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English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Placement Exam

New international students at the University of Missouri – Saint Louis (UMSL) may be required to sit for the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) placement exam.  The results of this test will determine the student needs EAP coursework to be successful in their course of study.
 
UMSL Global will notify International Students by email if they are required to take the EAP exam.  International students must regularly check the email address that is used to access the Triton Portal for important communications from UMSL Global. 
 
International Students must complete the exam prior to arrival to UMSL for the Global Triton Welcome.  International Students must complete the exam prior to finalizing their course registration at UMSL, so they are encouraged to sit for the exam as soon as they are ready. 
 
Depending on the results of the exam, the student may be required to enroll in specific EAP courses during their first semesters at UMSL. The student can enroll in EAP classes at the same time as regular courses and receive both grades and credit hours at the University. Advanced EAP subjects are counted as electives in most undergraduate degree programs.  For graduate programs, EAP requirements will not count towards degree requirements.   
 
While UMSL Global notifies students about the EAP exam, the EAP requirements are set by individual academic units.  The academic units customize the exam requirements and course requirements to best support the needs of their students.  Please direct questions about EAP to your academic advisor and the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) division.  
 
For more information about the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program please visit the department website. 
Format 
 
International Students will take the Avant STAMP 4 Skills online proctored exam.  This exam assesses reading, writing, listening, and speaking (including grammar) to determine whether EAP coursework is needed for academic success. The EAP Proficiency Exam measures a student’s English skills as used in academic study in a US Classroom.  
 
This exam will be taken online and must be completed with an online proctor.  For more information on how to prepare physically and academically for the exam, please visit AvantProctor Test Takers Guide.  
 
Sample Exam 
 
To take a sample exam, please visit the Avant STAMP 4S Sample Tests. and take the English sample exam.  There will be reading, writing, listening, and speaking sections of the online proctored exam. 
 
Scoring Exam 
 
Once the exam is taken, it will take up to 14 calendar days for the exam to be graded and provided to the student’s academic advisor, unless the student pays the extra cost for expedited grading. 
 
Once the EAP exam has been scored and reviewed, the results will be sent to the student’s academic advisor.  During the academic advising appointment, the advisor will let the student know if they have any required or recommended EAP coursework and will register the student in the appropriate course(s). 
Deadline 
 
The deadline for taking this online proctored exam are as follows 
 
Spring – January 2024 
December 15th at 23:59PM CST (UTC - 6) 
Fall – August 2024 
August 1st at 23:59PM CDT (UTC - 5) 
 
If the student takes the exam after the above date, the student must pay extra fees to have the grading expedited in time for the first date of the Global Triton Welcome. 
 
Students who do not take the exam prior to arrival will be required to pay for and to take the exam with additional costs on the Tuesday of the Global Triton Welcome.
Spring – January 2024 
January 8th at 08:00AM CST (UTC - 6) 
 
Fall – August 2024 
August 12th at 08:00AM CDT (UTC - 5) 
 
Cost 
 
The exam costs $39.90.  Payment will be made at the time of registration at the Avant STAMP 4S Registration page. 
 
Additional fees will be charged for expedited grading if student does not take exam by August 1st for Fall & December 15th for Spring.  
 
Registration 
 
  1. Go to the Avant STAMP 4S Registration page
  2. The student must use the UMSL SSO email address when making the test purchase. 
    1. If the student has not setup the UMSL email address, please visit Campus E-mail and SSO ID to do so
    2. Failure to use the UMSL email will result in a delay of testing.
  3. After making the purchase, the student will receive a series of emails with instructions from Avant, please read each email very carefully.
  4. Between 24-48 hours after purchase, the student will receive an email inviting them to register for a testing time.
  5. The student must use the legal name as well as the email address used when making the purchase to register for the exam.
    1. The student’s legal name should match the legal photo ID (passport) that will be required for remote testing
  6. Student must use their UMSL Student ID Number (found on your admission letter and in the Triton Portal)  
  7. When taking the exam, make sure when doing the writing portion of the placement test, please write developed paragraphs with a minimum of 250 words total for each question.
  8. When the student has completed the exam, the student must email Denise Mussman at denise@umsl.edu with the subject line: English Placement Exam – Completed
In the email, include the following (students may copy and paste the below) 
 
Dear Dr. Mussman,  
 
I have completed the EAP Exam.  Here is my information 
 
Name:  Student’s full legal name 
Date Exam Complete:  MM/DD/YYYY 
Email:  UMSL email used to register for the exam 
SID#:  Student ID Number  
this is an 8-digit number and has no letters 
This is on the student’s letter of admission as well as most emails sent to the student from UMSL Global  
 
Sincerely, 
(Insert Student’s Name here) 
 
     9. DO NOT email Dr. Mussman until the student has completed the remotely proctored exam.
   10. Only faculty at UMSL will have access to the exam results, and exam-takers will not receive any results or feedback from the testing company.
Per Missouri State Law, any international graduate student with a Teaching Assistantship (TA) must take the EAP exam, unless the student is a citizen of a recognized English-Speaking country, or has completed 30 or more academic credit hours at a US university.
 
All international TA’s must take EAP 5400: ITA Seminar regardless of EAP exam results. 
 
Some academic departments reserve the right to require the EAP exam, even for students who may otherwise qualify for a waiver.   

Generally, all new undergraduate and most new graduate international students must complete the EAP exam.  

An exam waiver, however, may be considered for students who: 

  1. Are citizens of a recognized English-Speaking country
  2. Had at least a 94 TOEFL iBT, 7.0 IELTS, 180 Cambridge English C1 Advanced, 65 PTE-A or 120 Duolingo
  3. Have completed 30 or more academic credit hours at a US community college or university (ESL and non-academic classes do not count toward this 30-hour minimum)
  4. Hold an H1-B, L-1, or R-1 visa
  5. Are non-degree-seeking students maintaining status at another institution
  6. Are J-1 visiting/exchange students studying at UMSL for a single semester
  7. Visiting students undertaking a year-long program at UMSL must take the EAP exam,
  8. EAP classes are not required for yearlong students but these students are encouraged to enroll in any EAP courses recommended after taking the exam.

Some academic departments reserve the right to require the EAP exam, even for students who may otherwise qualify for a waiver.   

The Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) requires international students who are non-native speakers of English to be sufficiently proficient in English in order to pursue their intended academic studies. 

New international undergraduate and graduate students at UMSL are required to take the Avant STAMP 4 Skills online proctored exam by the designated semester deadline or during orientation with an additional cost.   

This exam must be completed before students can finalize course registration. Based on the results of the exam, students may be recommended or required to take one or more English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses at UMSL: 

  • Required EAP courses are pre-requisites for academic studies and must be completed during the student’s first academic year.
  • Recommended EAP courses are not pre-requisites for academic study (except EAP 1013), but completion of recommended courses will improve students' abilities to succeed in degree programs.
  • Students may be enrolled concurrently in EAP and academic courses. 
  • All EAP courses (except EAP1003x) are taken for academic credit and may apply towards the undergraduate academic degree. 
  • EAP are an additional cost for graduate students but if required must be taken in order to proceed in their academic program.
  • Students may discuss their questions about academic courses, EAP courses, and their academic programs with their academic advisor.
  • Additional information can be found on the English for Academic Purposes (EAP)