English as a Second Language (ESL) Placement

Applicants who have spent at least six months or more in an institution where English is not the primary language of instruction or who took ESL classes in high school are flagged as potential ESL via the CUNY admissions process. ESL applicants who meet the CUNY benchmark scores on the SAT, ACT, or New York State Regents will be deemed proficient in English and/or math, regardless of where they attended high school. ESL students who do not meet the benchmark scores in math will be assessed via the proficiency index in math; for English proficiency, ESL students will be evaluated in the following way: 

ESL applicants who do not have a New York State English Regents score will not be assessed via the English proficiency index. Applicants must take Accuplacer ESL to determine reading and writing proficiency and appropriate course placement.

ESL applicants who have a New York State English Regents score will be assessed via the English proficiency index. Applicants not meeting the English proficiency index benchmark score must take Accuplacer ESL to determine appropriate course placement.