Mathematics and StatisticsMath Placement OverviewExceptions

Exceptions

If you have earned college-level transfer credits through another institution or by taking a college-level examination, you may be exempt from taking the WSU Math Placement Assessment (MPA).

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Resources

MPA Score Chart
Math/Stats Course Map

Course descriptions

Math classes
Statistics classes

College-level exams

Advanced Placement

AP ExamScoreWSU EquivalencyCreditsPlacement Info
Calculus AB2nonenoneMath 140, 179, or 202 (depending on major)
3, 4, 5Math 1714Math 172
Calculus BC2Math 1714Math 172
3, 4, 5Math 171 and 1728Math 273
Statistics2nonenoneStatistics 212
3, 4, 5Statistics 2124none

Calculus 1 = Math 171

Calculus 2 = Math 172

Calculus 3 = Math 273

  • Calculus 1 = Math 171
  • Calculus 2 = Math 172
  • Calculus 3 = Math 273
  • Stat 212 provides you with transfer credit toward graduation, but does not qualify you to enroll in any higher-level math course at WSU. If your desired major requires Math 106 or Math 201 (precalculus or higher), and this is your only transfer course, then you must take the MPA.
  • A score of 5 on the AP Calculus AB exam grants you credit for Math 171. It is highly recommended that you to take Math 172 before moving on to Math 273.
  • View all AP credit equivalencies.

If you attend New Coug Orientation…

Even though your AP score has been posted by College Board and you requested your score be sent to Washington State University, it can take up to two weeks to process the information in the WSU enrollment system.

  • Be sure to bring a physical copy of your AP score report with you to New Coug Orientation or have your College Board account available on your mobile device. Advisors cannot place you into a math class until they see the appropriate score.
  • As an admitted student, you can view your AP credit by logging into myWSU. Click on the “Academic Advising” tile and then “View Transfer Credit Report.”

Let your advisor know you have taken the AP exam. While we wait for your scores, you will be placed into a math or statistics course based on your expected AP score, which will be verified before the semester begins.

  • You must still manually or automatically send your AP scores to WSU from your College Board Account. AP scores are posted in early July every year.
  • If your AP score is not in MyWSU one week before the semester begins, you will be dropped from any math or stats course you selected during orientation.
  • If your AP score is not as high as you expected and you enrolled in a course you do not qualify during your New Coug Orientation, you will need to manually drop the course and complete these steps:
    • Enroll in a lower-level math class based on your AP score or take the MPA if your AP score did not place you into Math 171 (calculus 1) or higher.
    • If you take the MPA, your placement score be available the next business day and you will need to manually enroll in the appropriate math course. View the WSU Math Placement Chart [link to chart].
    • If you have not manually dropped your math or statistic course, you will be automatically removed from the course one week before school begins.
    • If you have trouble enrolling into the appropriate math class, please check your MyWSU account for any holds and/or contact your academic advisor for assistance.

Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA)

If you are interested in a STEM degree, it is highly recommended you take the MPA instead of using your SBA score to determine your starting math course at WSU.

  • A score of 3 or 4 counts equals placement into Math 103.
  • A score of 4 counts equals placement into Math 105, Math 251, or Stat 212. You may select the best option for your desired major.
  • If you wish to pursue a STEM degree, you are strongly encouraged to take the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment: the highest placement in the calculus track using SBAC is Math 103 (Algebra Methods).

You must bring a physical copy of your score report to your New Coug Orientation. SBA scores and placement are not logged in the WSU system and your academic advisor cannot place you into a math class until they see the appropriate score.

Students who have already attended a New Coug Orientation can send an electronic copy of their SBAC score report to math.stats@wsu.edu for enrollment. Please include your WSU ID number and the course and section number(s) into which you hope to enroll.

CLEP, IB, Cambridge Assessments

If you gain credit from one of these mathematics exams, you are generally exempt from taking the WSU Math Placement Assessment.

View each exam’s table for required scores and credits awarded:

Once your scores are reported to WSU, it can take up to two weeks to process the information in the WSU enrollment system.

  • Be sure to bring a physical copy of your score report with you to New Coug Orientation. Advisors cannot place you into a math class until they see the appropriate score.
  • As an admitted student, you can view your academic credits by logging into myWSU. Click on the “Academic Advising” tile and then “View Transfer Credit Report.”

Running Start or College-in-the-High-School

You may be exempt from the MPA depending on your math transfer credit.

Visit the WSU Transfer Center and use the Transfer Course Search Tool to view standard WSU equivalencies for courses taken at a wide variety of other universities and colleges.

  • If your transfer credit is not equivalent to a required math course for your desired major or is not equivalent to the WSU minimum math requirement, then you are required to take the MPA.
  • Statistics credit may transfer directly to satisfy graduation requirements, but cannot be used for math placement at WSU.

Transfer credits for math classes

If your transfer credits are equivalent to a required math course for your desired major or the WSU minimum math requirement, then you may be exempt from taking the MPA.

If your transfer credit is not equivalent to a required math course for your desired major or WSU minimum math requirement, then you are required to take the MPA.

