EPT/ELM Requirements for Freshmen and Transfer Students

The CSU system requires new, non-exempt, admitted freshmen and transfer students entering Fall 1998 and after to take the EPT/ELM examinations prior to registering for classes. The tests are not a condition for admission to the University, but are a condition of enrollment and course registration.

If test results indicate that remedial courses in mathematics and/or English are needed, the student must:

  • Take the course(s) at CSU Dominguez Hills.
  • Enroll in the course(s) beginning the first semester of attendance.
  • Enroll in remedial courses each semester until the courses are passed.
  • If all remedial courses are not passed in two semesters, students cannot register or continue attending classes at CSU Dominguez Hills.
  • English Placement Test (EPT)

Non-exempt undergraduates* must take the EPT prior to enrollment and for placement in appropriate university English course work. The EPT is designed to assess the level of reading and writing skills of entering students. The EPT may not be repeated. Exemptions from the test are given only to those who present proof of one of the following:

  • a score of 550 or above on the verbal section of the College Board SAT I: Reasoning Test taken April 1995 or after
  • a score of 470 or above on the verbal section of either the College Board SAT or SAT I: Reasoning Test taken March 1995 or before
  • a score of 24 or above on the enhanced ACT English Test
    taken October 1989 or later
  • a score of 22 or above on the ACT English Usage Test taken prior to October 1989
  • a score of 3, 4, or 5 on either the Language and Composition or the Literature and Composition examination of the College Board Advanced Placement Program (AP)
  • a satisfactory score on the CSU English Equivalency Examination taken in 1993 or before
  • a score of 680 or above on the College Board SAT II: Writing Test taken May 1998 or after
  • a score of 660 or above on the College Board SAT II: Writing Test taken between April 1995 and April 1998
  • a score of 600 or above on the College Board Achievement Test in English Composition with essay or the College Board SAT II: Writing Test taken March 1995 or before
  • completion and transfer of a college course that satisfies the General Education-Breadth requirement or the Inter-segmental General Education Transfer Curriculum
    (IGETC) requirement in English Composition, provided such a course was completed with a grade of C or better.

Notes:

*Undergraduates admitted with 56 or more transferable units and who are subject to a campus catalog or bulletin earlier than 1986-87 are not required to complete the EPT.

Entry Level Mathematics (ELM) Exam

The ELM examination tests for entry level mathematics skills acquired through three years of rigorous college preparatory mathematics course work (normally Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry). All new undergraduate students must take the test or be exempted from it prior to enrollment and placement in appropriate university mathematics course work. The ELM is a repeatable test, with some limitations. Exemptions from the test are given only to those students who can present proof of one of the following:

  • score of 550 or above on the mathematics section of the College Board SAT I** Reasoning Test OR on the College Board SAT II** Mathematics Tests Level I, II, or IIC (Calculator)
  • a score of 560 or above on the mathematics section of the College Board SAT taken prior to March 1994
  • a score of 23 or above on the enhanced ACT Mathematics Test taken October 1989 and later.
  • a score of 24 or above on the American College Testing Mathematics Test taken prior to October 1989.
  • a score of 3 or above on the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Mathematics examination (AB or BC).
  • a score of 3 or above on the College Board Advanced Placement Statistics examination.
  • for transfer students, completion and transfer of a college course that satisfies the General Education-Breadth
  • requirement or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) Quantitative Reasoning Requirement, provided such course was completed with a grade of “C” or better.

Notes:

**The College Board SAT and Achievement Tests were replaced by SAT I and SAT II, respectively, beginning March 1994. Beginning April 1, 1995, the SAT I and SAT II exams are scored on a new scale; however, the SAT scores qualifying for exemption from the ELM remain the same.

Information bulletins and registration materials for the EPT and ELM are mailed to all students subject to the requirements. The materials also may be obtained from the Information Center or the Testing Office, Building 11, room SCC-11207, telephone (310) 243-3909.

The UAC is located in Welch Hall 220 and we can be reached by telephone at (310) 243-3538 or by email at uac@csudh.edu.  The UAC fax number is (310) 243-2415. 

University Advisement Center
California State University, Dominguez Hills