First Year Advising Center
North Foundation Hall, Room 121
318 Meadow Brook Road
Rochester,
MI
48309-4454
(location map)
(248) 370-3227
FYAC@oakland.edu
Office Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Orientation & New Student Programs
North Foundation Hall, Room 105
318 Meadow Brook Road
Rochester, MI 48309-4454
(248) 370-GOLD
gold@oakland.edu
Office Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Course Placement & Testing
Math Placement Testing
Math Subscore | ALEKS PPL Placement Score | OU Math Placement |
---|---|---|
SAT: 0-480 ACT: 0-17 | [0, 29] (or successful completion of test 'E' on legacy math placement test) | MTH 0661** (Elementary |
SAT: 490-530 ACT: 18-21 | [30, 45] (or successful completion of test 'I' on legacy math placement test) | MTH 0662** (Intermediate Algebra) OR Any course listed above |
SAT: 540-650 ACT: 22-27 | [46, 60] (or successful completion of | MTH 1221 (Linear Programming, Elementary Functions) OR Any course listed above |
SAT: 660-800 ACT: 28 or | [61, 75] (or successful completion of | MTH 1332 (Trigonometry) |
SAT: 660-800 ACT: 28 or | [76, 100] | MTH 1222 (Calculus for OR |
Oakland University has a language requirement for all students as a part of the general education curriculum. Students who have taken a college-level language class at an accredited institution have satisfied this requirement. Read below about placement testing for modern languages or American Sign Language.
Students needing the language placement exam are those who have no previous college coursework in a language, but who have prior high school coursework in Chinese, French, German or Spanish and who intend to satisfy the language requirement by continuing in this language.
Students with no previous high school or college-level language experience do not need this test.
French, German, Chinese, or Spanish
If you took French, German, Chinese or Spanish in high school and wish to continue in that language at Oakland, take the online placement exam prior to orientation, using the password grizzlies1. Remember to bring a copy of your results with you to orientation.
Japanese or Arabic
If you took Japanese or Arabic, contact the Department of Modern Languages and Literature at (248) 370-2060 or visit O'Dowd Hall, Room 372.
Students with no formal training in ASL, do not use ASL in daily life, or have one year of high school ASL, do not need to schedule a placement interview and can enroll into COM 1500 – Introduction to American Sign Language. Students interested in placement into COM 1501 and higher are required to schedule a placement interview.
To schedule an appointment for assessment, email the Communication Program and ASL Coordinator, Dr. Robert Sidelinger, at sideling@oakland.edu with the following information:
- If you have had two or more years in high school (no college or university ASL courses), submit your transcripts and relevant course syllabi (if appropriate).
- If you have an extensive ASL background and use ASL in daily life but have not taken any formal courses, please provide details in your email about your background and experience with ASL.
First Year Writing
Most students will complete the first-year requirement by taking WRT 1050 (Composition I) and WRT 1060 (Composition II). Based on early writing samples in their classes, some students may be recommended to take WRT 1000 (Supervised Study), which provides one-on-one supplemental writing instruction and may be recommended as a co-requisite for any course.
To fulfill Oakland University’s general education writing foundations requirement, students must complete WRT 1060 (Composition II) or its equivalent with a 2.0 or higher.
Placement
Students are placed into the writing sequence with:
- SAT Writing or Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score
- OR ACT English subscore
- OR Advanced Placement English Language and Composition exam score
- OR International Baccalaureate Extended Essay (IBEE) test grade
- OR Transfer credits
- OR Completion of ESL 0572: Academic Writing
WRT 1020 (Basic Writing) | WRT 1050 (Composition I) | WRT 1060 (Composition II) | Writing Foundation Satisfied* |
---|---|---|---|
200-400 SAT Writing or Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score | 410-610 SAT Writing or Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score | 620-800 SAT Writing or Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score | Score of 4 or 5 on AP English Language and Composition |
1-15 ACT English subscore | 16-27 ACT English subscore | 28-36 ACT English subscore | Test grade of B on International Baccalaureate Extended Essay (IBEE) |
18 or more transfer credits | Score of 3 on AP English Language and Composition | ||
3.6-4.0 grade in ESL 0779 or 0079N |
*Students receive four credits that satisfy the general education writing foundation requirement, equivalent to WRT 1060.
Students who do not have SAT or ACT scores and do not have prior coursework in writing should consult the Department of Writing and Rhetoric, O'Dowd Hall, Room 378, (248) 370-2746, for appropriate placement prior to registration.