Students must have graduated from a U.S. high school , must be currently enrolled Running Start students, or must have completed their junior year at a U.S. high school and earned a GED to place by high school GPA.

Please note that students who have transferred to a U.S. high school from another country must have at least two full years of non-ESL English coursework by the date their Clark courses begin to place by GPA. This applies to graduated U.S. GPAs and those enrolled in the Running Start program. 

To submit your U.S. high school GPA, log in at myClark@Clark (click on the link). You’ll need to set up a Clark Labs Account first if you have not yet. The first time you log in, you will self-report your high school GPA. If you realize later that you have misreported your GPA, you will need to submit an official or unofficial transcript in order to make a change to what you reported initially. Please see the directions below under “How to Correct Your Self-Reported GPA” for more information. 

If you graduated high school several years ago, we know you might not be able to access your transcripts or remember your exact GPA number. That’s okay. Please estimate as best you can, keeping in mind that GPAs are determined as follows:

Mainly As with a few Bs: 3.5 and above

Mainly Bs: 3.0 to 3.4

Mainly Cs and a few Bs: 2.5 to 2.9

Ds and Cs: 2.4 and lower

If you do not have a U.S. high school GPA that can be used for placement, you can still determine which English class is right for you. You can use GED scores, Bridge to College and AP course grades, and Smarter Balanced, ACT, SAT, TOEFL, and IELTS scores.  If you have one of these placement measures, please follow the directions below to submit your method of placement. If you do not have any of these other placement measures, and are not a Running Start student, you can take the Accuplacer exam as explained below under "Students Who Have None of the Above Placement Options." Details about each placement level can be found on the chart at the bottom of this page.

After you apply for admission and receive your ctcLink ID, email enroll@clark.edu with your scanned documents showing your method of placement. Provide your name and ctcLink ID in the email.

If you have none of the above measures, you can take the Accuplacer exam. This option is available only for those students without another placement option. It is not an option for those who hope to start in a more advanced level than one of the above measures indicate.  Please email enroll@clark.edu to schedule your Accuplacer exam. 

If you would like to make a correction to your GPA after you have self-reported it, you can submit a correction to enroll@clark.edu, but you will need to provide an unofficial or official high school transcript that shows the GPA that should be entered instead. Corrections will not be processed without a high school transcript.

Our goal with placement is to ensure you start out at the level of English composition that will ensure your best chance of success and that will help you build confidence as a writer. If you start in a class that is too challenging, or too easy, it will not serve you. Our placement options are meant to place you accurately, but if you have graduated from a U.S. high school and have placed into English 90 using high school GPA and think this placement is inaccurate, you can submit an appeal for English 101+099 placement. Please follow the directions below to submit your appeal.

1. In 350 words or fewer, explain why you think your U.S. high school GPA does not reflect your English 90 placement and why you think you can be successful in English 101+099. Important note: The appeal form will not limit word count for you, so you must monitor the length of your own appeal to ensure it does not exceed 350 words.
2. Be specific and clear in your writing.
3. Write in your own words with no help from outside resources (another person, translation program, etc.).
4. Compose your appeal in a Word or Google doc, revising and editing it for clarity and length, and then copying/pasting your appeal into the form.
5. Read the 101+099 course description below before you write your appeal so you understand the course in which you would be placed if the appeal is approved.

English 101+099 Course Description:  Integrated college reading and writing, emphasizing deep comprehension, critical thinking in response to texts from various genres, and writing for a variety of purposes and audiences in a range of modalities. Strengthens skills through rhetorical awareness, application of genre knowledge, and reflection on past and future writing tasks to enable skill transfer to new situations in college, workplaces, and communities. Reading and writing processes emphasized. The English 099 portion of the course focuses on college-level writing, critical thinking, and critical reading to support achievement of ENGL& 101.

Click on the English Placement Appeal Form link to access the appeal form. Fill out the form completely with your full name, CTClink ID #, and accurate contact information. Once you have completed your appeal paragraph, click the “Submit” button at the bottom of the page to submit your appeal. You will be notified by the email you include on this form of the appeal decision.

In most cases, decisions will be sent between 5 and 7 working days. There can be, however, delays beyond 7 working days during busy periods, such as the first week of classes and the week directly preceding the start of each quarter. Please plan ahead if you are planning to file an appeal, and please don't assume that an appeal submitted after the quarter had begun will receive a decision in enough time to enroll in classes for that quarter. 

If you are a student with a disability, please email Audrea Hagen at ahagen@clark.edu with questions about accommodations or accessibility in relation to placement.

Placing correctly is the best way to ensure your success in English classes so you continue and finish your college career. Selecting the right English classes, the first time, will help you avoid unneeded credits, which will save you time and money. Being placed in the right class helps you avoid the frustration of realizing you are in the wrong class after you’ve already started the term and purchased your books. 

In order to make sure you start at the level that will best ensure your success, you have to submit placement information. If you don’t have information for any of the placement methods mentioned on this page, you can take the Accuplacer exam. Placing correctly is the best way to ensure your success in English and to save you time and money.

Please scroll down to “Placement Options and Measures'' to find all the placement options. If you still need help after that, you can contact enroll@clark.edu.  

You can email enroll@clark.edu with questions. The Assessment and Placement page has contact information as well. 

If you would like to appeal your GPA placement, please follow the guidelines above under “How to Appeal Your English 90 Placement.” You can also correct an incorrect self-reported GPA by following the guidelines above under “How to Correct Your Self-Corrected GPA.” Those are the only two options for changing placement. Please remember that the English department has done extensive research on the best, more effective way for students to place in order to be successful in English classes. 

