Placement Testing Requirements
Do I have to take Placement Tests?
Placement Testing Required
- All applicants and re-applicants
Whether applying for full-time or part-time status, unless you are in an exempt class, you will need to take placement tests.
- Foreign college students
Applicants with a degree or coursework from a foreign country's college or university need to take placement exams to align existing learning with the Bucks curriculum.
- First-time Math and Chemistry students
All students planning to enroll in their first college math course must take the Math Placement Test prior to registering for the class. All students planning to enroll in Chemistry 121 (Chemistry I) must take the Chemistry Placement Test prior to the beginning of class. No waivers will be given.
- Current High School Students
Students in the High School Enrichment Program must take the Reading, Writing and Math Placement Tests before you may register for any course unless you are in an exempt class. For more details about the high school enrichment program, please review High School Enrichment Program Information.
- Summer Study
Students taking summer courses for transfer to another institution do not need to take Placement Tests unless the course(s) they will be taking require a Placement Test score as a prerequisite. See course descriptions for prerequisite information. However, all of the above policies will be in effect if you plan to enroll for future Fall or Spring semesters.
Exempt from Placement Testing
- Graduating Soon or Recent Graduates: 3.0 GPA or Higher
Recent graduates who earn at least a 3.0 GPA in high school may be eligible for exemption from placement testing. If you will graduate from high school this year, or graduated within the last 5 years, and meet the GPA standard of 3.0 or higher, have your high school send an official transcript to the Registrar's Office.
- Current High School Students: GPA Requirements
If you are a high school junior with a 3.25 GPA or higher or a high school senior with a 3.0 GPA or higher, you may be eligible for exemption from placement testing. If you meet this standard, have your high school send an official transcript to the Registrar's Office.
- Previous Success in College-Level Courses
Students with previous college-level coursework, earned at a regionally accredited college or university in the United States, should submit a transcript, official or unofficial, from that institution for consideration of Placement Testing Waivers.
- Senior Citizens
Students 65 years of age or older are exempt from Placement Testing. However, they must take any Placement Test required as a prerequisite for a course in which they are planning to enroll.
- Summer study
Placement tests are not required for summer enrollment unless the course requires any/all placement tests as a prerequisite. See the Bucks Catalog listing of course descriptions for prerequisite. For more information about Guest Students visit admissions.
** Information for prerequisite approval via transcripts from another college for guest and transfer students are posted on the Admissions and Registrar Page
**If you have any further questions please contact the Registrar's Office directly at 215-968-8100 or waivers@bucks.edu