English as a Second Language (ESL) Placement

As per the CUNY Testing Site:
Applicants who have spent at least six months or more in an institution where English is not the primary language of instruction, or 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 New York State Regents will be deemed proficient in English and/or math, regardless of where they attended high school.  ESL applicants who do not meet the benchmark scores in math will be assessed via the proficiency index in math; for English proficiency, ESL applicants 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 will be required to 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 who do not meet the English proficiency index benchmark score will be required to take Accuplacer ESL to determine appropriate course placement.