First Year Experience & Students in Transition

Mathematics Course Placement

Many students at UMD are required to take courses in mathematics or statistics as part of their major or degree program. The required math or statistics courses for each major are listed in the UMD catalog.

It is important that students begin their study of mathematics in a course and at a level for which they are prepared. Sometimes this means first taking lower level courses to prepare for a higher level, required math course. The UMD Department of Mathematics and Statistics determines each student's first math course by their performance on the math section of the ACT (American College Testing) exam.

If a student successfully transfers college credit to UMD for a college level math course, that course may be used to determine math placement. Students who have completed a math course for college credit should submit an official transcrip to the UMD Admissions Office to have the course evaluated for possible UMD credit. If an unofficial transcript cannot be submitted prior to Advisement & Registration, students should bring copies of unofficial transcripts or enrollment summaries to Advisement & Registration so that proper placement can be discussed.

The ACT Math score that a student needs for her/his first math course at UMD is listed below:

For math placement information for students who have only taken the SAT exam (and not the ACT), please contact the Swenson College of Science and Engineering Student Affairs Office by email at csesa@d.umn.edu or by telephone at 218-726-7585.

Students who would like to register for a course different from the one listed above must take the UMD Math Placement Exam. To make arrangements to take the exam, students should contact the Swenson College of Science and Engineering Student Affairs Office by email at csesa@d.umn.edu or by telephone at 218-726-7585.