Research shows that using GPA for placement is the best, more effective way to place you accurately and ensure your success in English classes. Since we want each student to have the best chance of success at Clark College, Accuplacer is considered a last resort for only those without any other placement method. 

Email enroll@clark.edu with the subject “HS GPA for English Placement.”

It should take within 3 business days. If you have questions, email enroll@clark.edu.

After you apply for admission and receive your ctcLink ID, email enroll@clark.edu your scanned documents showing your method of placement. Provide your name and ctcLink ID in the email.

You cannot fail the Accuplacer test. The test results will indicate which English class should be your starting point. 

In many cases, yes, if Clark has placement reciprocity set up with that college. Contact enroll@clark.edu to find out more.

ENGL& 101 is a freshman-year composition course for those who are ready to go about this work without much support.  ENGL& 101 + 099 is the same course, except that it has extra support in place, so students get more clarity about the tasks and learning that they are encountering in the work of ENGL& 101.

Both CAP 90 and ENGL 90 provide students with opportunities to build critical reading and college-level writing skills. Both classes provide rich support from the instructor as well as help accessing resources for success. The Student Learning Outcomes are similar for both classes and passing either class meets the prerequisite for taking English 101 or English 101+99, depending on grade earned. Some important differences between the two classes:

CAP 90

• Integrated English/Social Studies course. Reading and writing assignments will focus on themes of Power, Privilege, and Inequity (PPI)
• 7 credits 
• 7 hours of instructional time per week
• Taught fully online or hybrid with 5 credits in person and 2 credits online 
• Counts towards High School+ program credit only
• Cost: Standard Transitional Studies tuition for one class is $25 total
• May be eligible for financial aid (check with an advisor) 

ENGL 90

• Focused on writing, reading, and study strategies. Significant emphasis on reading via Reading Apprenticeship, a method proven to increase comprehension and stamina
• 6 credits 
• 8 hours of instructional time per week
• Taught in person or online with required Zoom support sessions each week 
• Counts towards specific certificates only (check with advisor)
• Cost: Standard Clark College tuition for a 6 credit class is currently $701.94 (in-state and border county residents)
• Eligible for financial aid

ENGL& 101 Placement

IMPORTANT NOTE: Students who have transferred from another country to a U.S. high school and have graduated from that U.S. high school must have at least two full years of non-ESL English coursework by the date their Clark courses begin to place by high school GPA.  

• U.S. High School Graduate:  2.90 or higher GPA
• U.S. High School Junior Year Completed and GED Earned: 2.90 or higher U.S. High School GPA
• GED Post-2014:  RLA 165-200
• Smarter Balanced: 3-4
• Bridge to College English: B or Higher
• AP Lang/Comp or Comp/Lit: score of 3 (score of 4 provides credit for ENGL&101, so student should start in 102 or 235)
• ACT: 19 English
• SAT pre. 3/2016: Read 460 & Writ. 460
• SAT 3/2016 to pres.: 510 Evid. Based R & W
• Accuplacer Next Generation Combined Reading and Writing Scores: 513-600

ENGL& 101+099 or PTWR 135 Placement

• U.S High School Graduate: 2.4-2.89 GPA
• GED Post-2014:  RLA 145-164
• Smarter Balanced: Encouraged for 3
• Accuplacer Next Generation Combined Reading and Writing Scores: 478-512

ENGL ENGL 090 or CAP 090 Placement

• U.S. High School Graduate: 1.0-2.39 GPA
• Accuplacer Next Generation Combined Reading and Writing Scores: 454-577

ENGL& 101 Placement

IMPORTANT NOTE: Running Start students enrolled in a Washington State high school and enrolled in the Running Start program must have a U.S. high school GPA through at least 10th grade (with at least two years of non-ESL English coursework) by the date their Clark courses begin.

• U.S. High School GPA through 10th Grade or Later: 2.90 or higher 
• Smarter Balanced: 3-4
• AP Lang/Comp or Comp/Lit: score of 3 (score of 4 provides credit for ENGL&101, so student should start in 102 or 235)
• ACT: 19 English
• SAT pre. 3/2016: Read 460 & Writ. 460
• SAT 3/2016 to pres.: 510 Evid. Based R & W
• Accuplacer Next Generation Combined Reading and Writing Scores: 513-600

ENGL& 101+099 or PTWR 135 Placement

• U.S. High School GPA through 10th Grade or Later: 2.4-2.89
• Smarter Balanced: Encouraged for 3
• Accuplacer Next Generation Combined Reading and Writing Scores: 478-512

ENGL& 101 Placement

• TOEFL: 61 ibT/17 Writing
• IELTS: 5.5 wit all bands 5.0+
• STEP EIKEN: Pre-1 or higher
• Duolingo English Test: 100 or higher

ENGL& 101 Placement

• Undergraduate degree from an accredited U.S. college
• Undergraduate degree from an accredited college in an English-speaking country or province

Consult Credential Evaluations to determine if you have English 101 or English 102 credit from your previous college.

• Consult Credential Evaluations to determine if the best mechanism for your placement is transfer credit, a placement reciprocity score, or any of the measures for high school graduates.

• Accuplacer Next Generation Combined Reading and Writing Scores: 513-600
• Transcript evaluation to show the equivalent of a 2.9 GPA. Contact international@clark.edu for a list of credential evaluation providers.