Learning how to do source-based academic writing and research is a General Education requirement for all undergraduate students. It is called the 'Composition I' requirement, and you will take the appropriate course or courses in your first year at Illinois. To fulfill your Comp I requirement, you must successfully complete one or two semesters of Rhetoric, English as a Second Language, or Communication courses. The RHET and ESL courses focus on academic research and writing. The two-semester CMN 111-112 sequence, "Oral and Written Communication," develops not only your research-based composition skills but also your oratory critical thinking skills. It is appropriate for those students who wish to learn (or whose program requires that they learn) public speaking in addition to academic writing. Please note that credit is not given for both CMN 101 "Public Speaking" and either CMN 111 or CMN 112.

FRESHMEN

If you are a native speaker of English, there is no placement exam for your Composition I course. You have the option of enrolling in CMN 111-112, or you can enroll in the RHET course that you place into. For 2024-2025 placement will be based on your highest SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score, or your highest ACT English score, or your performance in your academic high school classes, and/or your responses to the Rhetoric Placement Questionnaire. If you opted not to have your ACT/SAT scores used in the review of your application to Illinois, you cannot submit them now in order to get placed into, or be exempt from, a 'Composition I' class.

If you are an international, non-native speaker of English, you will be informed via email by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions whether you are required to take the English Placement Test (the EPT).

• If you are NOT required to take the EPT, then you will be placed into a Rhetoric course based on the criteria described above. You are certainly still welcome to take the EPT if you prefer to be placed into an ESL composition course rather than a RHET composition course. Alternatively, you may also choose to enroll in the CMN 111-112 sequence.
  

• If you ARE required to take the EPT, then you must take the EPT even though you may have submitted ACT or SAT scores with your application. The only exception to this requirement is if you already fulfilled the General Education Composition I requirement with transferred coursework from another institution or with test-based credit for RHET 105 from sufficiently high ACT, SAT, AP, or IB scores. Advance registration is required. Click here for upcoming test dates.
  

TRANSFER STUDENTS

If you are a native speaker of English and you haven't taken any college-level composition course, you will be placed into a RHET course based on the information available for you. For 2024-2025 placement will be based on your highest SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score, or your highest ACT English score, or your performance in your academic high school classes, and/or your responses to the Rhetoric Placement Questionnaire.

If you are a native speaker of English and you have taken a college-level composition course, then your RHET placement is based on your previously taken, transferable composition courses. Check your DARS report to see how much credit was accepted by Illinois.

• If you have earned transferable credit equivalent to RHET 105, you have fulfilled the General Education Composition I requirement. In this situation, talk with your academic advisor about enrolling in a course for the Advanced Composition General Education requirement.
• If you have earned partial transferable credit for academic writing but not enough to fulfill our Composition I requirement (meaning, your composition classes were articulated as either UCI 1 - - or UCII 1 - - credit), then you have the option of taking RHET 233 to satisfy both the General Education Composition I requirement and the General Education Advanced Composition requirement simultaneously. Consult with your advisor to decide which option is best for you.

If you are an international, non-native speaker of English and you have taken a college-level composition course, then you should check your DARS report to see how much credit was accepted by Illinois.

• If you have earned transferable credit equivalent to RHET 105, you have fulfilled the General Education Composition I requirement. In this situation, talk with your academic advisor about enrolling in a course for the Advanced Composition General Education requirement.
• If you have earned partial transferable credit for academic writing but not enough to fulfill our Composition I requirement AND you were told to take the EPT, then you should take the EPT and enroll in the course that you place into. Advance registration is required. Click here for upcoming test dates.
• If you have earned partial transferable credit for academic writing but not enough to fulfill our Composition I requirement (meaning, your composition classes were articulated as either UCI 1 - - or UCII 1 - - credit), and you were NOT told to take the EPT, then you may wish to enroll in RHET 233. You should discuss your course enrollment options with your academic advisor because, if your TOEFL or IELTS scores suggest that you would benefit from ESL support, it might be better for you to take the EPT and follow that placement.

LEARN MORE

Learn more about the test scores that fulfill the Composition I requirement.