Developmental Education & Academic Placement Policy

McMurry University understands that some students need preparation for college-level coursework and seeks to respond to their individual differences and special needs by offering comprehensive developmental education courses. These courses enable students to develop the academic skills and attitudes necessary to achieve success in the liberal arts and preprofessional curriculums. Students will be enrolled in the appropriate level developmental English, mathematics, and/or reading course based on student placement results and are required to register for and continually enroll in the developmental course(s) until it is passed with a grade of “C-“ or better. Once students have met this requirement, they must enroll in the corresponding college-level academic course(s). Because McMurry University believes that success is linked to student engagement and practice, developmental courses may include lab requirements. Classes include ENGL 1041D ,  ENGL 1033D , MATH 1013D , and MATH 1023D . Credit for these courses will not count toward any degree requirements other than placement and the meeting of pre-requisite skills for college-level courses.

All first-time college students or transfers who have not completed ENGL 1310  and/or MATH 1311  (or equivalent) may be required to test for placement in math, reading and composition. McMurry University offers placement testing; however, students may also submit TSI (Texas students), Asset, or Accuplacer scores to meet this requirement. Students whose placement results indicate a need for pre-college development in one or more of these areas must register for and continually enroll in the corresponding developmental education course(s) until they pass with a grade of “C-” or better. Students must meet this requirement before enrolling in the corresponding academic level classes. Academic advisors will assist students in registering for the appropriate level of classes. Declining required testing constitutes acceptance of placement in developmental education classes. Some students may be exempt from one or more placement test(s) if ACT/SAT subscores exceed the established cutoff levels listed below.

SAT (2016) Math: 560 or higher
SAT (2016) Reading 27 or higher
SAT (2016) Writing & Language: 28 or higher
ACT English: 19 or higher
ACT Math: 23 or higher
ACT Reading: 19 or higher