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
Incoming students may need to complete a placement process to determine their first course in writing, mathematics and modern language/American Sign Language. Read below to determine if you need to complete a placement process. If so, these should be completed before your orientation.
Most students will complete the Directed Self-Placement for Writing. Students are exempt from this process if they meet one or more of the following criteria:
- SAT Writing or Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 620 or higher
- ACT English score of 28 or above
- AP English and Language Composition score of 3 or higher
- International Baccalaureate Extended Essay (IBEE) test grade of B or higher
- Course from another institution deemed equivalent to WRT 1050 or WRT 1060
If you don’t meet one of the criteria above, please complete the Directed Self-Placement at least a week before your orientation, if possible. Important note: students can only take the Directed Self-Placement test once.
Students who submitted SAT or ACT scores as a part of their admission materials will be placed into their first math course using these scores and do not need to complete a placement test.
Only students who meet one of the two criteria below need to complete a math placement assessment.
- Did not submit SAT or ACT scores to OU for admission and your intended major is math/science, health sciences, education, business or engineering
- You feel your SAT or ACT math subscore does not reflect your current abilities in math and you would like to attempt a higher placement.
Visit the Department of Mathematics and Statistics website for directions on completing the mathematics placement assessment. If possible, please complete the placement assessment at least a week before your orientation. Important note: students can take the math placement test up to five times.
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.
| 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 |
OR MTH 1332 (Trigonometry) |
SAT: 660-800 ACT: 28 or | [76, 100] |
OR |
** No more than 16 credits in courses numbered 0050-0099 may count toward graduation requirements.
To fulfill Oakland University’s general education writing foundations requirement, students must complete WRT 1060 (Composition II) or its equivalent with a C or higher.
There are several ways students are placed into their first OU writing course. Review the chart below for details.
| 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 | ||
| Lower than A- in ESL 0079 | Grade of A- or higher in ESL 0079 | ||
| Directed Self-Placement result of WRT 1020 | Directed Self-Placement result of WRT 1050 | Directed Self-Placement Directed Self-Placement |
*Students receive four credits that satisfy the general education writing foundation requirement, equivalent to WRT 1060.