Regents' Skills Program
Each institution of the University System of Georgia shall assure the other institutions, and the System as a whole, that students obtaining a degree from that institution possess certain minimum skills of reading and writing. The Regents' Skills Program has been developed to help in the attainment of this goal. The objectives of the Regents' Skills Program are (1) to provide System-wide information on the status of student competence in the areas of reading and writing and (2) to provide a uniform means of identifying those students who fail to attain the minimum levels of competence in the areas of reading and writing.
Students may exempt the reading requirement of the exam with a:
- SAT Reasoning Test, Critical Reading Score of 510; or
- ACT Reading Score of 23.
Students may exempt the writing essay requirement with an:
- SAT II English Writing Score of 650 or AP English Score of 3; or
- International Baccalaureate (IB) higher-level English Score of 4; or
- SAT Reasoning Test, Writing Section exemption score of 560; or
- SAT Reasoning Test, Writing Section score of 500 in conjunction with at least a 510 score on SAT Reasoning Test, Critical Reading Section; or
- A score of at least 24 on the ACT Combined English/Writing exam; or
- A score of at least 22 on the ACT Combined English/Writing exam in combination with an ACT Reading score of at least 23.
(SAT or ACT scores must be from a national administration. Scores from institutional SAT or residual ACT tests will not be acceptable for this purpose.)
Other exemptions may be found at the BOR website: www2.gsu.edu/~wwwrtp/overview.htm
Students should verify eligibility to exempt by generating a Degree Evaluation through their Banner account.
All students enrolled in undergraduate degree programs leading to the baccalaureate degree and to the Associate of Science in Nursing degree at North Georgia must satisfy this requirement.
Students who are not exempt from the Regents' Test and students who are not enrolled in Learning Support English or Reading courses must officially register for and take the test during their first semester at North Georgia and must continue to register each term thereafter until both portions are satisfied. Students who have two unsuccessful attempts at passing the Regents' Exams are administratively enrolled in the Regents' Skills course(s) and must complete the course(s) to be considered eligible to take the test again. An unsuccessful attempt for the Regents' Test is defined as any attempt in which the student has not passed the Regents' Test, either by not taking the test or taking it but not passing it.
Transfer students who do not take or pass the Regents' Test in their first semester and students who score 50 or lower on the Regents' Test will be administratively enrolled in the Regents' Skills course(s) in their second semester.
The Regents' Test is usually administered during one testing period each summer, fall, and spring semester. The testing dates are determined by the Board of Regents. Online registration is available via Banner for a limited time at the beginning of each semester, preceding each test administration. Students enrolled in Learning Support English or Reading must register for and take the Regents' Test in the first semester that they exit Learning Support. North Georgia students may take the Regents' Test during a semester in which they are not enrolled, as long as students register for the test at North Georgia or receive permission from North Georgia to take the test at another University System institution.
Students may request a formal review of the Writing Skills Test. This review will be conducted in accordance with University System approved procedures. To initiate the review process, students should contact the Testing Office at 706-864-1799