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CUNY PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENTs
CUNY PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENTs
The City University of New York (CUNY) requires all students to demonstrate proficiency in English (reading and writing) and math in order to enroll in credit-bearing courses in the associated subject. Students may establish proficiency in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to meeting benchmark scores on the SAT, ACT, and New York State Regents exams.
CUNY PROFICIENCY index
CUNY PROFICIENCY index
Starting with the Spring 2020 entering class, students who do not meet benchmark scores will no longer be administered a skills certification examination; rather, CUNY will use a proficiency index to determine developmental education assignment. The proficiency index combines overall high school grade point average with SAT and/or New York State Regents exam scores. There are separate proficiency indexes for English and math.
what is the cuny proficiency index?
what is the cuny proficiency index?
The CUNY Proficiency Index is a formula that combines overall high school grade point average with SAT and Regents scores to determine whether the student has a good chance of succeeding in a credit-bearing math or English course without any additional support. The CUNY Proficiency Index scores will be used to determine whether the student is eligible to begin in college level English and math or if remedial intervention is necessary. The CUNY CLIP program exists for this sole purpose.
There are separate proficiency formulas for math and English. Both use information that is already part of the application for freshman admissions: student’s overall high school GPA at the time of application, SAT scores, and Regents scores. If an applicant has both SAT scores and Regents scores, the formula will use both scores, but if they have only Regents or only SAT, it will use whichever is available.
If an applicant does not have any relevant Regents Exam or SAT scores, proficiency in English and math will be assessed based on high school GPA or High School Equivalency exam scores. The formula places more weight on high school grades than test scores, but higher test scores can help offset lower grades and vice versa.
cuny proficiency benchmark scores
cuny proficiency benchmark scores
english
english
Students may meet the proficiency requirement in English by presenting official documentation of any one of the following:
Tests
Tests
SAT I Verbal score of 480 or higher;
SAT Critical Reading score of 480 or higher;
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score of 480 or higher;
ACT English score of 21 or higher;
New York State English Regents score of 75 or higher
Passing both one of the following legacy CUNY Reading examinations AND one of the following legacyCUNY Writing examinations
Reading Examinations
CUNY Reading Assessment (RAT)
CUNY Assessment Test in Reading (CAT-R COMPASS)
CUNY Assessment Test in Reading Comprehension (CAT-R Accuplacer)
Writing Examinations:
CUNY Writing Assessment Test (WAT)
CUNY-ACT Essay
CUNY Assessment Test in Writing (CAT-W).
CUNY ACCUPLACER ESL Composite Score of 105 to 120. (effective October 1, 2022)
mathematics
mathematics
Students may meet the proficiency requirement in Mathematics by presenting official documentation of any one of the following:
Tests
Tests
SAT Math (tested before March 2016) score of 500 or higher;
SAT Math (tested March 2016 and thereafter) score of 530 or higher;
ACT Math score of 21 or higher;
New York State Algebra I (Common Core) Regents score of 70 or higher;
New York State Geometry (Common Core) Regents score of 70 or higher;
New York State Algebra II (Common Core) Regents score of 65 or higher;
New York State Integrated Algebra Regents score of 80 or higher AND successful completion of an Algebra II/Trigonometry or higher level course;
New York State Geometry Regents score of 80 or higher AND successful completion of an Algebra II/Trigonometry or higher level course;
New York State Algebra II/Trigonometry Regents score of 80 or higher AND successful completion of an Algebra II/Trigonometry or higher level course;
New York State Math A Regents score of 75 or higher;
New York State Math B Regents score of 75 or higher;
New York State Sequential Mathematics II Regents score of 75 or higher;
New York State Sequential Mathematics III Regents score of 75 or higher;
Passing one of the following legacy CUNY examinations:
CUNY Math Assessment Test (MAT)
CUNY Assessment Test in Mathematics 2 – Algebra (CAT-M2)
CUNY Assessment Test in Mathematics 5 – Elementary Algebra & Skills Certification.
esl students
esl students
Applicants who have spent at least six months or more in an institution where English is not the primary language of instruction are flagged as potential ESL via the CUNY admissions process.
ESL students who meet the CUNY Proficiency Benchmark Scores on the basis of the SAT, ACT or New York State Regents will be deemed proficient in English and/or math, regardless of where they attended high school.
submitting TOEFL/IELTS/PTE/Duolingo scores
submitting TOEFL/IELTS/PTE/Duolingo scores
Applicants on a temporary visa who were educated in a non-English environment are asked to submit results from TOEFL, IELTS, PTE or Duolingo. This is one of several academic components evaluated during admission review. Please also note that Hostos Community College, LaGuardia Community College, Borough of Manhattan Community College, and Kingsborough Community College do not require students to submit TOEFL/IELTS/PTE/Duolingo scores for admission.
Once you take this exam and score a passing grade, you will then send the test scores over to the accepting institutions. You may take the 45-minute exam online, or in person at a scheduled timeframe.
waiving the english proficiency score requirement on your cuny application
waiving the english proficiency score requirement on your cuny application
If you receive this remaining To-Do list task on your CUNY Application(s) for one or more campuses, you can reach out to the campus(es) you applied to inquire about this task, or have your coach reach out to those campuses on behalf of yourself.
The campuses can then explain what the requirement is for, and later forward the email to CUNY's Central Admissions Office for general application inquires where they can then waive this requirement for you! You can also directly email the CUNY Central Admissions Office to specifically ask about this requirement and if it possible to waive it given that your application will remain incomplete and unprocessed until this task is completed. If you reach out and this requirement was denied a waiver, you must take the English exams (more info above).
General Inquiries
General Inquiries
City University of New York
University Offices
205 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017
1-800-CUNY-YES (1-800-286-9937)
inquireCUNY@cuny.edu
Admissions
Admissions
212-997-CUNY (2869)
admissions@cuny.edu
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