Transfer Students

Placement Testing Exemptions and Waivers

Students who previously completed college coursework may be exempt from English and/or mathematics placement testing. 

For testing exemptions for previous college or university coursework, please submit your official transcripts or course-by-course evaluation to the Academic Records office at BHCC and register to attend a Start Now session. You may also email your unofficial transcript to transferservices@bhcc.edu or bring your unofficial transcript to your Start Now session for placement testing exemptions. 

College and University Transcripts from the United States

Students who have previously completed English and mathematics coursework a regionally accredited college or university are exempt from the college placement testing requirement*. To be exempt you must demonstrate the following: 

  • 3 or more credits of preparatory (pre-college level) or college level English Composition or Rhetoric or mathematics coursework with a final grade of C or higher;
  • Or, completion of a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States
  • Students who completed English Language Learning courses but did not complete college-level English courses must take the Guided Self-Placement Survey

College and University Transcripts from Outside the United States

Students who previously completed college or university coursework outside of the United States may also be exempted from placement testing*. To be considered for a testing exemption, students must obtain a course-by-course evaluation from a third-party education evaluation service. 

To receive an exemption for mathematics, students must demonstrate the following: 

  • 3 or more credits of college-level mathematics coursework with a final grade of C or higher;
  • Or, completion of a Bachelor’s degree 

To receive an exemption for English, students must demonstrate the following: 

  • 3 or more credits of college-level English Composition, English Writing or Rhetoric with a final grade of C or higher and placement in ENG 111 College Writing I on the Guided Self-Placement English Survey.

Note: Students from the countries listed below do not need to complete the Guided Self Placement for English or take the Accuplacer to receive an English placement testing exemption based on previously completed coursework outside of the United States: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Grenada, (British) Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, United Kingdom, St. Kitts & Nevis, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe. Students from these countries may also be exempted from English placement testing if they hold a Bachelor’s degree. See International Transfer Credit for more information. 

* If a higher placement is required for BHCC courses, students have the option of taking a placement test.

For questions about placement testing exemptions for previous college coursework, please email transferservices@bhcc.edu.