University Composition Program

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COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY’S ENGLISH COMPOSITION REQUIREMENT

The University English composition requirement must be fulfilled by allundergraduate students prior to completion of 60 credits.  Students can complete the requirement in one of five ways:

1. Satisfactory completion of CO150, College Composition.
2. Fulfillment of the CO150 requirement by achieving a score of 5 on the Advanced Placement English Composition and Literature Test; or a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Test; or placing in CO150-section 550 (automatic credit for CO150) on the Department of English Composition Placement/Challenge Examination (see below).
3. Transfer of equivalent credits from another college. Students who transfer with less than 2.6 semester credits in composition will be required to take the Composition Placement/Challenge Examination before enrolling in CO150.
4. Satisfactory completion of BOTH HONR192 AND HONR193 (honors students only).
5. Submission of International Baccalaureate scores that document a 5, 6, or 7 earned for English at the Higher Level and thus have satisfied the All-University Core Curriculum requirement for CO150.

Credit for CO150 will not be given for high scores on the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP).

Students (except first-semester transfer and readmitted students) who have earned 60 or more Colorado State and transfer semester credits and who have not met this requirement will have a COMPOSITION HOLD placed on their record. Transfer and readmitted students will be allowed the initial term of enrollment before this restriction is imposed.

COMPOSITION HOLD Removal Procedure

The procedure to remove a COMPOSITION HOLD is as follows:  If a student has completed or has transfer credit for CO130 (Academic Writing), he or she can contact the Registrar’s Office (First Floor Administration Annex or (970) 491-4860) to register for CO150.  If a student scored 600 or higher on the SAT critical reading or 26 or higher on the ACT English and submitted those scores to Colorado State, he or she can contact the Registrar’s Office to register for CO150. (Students who were enrolled at CSU and taking classes prior to Fall 2008 are eligible to register for CO150 with an SAT verbal score of 500 or higher or an ACT English score of 20 or higher). Otherwise, the student should take the Composition Placement/Challenge Examination (see below). Once a student’s Composition Placement/Challenge Exam score has been entered into the system, he or she can contact the Registrar’s Office (First Floor Administration Annex or (970) 491-4860) to register for the composition class they placed into. The Registrar’s Office will remove the COMPOSITION HOLD and register the student for either CO130 or CO150. If a student drops or withdraws from the course or does not earn a passing grade, the grade of record will become an “F.” This grade of “F” will be included in the calculation of both the semester GPA and the cumulative GPA as a consequence of not completing the 60-credit completion requirement.

Composition Placement/Challenge Exam and Placement Procedures

Students who score 600 or higher on the SAT critical reading or 26 or higher on the ACT English are eligible to register for CO150. (Students who were enrolled at CSU and taking classes prior to Fall 2008 are eligible to register for CO150 with an SAT verbal score of 500 or higher or an ACT English score of 20 or higher). Students with CO130 (Academic Writing) credit are eligible to register for CO150. Students who have not satisfied the University English composition requirement in one of the five ways explained above or who do not have the appropriate SAT/ACT scores or CO130 credit, must take the English Composition Placement Exam. For more information refer to http://writing.colostate.edu/comp/placement.cfm. All students taking this exam will be assessed a fee of $40.00, which will be billed to their student account. The proctored examination is offered at the beginning of each semester and during preregistration each semester (contact the Department of English for time and place (970) 491-6428). Incoming students may take the Composition Placement Exam one time in a non-proctored (online) setting prior to their term of admission using a compatible personal computer. They may retake the test on campus in a proctored setting only ONCE. If a student does choose to retake the test, they will be charged the $40 exam fee. Students can check their composition placement by logging onto RAMweb. On the homepage, under Records, select Composition Placement/Challenge Exam Results. On the basis of this examination students are placed as follows:

1. If placement scores indicate a lack of basic writing skills, students can prepare for CO150 through either a tutorial program in the Writing Center (Eddy 6) or placement into CO130—a course designed to provide an intensive writing experience. Students completing the Writing Center Tutorial will then enroll in CO130. The Writing Center tutorial does not require registration and does not carry University credit. Students will need to stop by the Writing Center the first or second week of the fall or spring semester to schedule their tutorial hour. Students will work with a tutor for one hour a week, for at least one semester, strengthening their writing skills. For tutorial assignment, students should contact the Writing Center (Eddy 6)-(970) 491-0222.
2. If placement scores indicate adequate preparation in writing skills, students are placed in CO150 College Composition.
3. If placement scores indicate superior writing skills, students are placed in CO150-Section 550, College Composition-By Exam.  Students receiving CO150-Section 550 credit will be automatically enrolled in CO150-Section 550 and will receive three semester credits of CO150.