Placement Process for Class Registration

Tacoma Community College (TCC) recommends that students complete Directed Self Placements (DSPs) as a best practice to better tailor their educational experiences to their individual skill levels and learning needs. Directed Self Placements are assessments that allow students to evaluate their own readiness for various courses, particularly in subjects like English and mathematics. By doing so, students can make more informed decisions about which classes to enroll in, ensuring they are neither over- nor under-challenged in their coursework.

The benefits of completing DSPs include:

• Accurate Course Placement: Helps students choose courses that match their current knowledge and skills, leading to better academic performance.
• Personalized Learning Paths: Supports the creation of a more customized educational plan that aligns with the student's goals and abilities.
• Enhanced Confidence: Students who accurately assess their readiness may feel more confident and prepared for their classes.
• Informed Decision-Making: Provides students with a clearer understanding of their strengths and areas for improvement, guiding them in selecting appropriate courses.

Incorporating DSPs as part of the educational process can significantly contribute to a student's success and satisfaction with their college experience. You will not need to repeat a class you have earned a “C” or higher that can be transferred to TCC.

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TCC Accepts:

Unofficial Transcript from attendance at other college with grades of “C” or higher in English and Math and Sciences. This process is for Placement only, credits are obtained from the Enrollment Services Credential Evaluators

English Department Allows students who graduated from a U.S. high school within the last 10 years with an overall (cumulative) unweighted GPA of 2.5 or higher to place into English&101. Please complete the Directed Self Placement to learn about the levels and support for English&101.

Washington state High School Chemistry Grade of “B” or higher taken for a full school year.

 

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Contact Running Start

Washington State Running Start students can only use their high school grades for placement.

Homeschool students and students with out-of-state high school transcripts should contact the Running Start department for placement instructions.

Running Start students cannot use the math DSP and must use high school course completion on transcripts; and students trying to place into MATH 142, MATH 148, MATH 151, and higher, who must show completion of the prerequisite courses, or appropriate IB or AP scores.

You must complete the Math DSP in order to enroll in the following levels; MATH 95, MATH 107, MATH 131/132, MATH 141, MATH 146, or MATH 147, and Science Classes. If you request a higher level math class, please contact your advisor.

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If you are an International Student on a F-1 visa, you can find more information about placement here. 

English Proficiency is not required for admission. However, students who have taken an English proficiency test within the last two years are encouraged to submit their score with the online application. The following scores will place a student directly into college-level English (ENG 101).

· IELTS: 5.5

· TOEFL: 65 (iBT or iBT Special Home Edition)

· Duolingo: 90

· Pearson: 46

· Eiken: Pre-1 Level

· Oxford ELLT: Level 5 (Discount code for Oxford ELLT Digital: TCC10)

· SAT: 470 Reading Score

· ACT: 19

· Cambridge A & O Level Scores: C in English

· IB Diploma: Completion of full diploma or a score of 3 in English

· U.S. High School: Completion of two years at a U.S. high school with a 2.5 GPA in English

· U.S. College: Completion of one year with an overall 2.0 college level GPA

· Other Assessment: CEFR B2 Level

· Native-English proficiency: Ask our team if this applies to you!

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If you have Transcripts for a foreign country please have them evaluated before sending to TCC. You might expedite your first enrollment by completing TCC’s Directed Self Placement for English and Math. 

WORLD EDUCATION SERVICES, INC.
PO Box 5087
Bowling Green Station
New York NY 10274-5087
Phone: 212-966-6311; Email; Web site: www.wes.org

FOUNDATION FOR INTERNATIONAL SERVICES, INC.
505 5th Ave. South, Suite 101
Edmonds WA 98020
Phone: 425-248-2255; Email; Web site: www.fis-web.com

ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS EVALUATION INSTITUTE, INC.
PO Box 6908
Beverly Hills CA 90212
Phone: 310-275-3530; Web site: www.acei1.com

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION SERVICES AACRAO
Phone: 509-577-7435; Email; Website: www.aacrao.org

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All Washington state community and technical colleges award credit for students who achieve certain scores on the Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) or Cambridge International (CI) exams. 

• Students pay exam fees.

You can find more information on how to send your AP, IB, or CI scores to TCC and how credits are granted, here.

• CI Scores Crosswalk for awarding credit for Cambridge International tests (PDF)

More information on the state board website here. 

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English scores must be from the last 10 years.
Math score must be from the last 2 years.

ACT

ENGL& 101: 19+
MATH: 23+

SAT

ENGL& 101: 460+
MATH: 550+ for MATH 107, 146, 147, 131, 132, 93/136, and 96/140

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Use Placement Reciprocity, if you completed placement at another Washington State Community or Technical College within the last year. 

Link to SBCTC Site on Reciprocity 

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(Taken after 2013): 165-200 Reasoning through Language Arts Score for English 101.

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