English Placement Test (EPT) Requirement

New California State University students must show they are ready for college English by meeting the English Placement Test (EPT) requirement. There are several ways to meet this requirement, all of which are described below.

Warning for not meeting the EPT requirement

Warning: Failure to Meet the EPT Requirement Costs Time and Money

You cannot enroll in for-credit CSU college English classes until you meet the requirement.
You must spend time taking remedial English classes during your freshman year until you meet the requirement.
You will graduate later because you get no degree credit for remedial English classes.
You may have to pay additional charges for the remedial classes.
If you do not pass the remedial classes by the end of your first year, you may be disenrolled from the university.

Ways to Meet the EPT Requirement

CAASPP Early Assessment Program (EAP) – Standard Exceeded: Ready for English college-level coursework.
CAASPP Early Assessment Program (EAP) - Standard Met: Conditionally Ready for English college-level coursework. Student must continue their preparation in the 12th grade by taking an approved English course and earn a grade of 'C' or better. Students that do not meet the conditional requirement will need to participate in the CSU's Early Start Program, unless exemption was met through another pathway. "Conditionally Ready" students are not required to take the ELM exam.

National Standardized Tests

Test	EPT Exemption Score	*EPT Conditional Exemption Score
SAT	500 or more on the Critical Reading section	460 - 490 on the Critical Reading section
ACT	22 or more on the English Test	19 - 21 on the English Test
AP	3 or more on either the Language & Composition or Literature & Composition exam	N/A

* Student must continue their preparation in the 12th grade by taking an approved English course and earn a grade of ‘C’ or better. Students that do not meet the conditional requirement will need to participate in the CSU’s Early Start Program, unless exemption was met through another pathway.

Community College Course – A grade of C or better in a qualifying English transfer course (Area A2) at a community college satisfies the EPT requirement. See your academic advisor or check the ASSIST course transfer website for more information.
English Placement Test (EPT) – Unless students receive an EAP "Conditionally Ready" status or meet the requirement in one of the ways described above, they must take the EPT before their first term at the CSU. If they do not receive a qualifying score on the EPT, they must participate in the CSU Early Start Program in the summer before their first term at a CSU campus.