Based on the English Placement Exam, a student who shows need for improvement in writing and reading may be required to enroll in ES 123/ES023 before taking EN 121. Students for whom English is a second language may be required to enroll in ES 123/ES 023 prior to EN 121 and/or ES 024 as a co-requisite of EN 121.
Competency in English skills is a graduation requirement at FIT. Placement into the proper English course is an important factor in making sure students succeed. At FIT, placement is determined by taking one of the following exams:
SAT verbal exam, including the essay exam
ACT verbal exam, including the essay exam
One of these is required before registering for EN 121 Freshman Composition, which must be completed within the first year of study at FIT. Skills are evaluated using students' performance on the SAT or ACT. If students' skills are not sufficient for EN 121, they will be placed in the appropriate Educational Skills course. The following charts help determine placement.
SAT Critical Reading and Writing - If you score, You will register for
If scored
Registered for
490 and below
ES 123 English as a Second Language and ES 023 Lab
500 – 530
EN 121 Freshman Composition and 9 tutoring sessions
540 or higher
EN 121 Freshman Composition
ACT Verbal and Writing
ACT Verbal and Writing - If you score, You will register for
If scored
Registered for
14 and below
ES 123 English as a Second Language and ES 023 Lab
15 – 17
EN 121 Freshman Composition and 9 tutoring sessions
18 and above
EN 121 Freshman Composition
A score on either the SAT or ACT allows immediate registration for a writing course.
If student has not taken either of these exams in the past five years, student must take the FIT placement exams before registering for English and math courses.
If student is not pleased with student's SAT/ACT score, student should make arrangements to retake the exam through College Board.
If student believes he or she should be exempt from English placement based on transfer credit for an English composition course taken at another accredited college, please have an official transcript sent to the Registrar’s Office of FIT NYC.
International Students
If student does not take the SAT or ACT exams, student must take the FIT English placement exam when student arrives at FIT, before registering for any English course.
Advanced Placement Exams
Students who have taken an Advanced Placement Exam (AP) and earned a score of three (3) or higher will receive transfer credit. Official transcripts are required for transfer credit evaluation. Go to CollegeBoard.org for more information.
Advanced Placement Exams - Name of Exam, FIT Equivalent, FIT Requirements
Name of Exam
FIT Equivalent
FIT Requirements
AP English Language and Composition
EN121, EN020*
G1 Basic Communication
AP English Literature and Composition
EN121 (G1), EN030 (G7)
G1 Basic Communication G7 Humanities
Students who score 3 or higher on both English AP Exams will receive a total of 9 English credits.
Up to six (6) credits will be considered for each Higher-Level Exam with a grade of four (4) or higher. See website for FIT course equivalents.
Transfer Credits
A grade of “C” or better must be earned for approval of transfer credit. Courses with “P” (pass/fail) or “S” (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) grades will also be considered for transfer credit. Only the course and credit, not the grade, are posted to the FIT record. Transfer credit is assigned a grade of “T” and will not affect the FIT grade point average.