UNCW Math Placement

We strongly recommend that all students who need Calculus for their degree program complete the ALEKS PPL Math Placement. ALEKS PPL is available to all UNCW students.

All Calculus courses have required prerequisites. Students who need Calculus can place directly into their required course with the appropriate ALEKS PPL Math Placement Score.

Students who do not need Calculus for their degree program can consider the following introductory mathematics and statistics courses that do not have prerequisite or placement score requirements: MAT 101, MAT 141, MAT 142, MAT 150, MAT 160, STT 210, or STT 215.

Students are encouraged to consult with their academic advisor regarding math placement, degree program requirements, and course registration.

ALEKS PPL is an online placement assessment that can be taken at anytime, anywhere. Students do not have to be on campus to complete the assessment.

Once students create an ALEKS PPL account, they will have one year to complete their Initial Placement Assessment, Prep & Learning Modules, and Second Placement Assessment.

Students are able to view their cut score immediately in ALEKS PPL after completing the assessment.

• Cut Score 0 to 60 = ALEKS PPL Math Placement Score 1
  You are eligible to take MAT 101, MAT 141, MAT 142, MAT 150, MAT 160, STT 210, or STT 215 as needed for your degree program.
• Cut Score 61 to 75 = ALEKS PPL Math Placement Score 2
  You are eligible to take MAT 112, MAT 151, or any course listed for ALEKS PPL Math Placement Score 1 as needed for your degree program.
• Cut Score 76 to 100 = ALEKS PPL Math Placement Score 3
  You are eligible to take MAT 161 or any course listed for ALEKS PPL Math Placement Score of 1 or 2 as needed for your degree program.

Students are encouraged to consult with their academic advisor regarding math placement, degree program requirements, and course registration.

Students are able to view their cut score in ALEKS PPL immediately after completing the assessment. ALEKS PPL scores sync to the student's UNCW account within 12 hours; syncs occur at 1am and 1pm EST daily.

Students can view their placement scores in their UNCW Student Profile found in mySeaport.

• Log in to mySeaport.
• Click "Student" tab.
• Click "Student Profile" under Records heading.
• Click "Prior Education and Testing" under the student's name and picture.   

UNCW students can borrow a compatible device through the TAC's Loaner Laptop Program.

Students who experience a computer crash or a frozen web browser should close the browser or log out and then log back in. ALEKS PPL will resume the Placement Assessment exactly where the student left off with no loss of previous answers.

Students who experience other technical difficulties should contact ALEKS Support.

Additional questions? Contact MathPlacement@uncw.edu.

We strongly recommend that all students who need Calculus for their degree program complete the ALEKS PPL Math Placement. ALEKS PPL is available to all UNCW students. Students are encouraged to consult with their academic advisor regarding math placement, degree program requirements, and course registration.

Calculus courses have required prerequisites. Students who need Calculus can place directly into their required course with the appropriate ALEKS PPL Math Placement Score, ACT Math Score, AP Calculus Score, or college math credit.

• MAT 151 (Basic Calculus with Applications 1) or MAT 112 (Trigonometry) requires one of the following prerequisites:
  • Credit for MAT 150 or equivalent course
  • ALEKS PPL Math Placement Score of 2 or higher
  • ACT Math Score of 27 or higher
  • AP Calculus AB or BC Exam Score of 2
• MAT 161 (Calculus with Analytical Geometry 1) requires one of the following prerequisites:
  • Credit for MAT 160, MAT 112, or equivalent course
  • ALEKS PPL Math Placement Score of 3
  • ACT Math Score of 29 or higher
  • AP Calculus AB or BC Exam Score of 2

Students must submit official records of test results or college course credit to the Registrar's Office in order to satisfy the prerequisite required for registration for the appropriate math course.

If you have previously taken any math courses at a community college, college, or university, you can find out how those college math courses transfer to UNCW by checking the Transfer Articulation.

If you have a score of 3 or higher on the AP Precalculus, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, or AP Statistics Exam, please see the UNCW Policy on Advanced Placement.

You can review UNCW's policies on Credit by Examination for more information on how academic credit is awarded by UNCW based on test scores.

Students who completed a placement test prior to February 28, 2025, may take the new ALEKS PPL Math Placement to determine their current mathematical knowledge space and preparedness for Calculus.

Prior placement scores from the Accuplacer Placement Test (March 1, 2019 through February 27, 2025) are valid for course registration.

• Accumath Composite Score = 1, 2, or 3: You are eligible to take MAT 101, MAT 141, MAT 142, MAT 150, MAT 160, STT 210, or STT 215 as needed for your degree program.
• Accumath Composite Score = 4: You are eligible to take MAT 112, MAT 151, or any course listed for Accumath Composite Score 1, 2, or 3 as needed for your degree program.
• Accumath Composite Score = 5: You are eligible to take MAT 161 or any course listed for Accumath Composite Score 1, 2, 3, or 4 as needed for your degree program.

UNCW Math Placement Test Scores prior to March 1, 2019, and COVID Math Scores are no longer valid for course registration. Students should take the new ALEKS PPL Math Placement prior to course registration.