You must fulfill course placement in the required areas of math and English. We also have information linked below for the online placement tests for those who will be enrolling in foreign language courses. Please read the sections on this page about placement information in each subject to ensure you understand how you are placed into courses and to explore any additional placement options you might want to pursue.

You have two options for satisfying your course placement in the required areas of math and English.

1. Submit your official ACT or SAT scores to UW Milwaukee. Your ACT/SAT scores will have no affect on your admission status; the scores will be used for placement purposes only.
   • • If you have already submitted your official ACT/SAT scores with your application, you do not need to submit them again.
     • If you have not submitted your ACT/SAT scores, you need to request that ACT/SAT send your scores directly to UWM.
     • Only scores that have been sent directly to UWM from ACT or SAT are official scores. Scores are not official if you self submit them or send your own copy of your scores to UWM.
     • UWM will accept scores submitted to UWM from your high school on your official high school transcript. Please note that very few high schools include ACT/SAT scores on transcripts. If you think your high school puts scores on transcripts, please email us at nftest@uwm.edu to review your transcript.

   OR

2. Use our free online placement tools in BOTH math and English. You can take them on your own computer any time it is convenient for you; no scheduling is required.
   • Math – Panther Math Prep is a free online placement tool that allows you to assess your current math skill level and receive a course placement via an online proctored math placement test in a platform called ALEKS. You also have the opportunity to utilize the free prep, review, and practice tools within ALEKS to build and refresh your math skills and take the placement test up to five times.
     The test is completed at home on a computer or laptop with a webcam. If you do not have access to the required equipment, free walk in testing options are available during designated hours on campus. More information about testing on campus is on the Panther Math Prep website.
     Visit the Panther Math Prep website to learn more and complete the online math placement test.
   • English – UWM offers a free online placement option called Guided English Placement (GEP). The GEP is not a standardized test and there are no right or wrong answers. You will be asked a variety of questions about your educational experiences, writing and reading skills, and academic mindset. You will also be given reading and writing samples to reflect upon; no writing is required from you. The GEP takes about 30-60 minutes to complete. You can only take the GEP once so please take your time and take the assessment seriously.
     The GEP can be completed on any computer, laptop, tablet, or phone with internet access; no webcam is required.
     Visit the Guided English Placement website to learn more and complete the online English placement. 
     • International students can also use their TOEFL or IELTS scores for placement into their English courses. If you submitted TOEFL or IELTS scores to UWM, you do not need to complete the Guided English Placement.
       
       

Regardless of your major, all UWM students need to satisfy general education requirements (GER) in both English and mathematics in order to earn a bachelor’s degree or meet core requirements in writing and math to earn an associate’s degree. It is important that you are placed into courses that properly reflect your skills and strengths to give you the greatest chance to be successful in your courses.

Yes! You can use our free online placement tools in math and/or English.

If you have multiple sets of scores, for example multiple ACT/SAT scores or ACT/SAT scores plus scores from our Panther Math Prep program and/or our Guided English Placement (GEP), you will be allowed to utilize whichever score places you highest when enrolling in your courses.

If you have multiple sets of scores, for example multiple ACT/SAT scores or ACT/SAT scores plus scores from our Panther Math Prep program and/or our Guided English Placement (GEP), you will be allowed to utilize whichever score places you highest when enrolling in your courses.

UW Milwaukee does not accept the results of the online UW System placement tests in math or English. We only utilize the UW System world placement tests which are offered in French, German, and Spanish.

Regardless of your major, all UWM students need to satisfy general education requirements (GER) in math in order to earn a bachelor’s degree or meet core requirements in math to earn an associate’s degree. You may also have specific math course(s) required by your particular major to attain your degree above and beyond these requirements.

Math placement is determined by the math score on your ACT/SAT plus high school GPA, prior college credit earned in math courses or on AP/IB tests, or by completing an ALEKS placement test via the free online Panther Math Prep program.

