Assessment, Advising, and Placement
2004-2006 Undergraduate Catalog | Catalogs

Advising and assessment at both campuses aid undergraduate students with program planning, course selection, course sequencing, and dropping and adding courses. Advisors are readily available to assist students experiencing academic difficulty or on academic probation with strategies to improve their academic performance. Students unsure of a major can meet with an advisor to discuss options and explore possible major choices. Additionally, advising and assessment administer the Roosevelt University Assessment (RUA), English Language Program (ELP) test, and Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Information is available concerning graduate admissions tests, College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and other educational assessments not offered at Roosevelt.

Roosevelt University Assessment (RUA)

The RUA is a set of objective measures that cover students’ basic skills in sentence structure, reading comprehension, arithmetic, and elementary algebra. All admitted degree-seeking undergraduate students must take the RUA, including all transfer students. There are only two exceptions to this requirement.

• Students seeking a second bachelor’s degree
• Students who are taking the Roosevelt English Language Program (ELP). These students usually take the mathematics portion of the RUA concurrently while completing the English language training

The RUA is of significant help to advisors in placing students in appropriate courses and helping them succeed in meeting their educational goals at Roosevelt. There is no charge for the assessment. For those undergraduates who have been referred for the assessment by the Office of Admission, results are used to gain a complete and accurate picture of their capabilities. An admission decision is never based solely on assessment results.

All entering students complete the RUA before advising and registration for the first semester at Roosevelt. Future registrations of any student who has not taken the RUA will not be permitted until that requirement is met.

Academic advising

All students must be advised prior to registration. Advising ensures that the student has the background to enroll in the courses selected, has benefited from professional advice in selecting courses, and has selected courses that will lead to his/her goal. At the advising appointment, the student will review general education and major course requirements, discuss transfer credit, review RUA assessment scores for math and English, and select courses for the coming term.

New undergraduates (freshmen or transfer students) participate in a mandatory orientation program. These students should call 312-341-4340 for Chicago or 847-619-7930 for Schaumburg to sign up for the program. Students will receive their registration code at their advising appointment each term to complete the registration process online.

Continuing Roosevelt undergraduate students will typically be advised in their major department after completing one semester at Roosevelt. Students will be notified by the advising centers when they have been transferred to their major area for advising. Students who have not declared a major or who are on academic probation are advised in the advising centers at both campuses.

First Year Experience

Beginning fall semester 2004, all new, full-time undergraduate students who are under the age of 24 and who have fewer than 15 hours of transfer credit will be required to take an eight-week seminar designed to assist them in handling their college studies successfully. This noncredit course is required for graduation, and a fee will be charged for participation. The course will provide information about academic and personal resources so that students new to the college experience will be aware of the many avenues of support available to them as well as the people who are available to make their college experience manageable and rewarding. The seminar is FYS 100: RU Ready: Navigating University Life. Students who are not required to take the course may request to do so and will be admitted if space is available.

University Writing Requirement (UWR)

Before graduating, each student at Roosevelt University must demonstrate his/her ability to write in a clear, well-organized, and grammatically correct manner. Fulfillment of the UWR varies for each individual student and is dependent upon prior course work and RUA scores.

English placement

A student’s performance on the Roosevelt University Assessment and official transcripts from previous schools are used to determine English placement. An academic advisor will inform the student of the English composition course(s) that must be taken to satisfy the University Writing Requirement at the initial advising appointment. Students must take the required composition course during their first semester at Roosevelt unless the student is taking English Language Program (ELP). Students who have completed English course work at another institution may be required to take additional composition courses at Roosevelt.

First-time students or transfer students without composition credit

All undergraduate students and non-degree students who wish to enroll in English, mathematics, or other selected classes must take the Roosevelt University Assessment (RUA) to determine placement in, or exemption from, Roosevelt’s course sequences. Advisors will inform students of the courses needed to satisfy the UWR when planning semester schedules or at other appropriate times. Grades below C are not considered passing. Students placed in English 099 and/or English 100 must complete these courses satisfactorily before entering English 101.

Transfer students with composition credit

All undergraduate students who transfer to Roosevelt from another school must take the Roosevelt University Assessment. If a student already has acceptable equivalent transfer credit for English 101 and 102 with grades of C or better, the Roosevelt University Assessment will determine whether additional course work is required.

Math placement

In addition to the Roosevelt University Assessment, the School of Science and Mathematics has a sequence of 30-minute placement tests for placement above Math 121. The tests may be taken in the School office and evaluated quickly afterward. A student who wishes more information than is provided by the University’s assessment (such as placement beyond Math 121) may go to the office of the School of Science and Mathematics at either the Chicago or the Schaumburg campus. A student may count no more than nine semester hours of mathematics courses at the 100 level towards the 120 semester hours required for graduation.

English Language Program (ELP)

To assist non-native speakers of English in the successful completion of their degree programs, Roosevelt University requires intensive study of the English language for those who need further training and practice in English. ELP instructors help students with listening and speaking skills, sentence structure, reading comprehension, and composition. Non-degree students may also be accepted for study in the English Language Program after completing an ELP-Only application through the Office of Admission.

All Roosevelt University undergraduate students who are non-native speakers of English must demonstrate English proficiency either by submitting Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Test of Written English (TWE) scores at the time of application or by taking the Roosevelt University English Language Proficiency Test upon arrival at the University. Undergraduate students who submit TOEFL/TWE scores must achieve a minimum TOEFL score of 525 (197 for the computer-based TOEFL) and a TWE score of 4.0. Students who do not submit TOEFL/TWE scores at the required levels must take the Roosevelt University English Language Proficiency Test.

Students who need further language training will be assigned courses based on their ELP test results and must complete as many courses as are necessary for them to acquire proficiency in English. Students must generally achieve competence at the advanced level before they are permitted to enroll in courses outside of the English Language Program. A grade of C is the minimum passing grade in all ELP classes.