Placement Testing & Guides

Welcome to UW-Whitewater!

Transfer students have the following options for placement testing for Math, English, and World Languages.  

UW-Whitewater at Rock County Transfer and Re-entry students will meet individually with an advisor to determine placements. Contact the Warhawk Solution Center for more information.

Transfer Credits as Placement

• If you have direct equivalents for UW-Whitewater English, Math, or World Languages (French, German, Spanish) courses, then those credits will be used for placement. You can view your transfer credits in WINS by selecting Academics and then Transfer Credits. Learn more about potential transfer credits at Transfer Wisconsin.

• If you do not have direct equivalents for UW-Whitewater courses in English and Math, you may still be able to receive course waivers along with your transfer credits that would satisfy the placement requirements. Please contact Wesley Hough, the Transfer Review Coordinator in the College of Letters and Sciences, if you have questions about Math and English coursework that are not direct equivalents.

AP Credits as Placement

• If you have AP or IB exam scores in Math, English, or a World Language, then those credits will be used for course placement.

  • Make sure to send UW-Whitewater your AP scores; otherwise, you will not be awarded college credit. AP credits do not transfer from institution to institution without having your scores sent. If you are unsure if UW-Whitewater has received your AP scores, you can check to see if they appear in your WINS account.
    • If you cannot access your AP College Board account, contact the AP College Board support hotline at 888-225-5427.

ACT/SAT scores as Placement

•  UW-Whitewater will continue to accept ACT/SAT scores for course placement in English and Math. If you have not sent in your scores from either of these tests (ACT or SAT) to UW-Whitewater, please do so unless you would prefer to take the UW System Placement tests.

• Make sure to send UW-Whitewater your ACT/SAT scores if you are using this option for course placement. If you are unsure if we have received your ACT/SAT scores, you can check to see if they appear in your WINS account.
  
  • If you cannot access your ACT account, contact the ACT support hotline at 319-337-1270.
  • If you cannot access your SAT account, contact the SAT support hotline at 866-630-9305.

• If you see your ACT/SAT scores in WINS, you can look at the placement guides to see what course you’ll be placed into.

UW System Placement Tests as Placement

• If you have not taken the ACT/SAT and do not have direct equivalents or course waivers for UW-Whitewater English and/or Math courses, you must take the UW System Placement Test for whichever equivalents you are missing.
• If you have taken French, German, or Spanish classes previously but do not have recent transfer credits and would like to be placed out of introductory language classes, then you will need to take the appropriate World Language placement exam.
  • Please contact Pilar Melero, the Chair of the World Languages Department, if you are:
    • A heritage speaker/speaker of Spanish: The World Language Department Coordinator will determine whether or not you should take the UW System Spanish Placement test.
    • Interested in taking Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese and have prior experience with that language.
• UW Whitewater will accept online, unproctored versions of all tests.
• Please take the test(s)  at least 2 weeks before you attend a SOAR so that your scores can be processed and will be available for course registration during the event.

• If you previously completed any of the UW System placement exams, we will be able to access your scores. You can contact the Testing Center before your SOAR date to have your UW System Placement scores uploaded to WINS.

• If you have questions or issues when registering for the online UW System Placement exams, contact the Center for Placement Testing by phone at 608-262-5863 or by email at frontdesk@exams.wisc.edu.

Register for UW System Placement Testing »

Current Whitewater students have the following options for placement testing for Math, English, and World Languages.

• UW-Whitewater at Rock County students should contact the Warhawk Solution Center with any placement questions. 

Transfer Credits as Placement

• If you have direct equivalents for UW-Whitewater English, Math, or World Languages (French, German, Spanish) courses, then those credits will be used for placement. You can view your transfer credits in WINS by selecting Academics and then Transfer Credits. Learn more about potential transfer credits at Transfer Wisconsin.

• If you do not have direct equivalents for UW-Whitewater courses in English and Math, you may still be able to receive course waivers along with your transfer credits that would satisfy the placement requirements. Please contact Wesley Hough, the Transfer Review Coordinator in the College of Letters and Sciences, if you have questions about Math and English coursework that are not direct equivalents.