It is very important that you assess the math placement chart below and consider the math placement level you have earned along with the recommended math courses required for your major to determine if you would like to utilize our free online Panther Math Prep program to try and attain a higher placement level. Panther Math Prep is a free online placement tool that allows you to assess your current math skill level and receive a course placement via an online proctored math placement test in a platform called ALEKS. You have the opportunity to utilize the free prep, review, and practice tools within ALEKS to build and refresh your math skills and take a placement test up to five times.

2025/26 Math Test Placement Chart

Math placement is designed to place you into a course(s) that will satisfy the Quantitative Literacy Competency Part A (QLA) of your required GERs for a bachelor’s degree and the core requirements for math for an associate’s degree. Completion of QLA or the core requirement can be demonstrated by satisfying one of the following options:

• earning at least three credits with a grade of C or higher in Math 103, 105, 116, 175 or equivalent courses (102, 108), or Math/Philos 111
• achieving a placement level of at least 30 via your ACT, SAT, or ALEKS/Panther Math Prep test scores

Math Course Recommendations by Intended Major/Minor/Area of Study

 

Education Pathway – for majors in the School of Education

Math Literacy Pathway – for majors in Arts, Humanities and some Social Sciences

Professional Pathway – for majors in Business, Health Sciences/Nursing and some Social Sciences

STEM Pathway with 116 and STEM Pathway without 116 – for majors in Natural Sciences, Engineering, Architecture & Urban Planning

English placement is determined by the English or ERWS score on your ACT/SAT, prior college credit earned in English courses or via AP/IB test scores, or by completing the online Guided English Placement. The scores on these tests place you into courses that will satisfy your General Education Requirement (GER) known as the Oral and Written Communication (OWC) Competency Part A for those seeking a bachelor’s degree or your core requirement in writing for those seeking an associate’s degree. To satisfy this requirement, a student must earn credit with a grade of C or higher in English 102 or achieve an appropriate test score to satisfy the requirement.

• Students placed into English 100 or 101 will need to complete that course with a grade of C or higher (you only need to complete either English 100 or 101, not both courses) then complete English 102 with a grade of C or higher. Students placed into English 102 will need to complete that course with a grade of C or higher. Students with a sufficient placement level may satisfy their General Education Requirement and test out of having to complete English 100, 101, or 102.

If you have never taken the ACT/SAT or are not satisfied with your placement via your ACT/SAT scores, you can utilize our free online Guided English Placement (GEP) to attain an English course placement. The GEP is not a standardized test and there are no right or wrong answers. You will be asked a variety of questions about your educational experiences, writing and reading skills, and academic mindset. You will also be given reading and writing samples to reflect upon; no writing is required from you. The GEP takes about 30-60 minutes to complete. Completing the GEP does not generate a score; it generates a course placement. You will be placed into English 100, 101, 102, or satisfy your GER OWC Part A. You can only take the GEP once so please take your time and take the assessment seriously.

English Placement Chart – Main Campus

Course Placement	ACT English Score	SAT ERWS
English 100	1-16	200-460
English 101	17-24	461-590
English 102	25-28	591-650
Test Out/GER OWC Part A satisfied	29-36	651-800

We have a great option for you! As a non-native speaker and/or writer of English, you can complete your English general education requirement (GER) by taking English for Academic Purposes (EAP) writing courses instead of the English writing courses designed for native speakers of English. Our EAP courses offer smaller class sizes, and instructors that specialize in working with students from various language backgrounds. The support provided in the EAP writing courses can also help you do better in all of your university courses.

Recommendations for EAP course enrollment can be made based off of scores on the ACT, SAT, IETLS, TOEFL, and/or Guided English Placement (GEP). During your academic advising appointment at your New Student Orientation, you can let your advisor know that you are interested in our EAP courses.

For more information on EAP courses, you can contact Brooke Haley at HaleyB@uwm.edu.

