FAQ and Glossary

Placement tests help us understand what introductory technical courses may be most appropriate. They do not provide course credit (i.e. they do not exempt a student from taking a required course). All incoming first-year engineering students are required to complete the Math, Chemistry, and Physics placement tests regardless of any earned or predicted AP, IB, A-level, or other college-level credit. First-year engineering students are highly encouraged to also complete the Spatial Visualization placement test.

A Language Other Than English (LOTE) placement test is appropriate for students that studied a LOTE in high school but did not complete the 3rd level of the same LOTE. Students that plan to continue a language at Illinois should complete a placement test to determine what level may be most suitable.

All required placement tests must be completed least 2 weeks before your New Student Registration date. If you do not complete your required placement tests at least 2 weeks before your New Student Registration date, your date may be rescheduled.

Transfer students are not required to complete any placement tests.

For more information and to access placement tests, visit https://go.illinois.edu/ENGPlacementTest.

Proficiency exams are for students who want to earn credit for a course when they have already mastered the content. Some departments offer proficiency exams and they are usually held just before or at the very start of the semester. There are no negative consequences to taking a proficiency exam and not passing it. You can view proficiency exam options at https://go.illinois.edu/proficiencyexams.

You can find details about the course credits you may have earned from high school exams at https://www.admissions.illinois.edu/apply/freshman/college-credit. You must send official scores to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions in order to have credit included in your record. Your Academic Advisor will take this into consideration as you discuss course selection on your New Student Registration date.

First-year students must include any earned or predicted AP, IB, and A-level scores in their New Student Worksheet. This is NOT the same as having official scores sent to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Transfer students are NOT asked to include this information in their New Student Worksheet because their official college transcripts are required in the application process.

You can find details about the course credits you may have earned from courses at other college institutions at Transferology (https://www.transferology.com/index.htm). You must send official transcripts to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions if you plan to transfer credit to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. For instructions on sending official transcripts to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, visit https://registrar.illinois.edu/academic-records/trans-credit/. Your Academic Advisor will take this into consideration as you discuss course selection on your New Student Registration date.

First-year students must include any earned or predicted college coursework in their New Student Worksheet. This is NOT the same as having official transcripts sent directly to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Transfer students are NOT asked to include this information in their New Student Worksheet because their official transcripts are required in the application process.

New Student Registration must be completed in order for a student's hold to be temporarily lifted to register for classes. Students that attend New Student Registration in-person must register for classes while they are on campus. Students that attend New Student Registration online will receive an email indicating a specific time frame they must register for classes.

General education (gen ed) requirements are courses that expand your understanding to be able to think critically, solve problems, generate innovative interdisciplinary ideas, and develop as Illinois leaders. You will learn more about these and your degree’s graduation requirements in your engineering orientation course. Some, like Composition I, should be completed in your first year at Illinois. Your Academic Advisor will help determine if you should take any general education course(s) in your first semester.

General education requirements that your Academic Advisor may discuss with you on your New Student Registration date include:

• Humanities & The Arts (HUM): 
  • 1 course (3 credit hours)
  • 1 course (3 credit hours)
• Social & Behavioral Science (SBS): 
  • 1 course (3 credit hours)
  • 1 course (3 credit hours)
• Cultural Studies:
  • 1 Western/Comparative Culture course
  • 1 Non-Western Culture course
  • 1 U.S. Minority Culture course
• Composition I: RHET 105 Writing and Research, ESL 111 Intro to Academic Writing I + ESL 112 Intro to Academic Writing II, or ESL 115 Principles of Academic Writing. Some students are required to take a ESL course(s) instead of RHET course.
• Language Other Than English (LOTE): completion of the 3rd year of a non-English language in high school or 3rd level of a college-level non-English language course

You may wish to take a general education course that counts towards more than one category. Visit the Registration Help page to learn how to search for options.

To view all general education requirements for engineering students, visit https://advising.grainger.illinois.edu/degree-requirements/general-education-requirements.

Recommended laptop specs are available on Engineering IT’s website.