Here at Worcester State University, we believe that academic support services are vital to the academic achievements of our students. See what you will find with the academic support services, all of which are available to you from your first moment on campus to your final days before graduation.
Tutoring
Advising
Connections with the academic community
Problem-solving opportunities
Computer labs
Specific help centers
Clinics
We provide a broad range of computing resources to our student community. In addition to several departmental labs on campus, you will find an open lab with fully-networked Windows PCs on the third floor of the Learning Resources Center.
The Academic Success Center is home to the Peer 2 Peer (P2P) program. The P2P program enables students to connect with their classmates and form study groups to support each other throughout the semester. During these meetings, students often review notes from lectures, discuss assigned readings and assignments, and prepare for exams. The P2P program is available to any student, in any course.
The Academic Success Center also works closely with other departments on campus to connect students with appropriate resources.
The Math Center is available for students in need of tutoring for specific Math courses.
The Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Program is available for supplemental academic support in specific Science and Technology courses.
The Writing Center is a great resource for students that need assistance with a writing assignment for any course.
The Spanish Clinic is available for students that need support with Spanish courses.
In addition to course- and content-specific support, students are encouraged to attend academic workshops held in the Academic Success Center. These group sessions focus on effective studying and time management techniques and help identify strategies to achieve success at Worcester State.
Worcester State University offers a variety of testing services for Worcester State students.
Taking a Placement Test at Worcester State is based on a student’s recalculated high school grade point average (GPA) and academic major. Your Academic Advisor will notify you if you need to take a placement test in Math or English prior to your class schedule being created. Placement Tests are available remotely to all students. You will be allowed to take these tests at home.
Below is an overview of majors that require a placement test for incoming first-year students and when students will take the test as they begin their academic journey at Worcester State. Transfer students should contact the Testing Coordinator to determine if a Placement Test is needed.
Students with a recalculated high school GPA of 2.7 or higher from the last three years, will not be required to take the English Placement Test at Worcester State and will be placed directly into College Writing I (EN-101). Students below a 2.7 GPA from the last three years will need to complete the Writeplacer/Accuplacer Placement Test. Upon completion of the test, students will also be placed into College Writing I (EN-101). Based on the results, students may also be placed into a co-requisite writing lab to provide additional supports in the first semester.
At Worcester State, the following majors require the Math Placement Test regardless of high school GPA. The timeframe in parentheses is when you will be asked to complete the Math Placement Test. These majors include:
If you have declared one of these majors or are interested in pursuing these academic programs, you will need to take the Math Placement Test.
Students interested in studying Spanish at Worcester State who have previous knowledge of or exposure to Spanish should contact the Director of Spanish Placement, Dr. Elizabeth Osborne, at the Department of World Languages for appropriate placement assessment (eosborne1@worcester.edu). The cost-free placement assessment consists of short multiple-choice questions and a brief interview that will allow students with previous exposure to the language to register for courses above SP 101 and/or waive course prerequisites.
Students with a recalculated high school GPA of 2.7 or higher may automatically enroll in Survey of Mathematics (MA 105). This is a college level math course which will satisfy the math requirement in the following majors:
Students may not necessarily take Survey of Mathematics (MA 105) in their first semester, but are encouraged to take this course within the first 60 credits of study.
If your recalculated high school GPA is under a 2.7, you are required to take the placement test in English, regardless of your major.
If you are a student with a documented disability and would like to request accommodations for placement testing you must submit a request to Student Accessibility Services. The Director of Student Accessibility Services may review your supporting disability documentation first in order to approve any placement test accommodations. You may reach Student Accessibility Services at sas@worcester.edu or 508-929-8733.
The Academic Success Center offers College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams by appointment to Worcester State students.
Worcester State awards a maximum of 60 credits through the CLEP exam process towards an undergraduate degree.
View the list of CLEP exams accepted
To prepare for a CLEP test:
To register for a CLEP test:
There is an additional $10 essay charge when you take the American Literature, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, College Composition, and College Composition Modular CLEP exams.
Visit our centers and clinics to meet with faculty, staff, and students who are trained to help you and dedicated to seeing you grow academically.
Our Academic Success Center (Shaughnessy Administration Building, Room 130) empowers you to engage in the Worcester State community and chart a clear path to academic success. Our office strives to facilitate student success through exemplary, holistic advisement, timely and appropriate referrals, and well-coordinated support services, which include:
Our Math Center (Sullivan Academic Center, Room 140) services are designed to enhance your learning and success in any course that contains mathematical components. Housed in the Mathematics Department, the center’s peer tutors provide a conceptual mathematical understanding that enables students to succeed in courses and complete assignments independently.
Our drop-in services include:
The Tutoring Schedule is available to add to your Worcester State Google calendar.
The Spanish Clinic (Sullivan Academic Center, Room 302B) offers free tutoring services by trained upper-level Spanish majors. Appointments are not necessary, and you are free to use the lab on an informal basis to enhance your listening, speaking, reading, writing, and cultural skills.
Our Writing Center (Sullivan Academic Center, Room 306), staffed by friendly, knowledgeable peer consultants, is a space where students have productive conversations about their writing. If you do not want to meet with a consultant, you can use the Center as a space to relax, do independent writing (on paper or on one of the computers), or print your essays.
All services at the Writing Center are offered free of charge.
For more information about how to schedule an appointment and about the kind of work you will be doing with our trained consultants, visit the Writing Center or email the Center at writingcenter@worcester.edu.