Foreign Language Requirements

UW-Milwaukee has a General Education Requirement (GER) for foreign language for those seeking a bachelor’s degree. The minimum requirement to meet the foreign language GER is completing at least two years of a single foreign language in high school. If you have met this requirement then completing additional foreign language coursework is optional. Students planning to pursue a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree through the College of Letters and Science may be required to complete foreign language coursework beyond the University’s General Education Requirement.  Please check the list of majors that fall under the B.A. requirements to determine the foreign language requirement you will need to meet to graduate. Click here for more information on the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements.

There is no general foreign language requirement for those seeking an associate’s degree.

Placement
Foreign language course enrollment recommendations are based on either previous college credit earned or recommendations from the online options listed below.

• If you plan to continue your studies in study French, German, or Spanish:
  You will need to complete the UW System Placement Test in World Languages. Please follow the link to the UW System Placement website to complete your test(s). Please note that UW Milwaukee ONLY accepts results from the UW System Placement Tests in French, German, and Spanish. We do NOT accept results from the UW System placement tests for English or math. You do not need to schedule a time to complete the test; you can complete it online whenever it is convenient for you. It takes 1-2 weeks for UW Milwaukee to receive the results of your UW System Placement Test.Retest policy for the UW System placement tests in French, German, and Spanish: Students must wait one calendar year in between test attempts. Students who violate this policy will have their placement scores invalidated.
• If you plan to continue your study of a world language other than French, German, or Spanish:
  UW Milwaukee offers a free, online UWM World Languages Self-Assessment Tool for you. You and your academic advisor will use a combination of the results from this self-assessment and your previous coursework to determine the appropriate semester of a world language at UWM for you to begin your language studies at UWM. In addition to questions about your language abilities, it asks about your language learning experiences, whether in the classroom or beyond. The UWM World Languages Self-Assessment Tool is NOT for those wishing to study French, German, and Spanish. You will be able to complete the UWM World Languages Self-Assessment Tool on a computer or mobile device. It takes about 5 minutes to complete. You do not need to schedule a time to complete the self-assessment; you can complete it online whenever it is convenient for you. You will see your placement recommendation immediately at the end of the self-assessment and will receive a copy at your UWM email address.
• If you are seeking to satisfy your Foreign Language General Education Requirement by demonstrating your proficiency in a language other than English:
  You will need to gain approval through independent testing. The UW System Placement test and UWM World Languages Self-Assessment Tool do NOT satisfy GER; they only earn placement into courses for enrollment. If you wish to prove GER level proficiency through independent testing, please email the Registrar’s Office at regoff@uwm.edu for instructions on that process.

The UWM World Languages Self-Assessment Tool can be used to help determine a placement recommendation in the following languages:

Retro Credits
If you enroll in a foreign language course higher than the level one/introductory course and earn a grade of B or better in that course, you can earn retroactive credits for the courses leading up to it without taking them. For example, if you enroll in the level three Spanish 203 course and earn a B or better, you can fill out paperwork with your academic advisor to request retroactive credit for Spanish I (103) and Spanish II (104).

You can use the credit earned from your AP/IB test scores to fulfill your course placement requirement if your scores are high enough. Please review our policies on awarding credit for AP and IB scores. If you have earned non-elective credit in both math and English via your AP and/or IB scores, then you have fulfilled your course placement requirement. If this applies to you, please be sure to email us at NFTest@uwm.edu so we can update your PAWS account accordingly. If you have earned non-elective credit in one subject area (math or English) but not both, you will still receive credit in that area but you will need to submit your ACT/SAT scores or fulfill your course placement requirement with one of our free online math or English placement options outlined above.

Chemistry placement is based on a combination of math placement level and performance in high school chemistry. Academic advisors will assess student records and use course permission to enroll students.
Please note that during the first week of class, students in Chemistry 102 and 105 are required to take a chemistry placement test during their chemistry class to determine if their current enrollment is the best fit. Students in Chemistry 102 or 105 may need to switch their chemistry course depending on their placement test results.

• NFTest@uwm.edu