Course Prerequisites & Program Eligibility
USI dual credit, or CAP, is open to high school juniors, seniors, and sophomores who are in CAP-aligned courses. To be eligible for CAP, in general, the following program criteria must be met:
- Juniors or seniors must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Sophomores must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
- The GPA may be weighted or unweighted, based upon how the school calculates it.
- Sophomores must also have an endorsement from their CAP instructor or counselor, collected by the CAP Office during enrollment.
- Students previously in CAP must have attained a USI grade of C or better to enroll in further course work in the same subject area (i.e. English 101 and English 105).
Student must be enrolled in a CAP course offered at one of the participating high schools.
Students who wish to enroll in Chemistry 142, 143, Civil Engineering 321, English 101, English 105, Math 111, Math 112, Math 114, Psychology 201, Social Work 224, or world language (French, German, Spanish) must meet the following additional requirements.
Chemistry: Consent of instructor
Civil Engineering (CE) 321: Completion of ENGR 121 or ME 121
English (ENG) 101: Effective Fall 2021, the following scenarios qualify for automatic placement:
- Cumulative high school GPA ≥ 3.0 and no PSAT/SAT/ACT scores
- Cumulative high school GPA ≥ 3.0 and
- ACT English score of 17 or higher or
- PSAT/SAT EBRW (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing) score of 460 or higher*
*Acceptable PSAT scores include PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10. PSAT 8/9 scores may not be used for CAP placement.
All other scenarios will require that a student take the timed placement essay to attempt to qualify for USI's English 101. Each timed essay is evaluated by two to three USI faculty to ensure consistency and fairness, just as essays are evaluated for on-campus students. A student whose essay indicates readiness for English 101 may enroll.
Students may prepare for the English placement test by utilizing the resources found on USI Rice Library's Placement Test site and clicking on the Preparing for the Placement Test tab.
English (ENG) 105: Enrollment in English 105 is limited to seniors.
Journalism 180: Students in JRN 180 may register for an additional hour of JRN 180, provided they complete the required newsroom hours for each section of the course; contact your CAP instructor for newsroom hour requirement details. Additional information is available on a pdf explaining the option for students to earn up to two hours of JRN 180 between their junior and senior year.
- SAT/PSAT Math score of 550 or higher (Math 111/112) or 530 or higher (Math 114).*
- ACT/PreACT** Math score of 22 or higher (Math 111/112) or 21 or higher (Math 114).
- Placement through the Accuplacer exam.***
*Acceptable PSAT scores include PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10. PSAT 8/9 scores may not be used for CAP placement.
**The PreACT score may be used for USI math placement but not the future projected ACT score.
***Students who do not place with test scores must exhibit competency via an online placement test (Accuplacer) prior to the enrollment deadline. Placement exams will be administered at the high school. Students can view practice questions on the Accuplacer site (select the fifth [Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra and Statistics] and sixth [Advanced Algebra and Functions] links).
Students may prepare for the math placement test by utilizing the resources found on USI Rice Library's Placement Test site and clicking on the Preparing for the Placement Test tab.
Psychology 201: University Reading Level (URL) required.
"University Reading Level" attained through one of the following (updated for fall 2021):
1. SAT/PSAT* Critical Reading score of 23 or higher
2. SAT/PSAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) section score of 480 or higher
3. ACT Reading score of 17 or higher
4. Or cumulative high school GPA ≥ 3.0 and no PSAT/SAT/ACT scores.
Students who do not qualify through the above criteria may take a reading placement test; a minimum score of 253 is required to attain a University Reading Level placement and be able to register in PSY 201.
*Acceptable PSAT scores include PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10. PSAT 8/9 scores may not be used for CAP placement.
Students may prepare for the reading placement test by utilizing the resources found on USI Rice Library's Placement Test site and clicking on the Preparing for the Placement Test tab.
Radio/Television 150: Students in RTV 150 may register for additional course sections, provided they complete the required studio hours (50) for each section of the course. For more information view a pdf explaining the option for students to earn up to six hours of RTV 150 between their junior and senior year.
Social Work 224: English 101 or concurrent enrollment in
World Languages (French, German, and Spanish): Consent of instructor (French, German, or Spanish 203). Students may enroll in French, German, or Spanish 204 after completion of 203 with a C or higher and consent of instructor.
Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who meet the eligibility standards described above are invited and encouraged to enroll in CAP. Your high school retains the responsibility for providing and coordinating any accommodations or services as described in your current IEP, 504 Plan, or similar educational plan. However, the legal requirements under the disability laws that apply to colleges and universities are significantly different from those in special education laws that apply to high schools. Due to this, accommodations that students currently receive may not be appropriate for a college-level class. To avoid any potential barriers to your ability to earn full college credit for your participation in CAP, you are encouraged to contact your high school's special education service provider, case conference committee, or similar entity to review current accommodations and make any necessary modifications to their current educational plan (including any transition plan) before enrolling in CAP. Students in fully online or hybrid courses should be aware that, due to the nature of online courses, some accommodations approved for traditional USI classroom courses may not apply. Please discuss this with your CAP instructor to clarify as needed. To learn more about the differences between high school and college for students receiving disability-related academic accommodations, please take a moment to review the U.S. Department of Education's publication "Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities".