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​​ACT/SAT English Credit

Sam Houston State University accepts high scores from the ACT English test and SAT Reading and Writing test for credit in freshman English courses.

​​ACT/SAT​ Details

Sam Houston State University has a policy of accepting up to a maximum of thirty (30) hours of credit through a combination of national standardized examinations and/or locally designed and administered departmental tests. More than thirty (30) hours of credit by examination will be considered on an individual appeal basis by academic departments. Policies are subject to change at any time.

ACT: 

  • A score of 33 or above on the English section of the ACT qualifies a student for exemption from both ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302. 
  •  A score of 27-32 qualifies a student for enrollment in ENGL 1301H (Honors Class). 
  •  Students earning an A or B in ENGL 1301H will automatically receive credit for ENGL 1302 and become eligible for sophomore English. If a student does not make a grade of A or B in the ENGL 1301H class, they will be required to take ENGL 1302.  

SAT: 

  • A score of 700 or above on the Reading and Writing section of the SAT qualifies a student for exemption from both ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302.  
  • A score of 600-690 qualifies a student for enrollment in ENGL 1301H  (Honors Class).  
  • Students earning an A or B in ENGL 1301H will automatically receive credit for ENGL 1302  and become eligible for sophomore English. If a student does not make a grade of A or B in the ENGL 1301H class, they will be required to take ENGL 1302. 

GENERAL INFORMATION:

  • The SHSU Testing Center does not administer ACT or SAT exams. Most students can take the exam at their local high school or another testing facility. Please inquire with your high school counselor for more information.  
  • ACT/SAT course credit is automatically placed on a student's transcript when the Admissions Office receives an official score report. If a student has met the score requirement but has not received credit on their transcript, they should contact Admissions at admissionscores@shsu.edu.  
  • Letter grades A and B take precedence over credit-by-exam. 
  • Credit-by-Exam will automatically replace letter grades D and F. If a letter grade of C is listed on the transcript for a course in which credit-by-exam is also applicable, the C will take precedence over the credit-by-exam. Students will have the option to request credit (via credit-by-exam) in lieu of letter grade C. Students will initiate the change with the respective academic department and Admissions to finalize the change. Although credit-by-exam replaces letter grades C, D, and F, it does not remove the letter grade from the transcript. 
  • Specific course prefixes, numbers, and credit hours will be awarded for acceptable scores but no grades will be awarded