AP Credits as Placement

• If you have AP or IB exam scores in Math, English, or a World Language, then those credits will be used for course placement.

  • Make sure to send UW-Whitewater your AP scores; otherwise, you will not be awarded college credit. AP credits do not transfer from institution to institution without having your scores sent. If you are unsure if UW-Whitewater has received your AP scores, you can check to see if they appear in your WINS account.
    • If you cannot access your AP College Board account, contact the AP College Board support hotline at 888-225-5427.

ACT/SAT scores as Placement

•  UW-Whitewater will continue to accept ACT/SAT scores for course placement in English and Math. If you have not sent in your scores from either of these tests (ACT or SAT) to UW-Whitewater, please do so unless you would prefer to take the UW System Placement tests.

• Make sure to send UW-Whitewater your ACT/SAT scores if you are using this option for course placement. If you are unsure if we have received your ACT/SAT scores, you can check to see if they appear in your WINS account.
  
  • If you cannot access your ACT account, contact the ACT support hotline at 319-337-1270.
  • If you cannot access your SAT account, contact the SAT support hotline at 866-630-9305.

• If you see your ACT/SAT scores in WINS, you can look at the placement guides to see what course you’ll be placed into.

UW System Placement Tests as Placement

• If you have not taken the ACT/SAT and do not have direct equivalents or course waivers for UW-Whitewater English and/or Math courses, you must take the UW System Placement Test for whichever equivalents you are missing.
• If you have taken French, German, or Spanish classes previously but do not have recent transfer credits and would like to be placed out of introductory language classes, then you will need to take the appropriate World Language placement exam.
  • Please contact Pilar Melero, the Chair of the World Languages Department, if you are:
    • A heritage speaker/speaker of Spanish: The World Language Department Coordinator will determine whether or not you should take the UW System Spanish Placement test.
    • Interested in taking Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese and have prior experience with that language.
• UW Whitewater will accept online, unproctored versions of all tests.
• Please take the test(s)  at least 2 weeks before you attend a SOAR so that your scores can be processed and will be available for course registration during the event.

• If you previously completed any of the UW System placement exams, we will be able to access your scores. You can contact the Testing Center to have your UW System Placement scores uploaded to WINS.

First Time Taking a UW System Placement Test

• You are encouraged to take in-person, paper and pencil exams at the Testing Center for English and Math placement tests.

• Please schedule your exam by emailing testing@uww.edu. There will be a $40 fee for in-person, paper, and pencil test proctoring and scoring.

• You will take an online, unproctored exam for the French, German, and Spanish placement tests.

• If you have questions or issues when registering for the online UW System Placement exams, contact the Center for Placement Testing by phone at 608-262-5863 or by email at frontdesk@exams.wisc.edu.

Register for UW System Placement Testing »

• Please contact Pilar Melero, the Chair  of the World Languages Department if you are:
  • A heritage speaker/speaker of Spanish: The World Language Coordinator will determine whether or not you should take the UW System Spanish Placement test.
  • Interested in taking Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese and have prior experience with that language.

Retaking Placement Exams

• English placement exam retakes are not allowed at this time.
• If you wish to retake a World Language exam, please contact Pilar Melero for approval.
• You may retake the Math placement exam one time.
• All retake exams (for Math and World Languages) must be an in-person, paper and pencil exam taken at the Testing Center after the period of UW System Regional Testing (April through June) has concluded.

• Please schedule your exam by emailing testing@uww.edu. There will be a $40 fee will be placed on your student account for test proctoring and scoring.

• If you have more than one score that could be used for placement, the higher of the scores will determine your placement level.
• If you will use UW System Placement Exam scores for your placement, please read the charts starting from the left side.
• If you will use ACT or SAT scores for your placement, please read the charts starting from the right side.
• If your placement level indicates that you have more than one course option, you will have an opportunity to discuss the options with an advisor at a SOAR and/or before course registration.