Use the WSU Transfer Center Tools to evaluate college credit you have earned at other institutions.

Request a 1:1 virtual appointment to speak with a transfer counselor about your specific situation.

You must send your official transcript(s) to the WSU Office of Admissions. Please allow up to two weeks for processing.

If your transfer credit is being processed into the WSU system or has not yet been transferred submitted to WSU, bring your unofficial transcript(s) with you to New Coug Orientation.

General questions regarding transfer course equivalencies may also be addressed during New Coug Orientation.

Both courses, Math 105 (Exploring Mathematics) and Stats 212 (Introduction to Statistical Methods), satisfy the WSU quantitative reasoning core graduation requirement (UCORE), bu are not prerequisites for any higher-level math courses at WSU.

If your desired major requires Math 106 (College Algebra) or Math 201 (Mathematics for Business and Economics) higher, then you are required to take the MPA.

Both courses, Math 105 (Exploring Mathematics) and Stats 212 (Introduction to Statistical Methods), satisfy the WSU quantitative reasoning core graduation requirement (UCORE), bu are not prerequisites for any higher-level math courses at WSU.

If your desired major requires Math 106 (College Algebra) or Math 201 (Mathematics for Business and Economics) higher, then you are required to take the MPA.

Math 106 (College Algebra) and Math 108 (Trigonometry) are the precalculus series at WSU and both satisfy the WSU quantitative reasoning core graduation requirement (UCORE).

  • If calculus is required for your desired major and you received a grade of C or higher in your transfer course, you are exempt from taking the MPA and may enroll in Math 140, Math 171, or Math 202.
  • If Math 106, Math 108, or a calculus 1 course is not required for your desired major and you received a grade of D or higher in your transfer course, then you are exempt from taking the MPA.
  • If you received a grade of C- or lower in your transfer course and would like to retake the WSU equivalent course, you must take the MPA and receive the required score for placement into Math 106 or the Accelerated Math 106 and Math 108 courses.

Math 101 (Intermediate Algebra) is considered a refresher course and does not provide credit toward your degree.

You are exempt from the MPA and may choose to enroll in Math 103 (Algebra Methods), Math 105 (Exploring Mathematics), Math 106 (College Algebra), Math 201 (Mathematics for Business and Economics), Stat 212 (Introduction to Statistical Methods), or Math 251 (Fundamentals of Elementary Mathematics).

The “Math 1XX [QUAN] Precalculus” designation is equivalent to both Math 106 AND Math 108 and can be used as a prerequisite to enroll into any of the Calculus 1 courses (Math 140, 171, or 202) if you received a grade of C or higher.

The “Math 1XX [QUAN] [N] 1 qtr Calc” designation can be used as a prerequisite to enroll into any of the Calculus 1 courses (NOT Calculus 2).

If you need the course to move onto higher-level math for your desired major, you are required to retake the course and receive a grade of C or higher in order to take more advanced courses.

Any student may repeat a transfer credit course with a grade of C- or lower. The WSU grade will contribute to your WSU GPA. In general, WSU student must request permission to repeat a course for a third time. However, if your previous two attempts are from another university incoming students, you will not need to request permission.

If you would like to refresh your knowledge and boost your foundation before you move on to more advanced studies:

You may request permission to audit the course.

The MPA is not required to audit a course. You will not receive additional credit toward graduation for auditing a course and your transfer grade will not change. Complete the registrar’s form after obtaining the instructor’s permission.

You may request to repeat the course for no additional credit.

The MPA may be required

  • If your transfer course is equivalent to Calculus 1 or lower, you must take the MPA and receive the required MPA score to place into the math course you need to repeat. See the MPA score chart.
  • If your transfer course is equivalent to Calculus 2 or higher, you are not required to take the MPA.

You will not receive additional credit toward graduation and your transfer grade will not change, but you will be graded on assignments and tests, and you still need to receive a grade of C or higher to move onto a higher-level math course at WSU.

Requests are processed on a case-by-case basis.

  • Send an email to math.stats@wsu.edu on the last day of your New Coug Orientation and include:
    • Your WSU student ID number.
    • The math or statistics course, lecture section, and lab section (if applicable) and the semester you wish to be enrolled into.
    • How many years it has been since you have taken the course, the grade you received, and your desired major.
  • Please allow up to seven business days before you receive a response. Requests for courses that are in high demand may be denied, in which case it is recommended students audit the course instead.

If your institution and course are not listed in the WSU Transfer Course Search Tool, and you are interested in admission as an undergraduate degree-seeking student, you may submit a Course Evaluation Request Form to the WSU Transfer Center. You will need a copy of the complete syllabus, including required textbooks and learning outcomes. Please allow two weeks for processing.

If you do not receive a response before your New Coug Orientation and you expect to be placed into Calculus 1 or below, we recommend you take the MPA.

If you expect to be placed into Calculus 2 or higher, you can enroll yourself into a math class after your New Coug Orientation is over and once you receive a response regarding your transfer math course.