Requirements for Placement into ENG 2100:
- A minimum score of 480+ on the SAT Verbal OR
- 20+ on the ACT English OR
- 75+ on the NY State Regents exam OR
- 56+ on the CUNY Assessment in Writing (CATW) and 70+ on the CAT in Reading.[1]
English Language Learning (ELL) Placement:
Baruch offers ELL versions of ENG 2100, called “T” or “Tutorial” sections. ENG 2100T sections provide extra support for students whose first language is not English: T courses are capped at 20 students, meet for two additional hours per week than ENG 2100 courses, and are taught by faculty with specializations in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).
Following admission, all students eligible for ENG 2100 take an Online Writing Placement in which they learn about the two classes, explain which class better fits their background, and write a short essay to be placed into ENG 2100 or 2100T. The ELL faculty in the Department of English who teach ENG 2100 and 2100T use this information to determine placement. Approximately 15-20% of students place into ENG 2100T each semester. ENG 2150T courses are available as well.
Placement for students transferring from institutions outside the U.S:
Transfer students whose last college of attendance was a foreign university must take the Accuplacer exam for placement purposes. Students who pass the Accuplacer may enroll in ENG 2100 but ideally should be advised by the ELL or Writing Director in the English Department to see if ENG 2100T would benefit the student. In such cases the ELL Director may ask the student to take the department’s Placement Exam.
Placement for students with degrees from outside the U.S.:
Prior to their first semester at Baruch, all students with degrees from institutions outside the U.S. must take an Exemption Exam, a 60-minute essay exam administered and scored by faculty in the Department of English at Baruch. Students who pass the exam will be awarded composition credits based on their score: a low pass earns credit for ENG 2100; a high pass earns credit for ENG 2100 and 2150. Students who do not pass the Exemption Exam will be placed into either ENG 2100(T) or ENG 2150(T) based on their score.
Placement for students with no Accuplacer:
Students with no Accuplacer score or other required placement measure must take the English Department’s Placement Exam prior to enrolling in ENG 2100. The Placement Exam, administered and scored by English Department faculty, is a 60-minute essay exam scored by faculty in the English Department. Students will be placed into either ENG 0153 (see below), ENG 2100, or ENG 2100T based on their score.
Placement for students who do not pass the Accuplacer or English Department Placement Exam (effective fall 2016):
In the fall of 2016 the English Department began a pilot course for ELL students who do not score high enough on the Accuplacer (and CATW before that) to place into ENG 2100 or 2100T. This course, based on the nationally recognized Accelerated Learning Program model (ALP), offers students extra support in a credit bearing First-Year Writing course. Students who do not receive a passing Accuplacer score to be eligible for 2100(T) will receive an ENG 0132 placement, and will be registered for a 2100T section that has 15 instead of 20 students so that they can receive intensive language instruction to enhance the student’s chances of meeting the 2100T course goals.
ENG 2100 Exemption Criteria (effective spring 2017):
Students who earn a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition or AP English Literature and Composition exam will be exempted from ENG 2100. Otherwise ENG 2100 and ENG 2150 are required for all Baruch students; no exemption is available for ENG 2150.
[1] For more information on how to interpret CATW scores, please see: http://www.cuny.edu/academics/testing/cuny-assessment-tests/faqs.html – 5. For details on the CATW exam, see: http://www.cuny.edu/academics/testing/cuny-assessment-tests/faqs/StudentHandbookCATWWebnew.pdf