Early Orientation & ACE

Early Orientation & Advance Credit Exams (ACE) are designed for Honors-eligible students with high academic achievement.

This Orientation program offers priority course registration for the summer and/or fall semester and the opportunity to take Advance Credit Exams.

Early Orientation Dates

May 22-23, 2025 (Advance Credit Exams will be offered on May 21)

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for Early Orientation & Advance Credit Exams, incoming freshmen must have a 23 ACT Composite or Superscore (SAT 1130). 

Submit ACT/SAT test scores to the Â鶹AV Undergraduate Admissions Office for consideration. Â鶹AV school codes: 

  • ACT: 1612
  • SAT: 6672

Early Orientation Details

Freshman Orientation registration for Summer & Fall 2025, is not yet available. Orientation registration instructions will be mailed to admitted students in February 2025.

The Freshman Orientation fee is $125 and includes parking, program implementation, program materials, food, a Ragin’ Cajuns spirit shirt, lanyard, pen, and bag. Your Orientation fee must be paid online via ULink when you register for Orientation. 

Orientation students have the option to stay overnight in a Â鶹AV residence hall on the first evening of their Orientation session. 

If you'd like to stay overnight, you must pre-register for overnight housing during Orientation registration. There is no additional fee to stay overnight, but students must bring their own bedding, pillow, toiletries, towels, and other personal items needed for their overnight stay. 

When you arrive at overnight housing check-in, you will be paired with another student attending Orientation. If you wish to room with a student of the same gender, who is also registered to attend the same orientation, please check in to overnight housing at the same time. The Student Orientation Staff will be present with fun activities to help you get to know more about campus and meet your peers.

Important note: Overnight housing is NOT available for family and friends. Please view our list of local hotels for recommended accommodations. 

Students are NOT required to stay overnight in the residence hall for Orientation but it is recommended, especially for students who will be living on campus. 

The schedule at a glance for Early Orientation is below.

Advance Credit Exams | May 21 | 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

  • This day is only for students who choose to register for an exam (exam registration instructions will be sent in the confirmation email once students sign up for this orientation session). Check-in times will be emailed to registered students. 

Day 1 | May 22 | 8:00 AM - 7:30 PM

  • Student Check-In (8:00 AM-9:00 AM)
  • University Welcome
  • Academic College Town Hall
  • Discussion Groups
  • Academic Boot Camp
  • TOPS & Financial Aid Session
  • Student Success Sessions
  • Dinner
  • Campus Tour
  • Student Organization Expo

Day 2 | May 23 | 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM

  • Breakfast (optional)
  • Discussion Groups
  • Academic Advising
  • Course Registration
  • Lunch
  • Check out after course registration (between 11:00 AM-2:00 PM)

*Schedule subject to change

*Students are REQUIRED to participate in the full duration of Orientation activities (with the exception of Advance Credit Exams). Those arriving late or leaving early must reschedule another Orientation session. If you have school or extracurricular responsibilities that prevent you from being present through the entire program, please schedule another available Orientation session.

Advance Credit Exam Details

Students have the opportunity to take Advance Credit Exams (ACE) during our Early Orientation program. Students taking Advance Credit Exams during Early Orientation are required to participate in the Orientation portion of the program. Students unable to attend Early Orientation may take an advanced credit exam during the summer. View additional ACE dates and times.

Exam pre-registration is required and takes place in conjunction with Orientation registration. Please check your email AFTER registering for Early Orientation for details about how to sign up for Advance Credit Exams.

Students can take up to two exams during Early Orientation, pending eligibility. Eligibility requirements for each exam are outlined on the Advance Credit Exam Schedule below. 

Registration for Advance Credit Exams is separate from Orientation registration and is required. After you register for Early Orientation and pay your Orientation fee, you will receive a confirmation email that contains a sign-up link for Advance Credit Exams. 

The 2025 Early Orientation Advance Credit Exam schedule is below. These exams will take place on May 21, 2025 at the times listed below. This schedule is subject to change.

The following chart is best viewed on a desktop web browser.

Exam & Credit EarnedEligibility RequirementsRound Number & Time

English

Earn up to 3 credit hours - ENGL 102

English ACT 32English is not a timed exam, but a portfolio review. For details and submission instructions,

Chemistry

Earn up to 6 hours - CHEM 107, CHEM 108

Math ACT 26+ AND Science ACT 27+

Encouraged for Science and Engineering majors only.

Round 1: 12:30-2:30 PM
AND
Round 2: 3:00-5:00 PM

Computer Science

Earn up to 3 hours - CMPS 150

Math ACT 28+ OR SAT Math 660+

AND knowledge of C++, Java, or Python

Round 1: 12:30-2:30 PM
AND
Round 2: 3:00-5:00 PM

Mathematics

Earn up to 6 hours - MATH 109, MATH 110

Math ACT 26-29 OR SAT Math 610-680 OR ALEKS PPL 61+ AND have never taken a collegiate math course.

You may not need to take this exam! See more on Mathematics Placement below. 

Round 1: 12:30-2:30 PM

Modern Language (French, Spanish, German)

Earn up to 13 credit hours -

FREN/SPAN/GERM 101, 102, 201, 202

Non-native speakerRound 2: 3:00-5:00 PM

Psychology

Earn up to 3 hours - PSYC 110

No special requirementsRound 1: 12:30-2:30 PM
AND
Round 2: 3:00-5:00 PM

Sociology

Earn up to 3 hours - SOCI 100

No special requirementsRound 1: 12:30-2:30 PM
AND
Round 2: 3:00-5:00 PM

 

Mathematics Placement

Course placement for math is based on ACT and SAT subscores.

  • Students with an ACT Math of 25, 26, or 27 (SAT Math 590-640) earn credit for MATH 105 - Applied College Algebra.
  • Students with an ACT Math of 28 or 29 (SAT Math 660-680) earn credit for MATH 109 - Pre-Calculus Algebra.
  • Students with an ACT Math of 30+ (SAT Math 700+) earn credit for MATH 109 & MATH 110 - Pre-Calculus Algebra & Pre-Calculus Trigonometry and Function Theory
  • The Mathematics Advance Credit Exam allows students to earn up to 6 credit hours in MATH 109 & MATH 110, therefore students with a Math ACT of 30+ (SAT Math 700+) should not take this exam as they have already earned this credit.

 

Credit by Other Means

Â鶹AV awards credit to students earning AP, CLEP, and Military Credit, etc. Learn more about credit by other means.