Texas Success Initiative (TSI), Placement Tests, & Advanced Placement
Admittance to UTSA does not necessarily mean that no more testing is required. Read all the following information carefully to learn about all the particular post-admittance testing situations at UTSA.
If students have not investigated their Texas Success Initiative (TSI) status and resolved deficiencies, they may not be allowed to register for college level courses by state law.
We strongly recommend that every admitted student read through this entire section carefully to be assured that ALL testing requirements are met prior to attending one of the mandatory Roadrunner Roundup Orientation sessions.
The Texas Success Initiative, mandated by state law, requires that all students who are not completely exempt based on SAT, ACT, or TAKS in Reading, Writing and Math scores take a TSI approved exam prior to being allowed to register for any college-level courses.
TSI Exemptions
Exemptions, for freshmen, are based on test scores, either SAT, ACT, or TAKS. The exemptions can be FULL or PARTIAL. The scores and the exemptions earned are listed below.
SAT Exemptions
SAT scores of: Composite of 1070 (Critical Reading & Math) or greater with at least a 500 in Critical Reading and at least a 500 in Math equals a full TSI exemption and a "College Ready" status. Math Placement testing for a higher level math course placement is required for Precalculus or Calculus courses.
SAT scores of: Composite of 1070 or greater with at least a 500 in Critical Reading but with a less than 500 score in Math equals only a partial TSI exemption and a "Not College Ready" status. This earns a TSI exemption in Reading and Writing, but the Math portion of a TSI exam must be taken.
SAT scores of: Composite of 1070 or greater with a score of less than 500 in English but a score of 500 or more in Math equals only a partial TSI exemption and a "Not College Ready" status. This earns a TSI exemption in Math, but the Reading and Writing portion of a TSI exam must be taken.
NOTE:
SAT scores with a composite of less than 1070 do not qualify for a TSI exemption regardless of any sub scores.
ACT Exemptions
ACT scores of: Composite of 23 or greater with at least a 19 in English and a 19 in Math equals a full TSI exemption and a "College Ready" status.
ACT scores of: Composite of 23 or greater with at least a 19 in English, but a score of less than 19 in Math equals only a partial TSI exemption and a "Not College Ready" status. This earns a TSI exemption in Reading and Writing, but the Math section of a TSI exam must be taken.
ACT scores of: Composite of 23 or greater with a score of less than 19 in English, but a score of 19 or greater in Math equals only a partial TSI exemption and a "Not College Ready" status. This earns a TSI exemption in Math, but the Reading and Writing portion of a TSI exam must be taken.
NOTE:
ACT scores with a Composite of less than 23 do not qualify for a TSI exemption regardless of any sub scores.SAT and ACT scores are valid for 5 years from the date of the test.
The scores that are used to determine the exemptions are the ones submitted at that time of admission, either via an official high school transcript or scores submitted directly to UTSA from the testing companies.
If new or additional scores are submitted directly from the testing companies, updates to student's testing records will be made automatically.
If new or additional scores are submitted via an updated high school transcript or a community college transcript with dual credit work, the process is a manual one, and may not happen automatically.
OFFICIAL TSI EXAMS:
Accuplacer, Asset, Compass, & THEA
The THEA was created solely for the purpose of determining a student's TSI status. If testing is required, the THEA would be the recommended exam. The official THEA website is very thorough and complete. It provides detailed information about the exam, practice questions, on-line registration, costs, and the state-wide testing dates.
The TSI status for an incoming student is recorded in the BANNER student record system and appears on ASAP under the Orientation link or under the Testing Services Office link.
BANNER (ASAP) EXEMPTION CATEGORIES:
"Not College Ready": This student is not exempt from TSI either due to a partial exemption only or no exemption. This student must take a TSI approved test and have test scores received by UTSA prior to Orientation and registration.
"College Ready": This student is exempt from TSI but still may need a math or chemistry placement exam prior to registering for certain math or chemistry courses.
"SAT, ACT, or TAKS": This student has a full exemption based on earned test scores.
Placement Exams
Placement exams are an important mechanism the University uses to enhance retention in traditionally challenging courses.
Who NEEDS a Math Placement?
- Students who are fully or partially TSI exempt in Math due to TAKS scores, need to take a math placement exam prior to registering for any regular level math course.
- Students who are fully or partially TSI exempt in Math due to SAT or ACT scores and who aim to register for precalculus or calculus courses must register for an advanced math placement exam.
Math placement impacts over 90% of our student body. Students of all TSI status types may have the need to take a math placement exam.
Who DOES NOT Need a Math Placement Exam?
- Students who are fully or partially TSI exempt in Math due to SAT or ACT scores and who aim to register for algebra courses do not need to take a math placement exam.
- Students who have prior college level credit in math which has transferred successfully as the required prerequisite.
- Students who are in need of remediation in math as determined by a TSI exam.
Who NEEDS to take a Chemistry Placement Exam?
- Student wishing to enroll in General Chemistry (CHE 1103) must take and pass the Chemistry Placement exam prior to registering for the class. This test may only be taken once every two years, so come prepared! A scientific non-graphing calculator is permitted. If a student does not achieve the passing score of 31 out of 60 questions then they will be placed in Basic Chemistry (CHE 1073).
How much do the placement tests cost?
The fee for the math & chemistry placement is $10.00 which is charged directly to your UTSA student account..
HOW TO REGISTER FOR PLACEMENT EXAMS:
Please log on to ASAP to sign up for placement exams, no walk-in slots are available.
Advanced Placement
The AP Examinations are offered once a year in May through the high schools offering college-level courses based on AP course descriptions. Be sure to request the scores be forwarded directly to UTSA. Within a week of receiving the exam scores electronically, the scores should be in the student's BANNER test score record. As a part of this process, the appropriate credit will automatically be awarded for appropriate exam and score.
NOTE:
UTSA usually receives these reports electronically in early to mid-July. (The College Board code for UTSA is 6919.)
More on AP exams at http://www.utsa.edu/testing/ap.html