Mathematics Placement Guidelines

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How Math Placement Works

All St. Edward’s students are required to complete a quantitative reasoning course. These and other mathematics courses require satisfactory placement, which can be achieved through SAT/ACT subscores or the ALEKS placement test.

Incoming students will receive information about math placement through HillStart and New Student Orientation. The online Math Placement Tool can help you determine your placement information, based on your intended major, SAT/ACT subscores, and any prior college credit. Online access to the ALEKS placement test is provided through Hillstart, as part of New Student Orientation. Your official placement score will be determined by a proctored ALEKS placement test during New Student Orientation.

Steps for Math Placement

Use the online Math Placement Tool to determine what math class you will place into, and what math class(es) are required for your major. Take an unproctored practice math placement test on ALEKS prior to orientation.

Use the link for ALEKS in Hillstart. If you are satisfied with your projected placement, you are prepared for your proctored math placement test. 

  • Spend time using the included learning modules to improve your score.
  • Take a second unproctored (practice) attempt. 

Take a proctored math placement test during orientation.

Additional Information

The chart below shows the scores necessary to place into the various levels of introductory math courses. If you have taken multiple tests (ACT, SAT, ALEKS), the highest mathematics score among these is used for math placement. 

Course Prerequisite Placement Scores

Minimum SAT math subscoreMinimum ACT math subscoreMinimum proctored ALEKS ScoreCourse you are permitted to take
000

MATH 1312 Quantitative Reasoning

MATH 0114 + MATH 1314 College Algebra with Support

MATH 0124 + MATH 1324  Math for Business with Support

or MATH 0104 Support for Statistics + PSYC 2317POLS 3328 or SOCI 2329 

5201946

MATH 1314 College Algebra

MATH 1324 Math for Business

PSYC 2317 Psychology Statistics

POLS 3328 Political Research and Statistics 

or SOCI 2329 Social Statistics

5702361MATH 2312 Precalculus
7002870MATH 2413 Calculus I

You will not be permitted to take a course that is above your readiness level (even if you are only one point away). If you want to place into a higher-level course, you may use ALEKS learning modules to improve your skills before taking the proctored assessment or a retake. You must qualify for a course before scheduling it.

What math courses are required for your degree plan?

Intended MajorLikely Courses
All Humanities Majors: literature, languages, communication, journalism, graphic design, religious studies, philosophy, visual and performing arts.MATH 1312
Quantitative Reasoning
All Behavioral and Social Science majors: psychology, sociology, criminology, criminal justice, history, environmental science and policy, global studies.

PSYC 2317 Psychology Statistics,

POLS 3328 Political Research and Statistics 

or SOCI 2329 Social Statistics

All Business majors, except economics: accounting, finance, business, international business, management, marketing, information technology, digital media management, interactive games management, interactive games studies, entrepreneurship, (economics requires calculus).

MATH 1324

Math for Business

All Natural Sciences majors: biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, chemistry, environmental chemistry, forensic chemistry, forensic science, math, math education, computer science, engineering, medical laboratory science. (computer information science requires precalculus) 

Secondary Education (high school, junior high, middle school) majors in science or mathematics.

Economics. 

Students on a pre-health professions track, regardless of major.

MATH 2413 

Calculus I

If your SAT/ACT scores aren't high enough to place into the math course that you want, then the proctored ALEKS assessment is the score that counts. If you are not satisfied with your initial placement, then using the provided learning modules will help to improve the skills that you were less successful with. 

The vast majority of students who use these learning modules improve their scores on each subsequent assessment, and 90% of students move up by at least one course. 

Students who spend at least 15 hours in a learning module show the most improvement in their scores. This may seem like "a lot of time" to spend on math review before you even get to college, but you can save both time toward your degree and tuition money, if you take a little time to prepare yourself to start in a higher math course! 

To access the learning modules, return to the ALEKS Assessment through the link you were initially provided.

Your placement score is used to help you start in the course where you have the best chance to succeed. Students who are not successful in their first math course are highly unlikely to persist in engineering and science majors. If you need calculus, starting where you place is the best path to success. 

New first-year students will work with an academic adviser to identify appropriate math courses at New Student Orientation. Questions about course selection will be addressed then. 

Transfer students and continuing students should contact their assigned adviser with questions.

What is ALEKS? 

ALEKS is a powerful artificial-intelligence based assessment tool that zeros in on the strengths and weaknesses of a student’s mathematical knowledge, reports its findings to the student, and then provides the student with a learning environment for improving this knowledge to an appropriate level for course placement. 

The ALEKS Math Assessment ensures students’ readiness for particular mathematics courses at St. Edward's University. Since these courses are demanding, it is important for students to begin in the course most likely to lead to success. Students will not be permitted to take a course unless they have demonstrated readiness. After completing the initial assessment, students who wish to improve their skills may use the included learning modules.

Who must take ALEKS? 

To make sure you are placed correctly into the correct math course, every student is required to take the math placement exam unless their success coach has indicated otherwise. If you have AP or college credit for a math course, or high SAT/ACT math subscores, you may contact your success coach to find out if you qualify for a math placement exemption. 

What does ALEKS cost?

A $25 placement fee will be billed to students who take at least one placement test in ALEKS. This one-time fee allows access to the included learning modules and five proctored placement tests. Access to the learning modules extends into the student's first semester, and may be used as a supplement to the first math course.

 When do students take ALEKS?

New St. Edward's students will be given access to ALEKS within Hillstart, usually around April 1 for students beginning in the fall or November 1 for students beginning in the spring. After their initial proctored test, students may still work within the learning modules to attempt to place into a higher-level course, up until the end of the add-drop period (usually Friday of the first week of classes).

Transfer Credit may be awarded for college-level math credits with an earned grade of C or better. 

No student will be placed into a mathematics course on the basis of high school transcripts.

View Credit by Exam equivalencies for APT (Advanced Placement) and CLEP (College-Level Examination Program).

Advanced Placement credit is awarded for MATH 2413 (Calculus I) for scores of 4,5 on the Calculus AB exam, and for scores of 3,4,5 on the Calculus BC exam. Additionally, credit for MATH 2414 (Calculus II) is awarded for scores of 4,5 on the Calculus BC exam. If incoming students are registering for classes while awaiting AP scores, it is advised to use the ACT/SAT scores or take the ALEKS placement exam in the meantime.

ALEKS is not a timed test. The assessment will ask up to 30 questions. You may take as long as you need to answer the questions in the practice test, as long as the assessment is completed within 48 hours of starting. Additional time for the proctored test (up to 3 hours) will be granted by special request at least 48 hours prior to the testing appointment. 

If you need accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services Office at St. Edward’s University 

Hours (Central Time): Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. 

Campus Location: Moody Hall, Suite 155 

Contact: SDS@evmcu.net or (512) 448-8561

Contact and Support

Access to Canvas and MyHilltop

If you encounter an issue logging into Canvas or myHilltop, contact OIT Support desk or 512-448-8443. 

Assistance with ALEKS

If you encounter a technical issue within ALEKS, contact ALEKS Higher Education Customer Support at 714-619-7090. Hours (CDT) of operation are as follows: 

Sunday: 3 p.m. to midnight 

Monday – Thursday: 8 a.m. to midnight 

Friday: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

General Inquiries

If you have general questions about math placement at St. Edward's University, please send an email with your full name, student ID number, and question.