Placement in first year academic courses is based on a comprehensive assessment of application materials, including high school coursework and grades, teacher and counselor recommendations, and writing samples. Students who have consistently earned lower than a B in high school English, history and/or social science courses, have sub-scores below ACT Reading 22 or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Component 580*, and/or whose records indicate that they would benefit from foundational college writing and/or reading instruction prior to enrollment in other academic courses are placed into the AAP.
*Please Note: As of Fall 2020 and later, SAIC does not require SAT or ACT scores for admission, and submission of test scores is optional.
First-year students who have not been placed in the AAP but desire to begin their academic studies through the AAP may request to participate in AAP courses during their first year on campus by contacting Asia Mitchell, the Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions, at amitchell7@saic.edu. International students may be placed into the AAP rather than the English for International Students (EIS) program based on their English language fluency and educational record.
If you have questions about placement, contact the AAP Coordinator, Jennie Berner, at jberner1@saic.edu. To appeal an AAP placement decision, please fill out the Academic Access Program Appeal form.