

At UBalt, we use placement tests to help determine what courses you need to ensure that you are successful and achieve your academic goals. Placement tests only measure your current skill level; they do not measure your intelligence or your ability.
What are the grading criteria for the Upper-Division Writing Placement?
A student’s essay will be evaluated as a piece of formal writing using the following criteria:
- Purpose: Shows an indentifiable purpose.
- Topic: Has engaged the primary issue raised by the reading passage.
- Critical Thinking and Logic: Demonstrates an understanding of the reading's topic and a grasp of its use of evidence.
- Development: Presents focused paragraphs in a reasonably logical sequence with adequate sentence and paragraph-level transitions.
- Style/Usage/Grammar: Employs adequate use of sentence structure and vocabulary; exhibits control of written English, and while the essay may contain some grammatical flaws, they do not detract from the overall effect or clarity of the writing.
- Reflection: Consistently analyzes and reflects on their reading, writing, and thinking processes; purposes at least one important revision.
- Review the Upper-Division Writing Placement rubric.
What happens if my AP credits do not transfer in as WRIT 101?

If a student’s AP credits do not transfer as our WRIT 101 College Composition, the student will be required to register for this course within his or her first two semesters at UBalt.
Can I transfer my course credit to replace the WRIT 300 course?

Generally, no. It is unusual for a transfer student to have credit for an equivalent course. Exceptions are reviewed individually by the writing program director.
Can I retake the math and writing placement tests?

Students will be allowed to request one math placement retake. After taking the math placement test for the first time, it is recommended that students wait 48 hours or two business days while logging five hours in the ALEKS platform prior to retaking the placement.

Upper-division students are not permitted to retake the writing placement test. Exceptions are determined by the writing program director.
What is WRIT 200, and why do I need to take it?

WRIT 200 Practicum in Writing is a 3-credit course which helps students prepare for WRIT 300 with an additional semester of writing instruction.
How do I take a placement test if I'm a Shady Grove student?

If you are a Shady Grove student needing to sit for the Upper-Division Writing Placement Test, please contact writingplacement@ubalt.edu.
When should I take the Upper-Division Writing Placement?

All students must take the writing placement test before their second registration at UBalt or once they have accumulated 45 credits or more. Students are also encouraged to take this placement test early in order to register for the appropriate writing course. Failure to do so may affect their ability to get into a desired class section.
How do I obtain my results after taking the Upper-Division Writing Placement?

Students' placement results are available through the MyUB Portal. Log in to MyUB and follow this path: My Self Service> Placement Test Scores
What do my math placement results mean (transfer and upper-division students)?
- If the score is between 0-45 a student will be required to register for MATH 82 and MATH 153 or MATH 86 and MATH 163
- If the score is 46 or higher a student can select MATH 111, MATH 113 or MATH 115 to fulfill the General Education math requirement.
How do I prepare for the Math Placement ?

In order to prepare for the Math Placement, you can review the Get Ready for the Math Placement Test study guide. This guide provides questions and concepts you may see on the placement. It also includes an answer key that allows you to check your work.

You can also attend one of the Math Review sessions held in the Robert L. Bogomolny Library during their Math Tutoring Drop-In hours, where a math tutor can walk you through solving the problems.

Students should also plan to review math material prior to taking the placement test. Wyzant.com and Math.com offers helpful practice tests in both pre-algebra and algebra.

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