COURSE PLACEMENT

Normandale's course placement process determines a student's readiness for reading, writing, and mathematics courses. It is used to assist a student with the selection of appropriate courses to help assure a student's success upon entering Normandale. All degree-seeking students are required to satisfy course placement. Course placement can be determined using one or a combination of the following information:

Scores from ACT, SAT, MN Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) - valid within the last 5 calendar years
High school GPA - valid within the last 10 calendar years
Standardized score reports from Advance Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and International Baccalaureate (IB)
Completion of college-level coursework from an accredited U.S. college or university
Self Guided Placement - if you don't have valid high school GPA or other score reports mentioned above
Accuplacer testing – Math scores valid within 2 years; Reading/Writing scores valid within 5 years (Note: Normandale does not offer Accuplacer testing)

Submit test scores and high school transcripts using the document submitter. Information on how these options can be used for course placement and how to submit the supporting documentation can be found at Other Course Placement Options.

Course Placement by Student Types

How course placement is evaluated depends on your student type. Select the option that best describes your situation to learn about how your placement is determined.

New Students with No Prior College Experience

If score reports from ACT, SAT or MN Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) are available at the time of application, these will be reviewed first for determining course placements. If the test results do not meet the placement requirements, or a student does not have any of these test results on file, high school GPA will be used to determine course placement. The Office of Admissions will contact the student if additional information is needed to complete the course placements.

Students who do not have ACT, SAT or MCA test results and also have no high school GPA on file will be contacted by the Office of Admissions with directions for submitting a self-reported high school GPA and providing additional information needed to determine course placement.

Notes: For the purpose of course placement, high school GPA is is valid for a period of 10 years from the date of graduation or, if the student has not yet graduated, from the date submitted. Self-reported GPA will be accepted in absence of a GPA submitted on a transcript.

ACT, SAT and MN Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) scores are valid for a period of 5 years from the test date. MCA scores can only be used for reading and math course placements. Submit test scores and high school transcripts using the document submitter.

Students who have questions about what their placement results mean, we recommend they contact their assigned Admissions representative. If a student is dissatisfied with his/her course placement, an appeal option is available.

New Students with Prior College Experience

Transfer students who have completed college-level coursework at a regionally accredited college or university may have already satisfied course placement requirements. Students should submit official transcripts from all colleges they have attended. Information on how these options can be used for course placement and how to submit the supporting documentation can be found at Other Course Placement Options.

Note: Electronic transcript retrieval is now possible among all MN State institutions to facilitate the transfer of students between MN State Colleges and Universities.

If the transcripted coursework does not meet all of the placement requirements, if available, score reports from ACT, SAT or MN Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) and high school GPA will be reviewed for determining course placements. Submit test scores using the document submitter.The Office of Admissions will contact the student if additional information is needed to complete the course placements.

Current and Returning Students

ACCUPLACER testing is not available at Normandale. A student who wants to be assessed or a student with expired course placements should complete the Guided Placement Survey Process which allows for assessment in all three subject areas (reading, English and math). Normandale will honor the highest valid placement level on file. You can verify final placements in eServices. (Please allow 2-4 business days for processing survey results.)

Staff will compare your survey results to your records and process your final placement. If a survey is re-submitted by the same student, documentation or a conversation with staff may be needed to confirm placement results. We will contact you with any questions.

Students should contact a Normandale advisor if they have questions about their placement results.

Accommodations for individuals with disabilities are available with advance notice by contacting the Office for Students with Disabilities at (952) 358-8625 or email OSD@normandale.edu.

Visiting Students

Visiting students seeking course placement for course registration should first follow instructions for submitting the Prerequisite Verification eForm. If the documentation provided does not satisfy the pre-requisite, the student will receive instructions for completing a survey for the self guided placement process.

If a student is dissatisfied with his/her course placement, an appeal option is available.