Placement Score Requirements

Placement Scores

Per KBOR policy, each student who meets either a systemwide course placement measure OR an institutionally designated* course placement measure is eligible to enroll in a gateway course without developmental support. Each student meeting neither of the above shall be placed into the gateway course with developmental support.

ENG101 English Composition I

  • 18+ on ACT Reading AND ACT English; OR
  • 500+ on SAT ERW (Evidence-based Reading and Writing); OR
  • 255+ Accuplacer Reading AND Writing; OR
  • 3.0+ high school cumulative unweighted GPA after five or more semesters; OR
  • 16+ ACT Reading AND ACT English AND B or higher (not B-) in most recent high school English course; OR
  • 2.7+ high school cumulative unweighted GPA after 5 or more semesters AND B or higher (not B-) in most recent high school English course; OR
  • GED® Score: 160

If a student does not meet the systemwide course placement requirements, they will be required to enroll in ENG101R (Composition I Review), a co-requisite course for Composition I. ENG101R consists of three co-requisite hours (0 credit hours) that do not count toward degree requirements. Students who need the co-requisite section should enroll in the same section “number” of ENG101 and ENG101R.

Per KBOR policy, each student who meets either a systemwide course placement measure OR an institutionally designated* course placement measure is eligible to enroll in a gateway course without developmental support. Each student meeting neither of the above shall be placed into the gateway course with developmental support. Note: If a student athlete wishes to transfer to D1 school for athletics, they MUST take college algebra (with or without review).

 MAT104 College Algebra

  • Math ACT: 22 or higher OR
  • Math SAT: 540 or higher OR
  • ALEKS PPL: 46 or higher OR
  • Accuplacer QAS: 263 or higher OR
  • HS GPA and Course Grade: 3.25 cumulative GPA (unweighted) and B- or higher in Second semester Algebra 2 or Integrated Math 3 OR
  • GED® Score: 165 OR
  • Institutional Measure*

 MAT108 Contemporary Math and MAT203 Basic Statistics

  • Math ACT: 19 or higher OR
  • Math SAT: 510 or higher OR
  • ALEKS PPL: 30 or higher OR
  • Accuplacer QAS: 255 or higher OR
  • HS GPA and Course Grade: 3.00 cumulative GPA (unweighted) and C- or higher in Second Semester Algebra 2 or Integrated Math 3 OR
  • GED® Score: 160 OR
  • Institutional Measure*

If a student does not meet the systemwide course placement requirements, they will be required to enroll in a Review section, a co-requisite course. The following additional co-requisite hours are required but do not count toward degree requirements:

  • MAT104R (College Algebra Review) – 3 hours
  • MAT108R (Contemporary Math Review) – 2 hours
  • MAT203R (Basic Statistics Review) – 2 hours

*Institutionally designated course placement measure is any course placement measure that is not included in the systemwide course placement measures and is used to determine eligibility to enroll in a gateway English or math course. These measures could include, but are not limited to, vendor-based assessments, homegrown assessments, or an evaluation of non-cognitive factors. These measures are approved at the institutional level and only apply in cases in which the student did not meet any of the applicable systemwide course placement measures. This category also provides institutions the professional discretion to place students in the gateway course by considering scores on multiple measures as well as non-cognitive factors known to the institution.

Sign Up for Accuplacer Testing

Highland Community College does not require ACT or SAT scores to be admitted to the College, but prerequisite verification is required for enrollment into English and math courses.  ACT or SAT scores will be used as placement scores for students who have taken those tests. HCC will also consider an unweighted high school GPA and GED, Asset, and Accuplacer scores for placement.

Students who have no placement, or outdated placement, will be given the Accuplacer NG assessment test prior to enrolling in English and math courses. The following guides outline the scores needed on each of the accepted options for enrollment in HCC courses. Virtual testing options are also available and require the student pay a testing fee for proctoring requirements with Accuplacer NG.

Schedule Accuplacer Placement Test