Selection and Exemption Criteria for SCLA 11000 and SCLA 11100

This section explains how incoming international students are selected into the most appropriate courses for their first year of studies at Purdue based on their demonstrated English language proficiency. PLaCE worked with university stakeholders to develop the following placement protocol:

Students with scores equal to or below the established PLaCE cut scores are placed into SCLA 110 and pre-enrolled in SCLA 11000 and SCLA 11100 by the Registrar’s office. Students with scores above the established PLaCE cut scores can proceed directly into a Written Communication course.

If students are admitted without English proficiency test scores (TOEFL iBT, IELTS, or DET), they will be placed into SCLA 11000 by default unless or until the student provides a verified English proficiency test score that qualifies for exemption. Students can either (a) provide a verified English proficiency test score to Purdue, or (b) opt into our internal screening process via PLaCE’s in-house English proficiency test (i.e., the ACE-In). International students who attended high school in the U.S. in person for 3+ years with a 3.0+ GPA in English (where English was the primary language) may request an exemption from the PLaCE course sequence. Transcripts and language proficiency scores must be available for review in the Purdue system.

PLaCE does not use tests of academic achievement (ACT, SAT, IB, etc.) for purposes of placement since these tests are not designed to measure English language proficiency. 

The standard sequence of course-taking for students in a PLaCE cohort is to take SCLA 11000 in fall and SCLA 11100 in spring, and then to take SCLA 10100 or ENGL 10800 in later semesters, based on their major plan of study.

SCLA 11000 and SCLA 11100 contribute to improved English language proficiency for participating international students, helping them take full advantage of the range of educational opportunities available at Purdue, and providing the foundational English language skills and knowledge that they need for success in their educational program and beyond. These courses also help international students gain a better understanding of American culture, especially as it relates to being a university student in the U.S.

SCLA 11000 is part of the University Undergraduate Core Curriculum (UCC), as a foundational learning outcome for Human Cultures: Humanities. This means that SCLA 11000 counts toward students’ graduation requirements and should not delay their progress in graduating or proceeding into their chosen major concentration. SCLA 11100 counts as a Humanities elective.

1. TOEFL iBT Total score of 100, with writing and speaking sub-scores of 25 or above;

2. IELTS (academic test) Overall score of 7.5, with writing and speaking sub-scores of 7.5 or above;

3. DET combination of the total score and writing and speaking sub-scores: 7.5 (Duolingo's first release of reading, writing, speaking, and listening sub-scores: July 1, 2024).

Students who are eligible for test-out (criteria above) will be contacted as early as we can before early June (for the fall semester) or before early December (for the spring semester).

Test-out eligible students will be invited to register for and complete the ACE-In as digitally proctored by ProctorU. The ProctorU-proctored ACE-In test will be free of charge to test-out eligible students. Test-out decisions will be made based on students' ACE-In test performances.

The small percentage of students admitted to Purdue with no proficiency test scores (i.e., the so-called "no-score" students) will be contacted as early as we can before early June (for the fall semester) or before early December (for the spring semester).

Testing sessions are limited and on fixed dates, but free of charge to "no-score" students who requested the information on internal screening before our preset and announced deadline (e.g., May 27, 2027).

"No-Score" students interested in PLaCE-internal screening will receive the information on how to register for and complete the ACE-In as digitally proctored by ProctorU. Course-Exemption decisions will be made based on "no-score" students' ACE-In test performances.

1. What is the process of Exemption Testing for SCLA 11100?

Students who take SCLA 11000 will be enrolled in SCLA 11100. The highest proficiency and best performing students in SCLA 11000 may apply for an exemption from SCLA 11100. A one-on-one conference between the prospective applicant and their instructor is required where the instructor shares the exemption-application form (e.g., a Qualtrics survey or an instructor-and-student completed form) only with eligible applicants (e.g., who scored high enough on the ACE-In pretest toward the beginning of the SCLA 110 course),  as well as reviews the prospective applicant's course performance. SCLA 11100-exemption decisions will be made based on ACE-In exemption-testing performance (ACE-In cut-score TBA) and SCLA 11000 course performance (i.e., overall course grade of "A" or better).

2. When will a student be informed that they have or have not received an exemption?

Students, along with their advisors, will be informed as soon as a final decision has been made after the exemption-testing ACE-In test (with four modules including three human-rated modules) has been rated and scored, as well as the SCLA 11000 instructor's feedback about the exemption-applicant's course performance has been collected. Every effort will be made to provide the decision before the student’s registration time ticket expires for the following semester.

3. What about students who are not required to take SCLA 11100?

For students who opted to enroll in SCLA 11000 as an elective and wish to continue into SCLA 11100, they may enroll on their regular course request form in MyPurdue. Students who received an exemption from SCLA 11100 may also opt to take SCLA 11100.

4. Will a student have a choice between taking SCLA 10100 and ENGL 10800?

Students who receive an exemption from SCLA 11100 can register for SCLA 10100 or ENGL 10800, based on their Plan of Study requirement.