Step 1 - Review Credit & Program of Study

College Credit

Any incoming students expecting to bring in college credit through Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Level Examinations (A Levels) or Dual Credit should make a list of the expected credit, including known or anticipated scores, and bring this list to their summer registration date. All students expecting to bring credit should complete the college homework that is part of your admitted student checklist.

College homework is sent directly to students via their email they used for their admissions application. If you do not see the invite to fill out the college homework, please reach out to ACES-Academics@illinois.edu for more information. 

You can view the current cutoff scores for AP, IB, and A-Level exams on the Illinois CITL website.

Students with Dual Credit can use transferology.com to determine course equivalencies between institutions and list the Illinois courses.

• Transcripts should be sent directly from the institution you took the dual credit with to Admissions & Records.

The information you provide about any incoming credit through your college homework is necessary for us to advise you properly.

Programs of Study

You can get an idea of what courses you'll be taking in your major by reviewing the campus Academic Catalog and Programs of Study.

Find your major on the undergraduate academic catalog.

Explore majors in detail. Many departments list degree requirements and may have sample 8-semester plans under advising, concentrations, or curriculum.

Step 2 - Placement Tests

All students should take these placement tests, regardless of AP or IB examinations, college-level transfer courses, or academic background. This will help you have a better advising experience since the placement tests are geared towards the sequence of courses at the University of Illinois, they’re the best predictor of what level you should take. There are four tests:

1. Math: The exam you take for the University of Illinois is called the ALEKS Math Placement exam, and it is required for all incoming freshmen, regardless of your major. Transfer students only take ALEKS placement if you plan to enroll in a Calculus I (or Business Calculus) or a lower-level math class.
    
2. Chemistry: The test is an indicator that you are ready to take the college-level chemistry required for many majors and for all students who are interested in a pre-health program (e.g., pre-med, pre-vet, etc.). All students in ACES are encouraged to take the Chemistry Placement Exam.  Chemistry is a requirement in the following majors:
    
   • Agricultural & Biological Engineering
   • Animal Sciences
   • Crop Sciences
   • Food Science & Human Nutrition
   • Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences
   • Technical Systems Management

   ALL students are strongly encouraged to take this exam. It will be useful if you decide to switch majors to a program that requires chemistry or if you want to go into a pre-health field. Transfer students in these same majors are also required to take the Chemistry Placement Exam if you’ve not yet earned college-level chemistry credit.
    

3. Language Other Than English: The graduation requirement for the College of ACES is credit through the third level of one language other than English. Freshmen and transfers who have not completed a language through the third level and any student considering a double major or a minor in another language must take the appropriate language exam. Again, ALL students are strongly encouraged to take this exam in the event you decide to continue with a language you’ve previously studied. If you studied a language other than French, German, Latin, or Spanish, you should contact the department that teaches that language about taking the placement and proficiency exam.
    
4. Physics Diagnostic Exam: This placement exam is required only for freshmen majoring in Agricultural and Biological Engineering (or any student wishing to declare an ENGR curriculum). Transfers into this major should already have completed at least one college-level calculus-based physics course; if for some reason you have not, you will need to take the Physics Diagnostic Exam.
    
5. English as a Second Language Placement Test (EPT): This exam is required if your Notice of Admission states that you must take the English as a Second Language Placement Test (known as the EPT). Any ACT or SAT scores you submitted will not be used to place you into an English composition course. If English is not your first language but your Notice of Admission does not state that you must take the EPT, you may choose to take it if you wish to enroll in English as a Second Language courses, or you may choose not to take it. Learn more about the EPT and to register for the test. You’ll need your University Identification Number (UIN) to register for the EPT.

All new incoming students should sign up for a registration program through the Admitted Student Checklist. 

Here are some important things to remember regarding online advising:

• Your advisor will contact you at least 48 hours prior to your advising appointment date to give you the details of your appointment, including time and platform being used.
• ACES Advisors may use different online platforms to conduct your appointment, such as Zoom, Google Meet, Skype for Business, etc. You will be notified of this prior to your meeting and we have some tutorials and help links for these platforms below.
• You will need to have your placement tests and college homework completed at least 1 week prior to your appointment. If you do not have these completed, you may need to reschedule your appointment to a later date/time.
• All appointments will be made in the United States Central Time Zone.

Online Advising Resources

Zoom:

• Technology resources for current students
• Zoom Video Tutorials
• Creating a Zoom Profile Tutorial

Google Meet:

• Illinois Tech Services
• Configuring Google Apps@Illinois 
• Google Suite Tutorial

Registration Resources

It will be helpful for you to review some of the registration tutorials and guides prior to your online advising appointment. Here are some steps to help you familiarize yourself with the registration system here at Illinois:

• Passwords: All students must complete their Admitted Student Checklist in their My.Illini account. One of the steps is to claim your netid and set up your passwords. You will need to set up your NetID password prior to setting up your Enterprise Password to login in the registration system.
• Class Schedule: The class schedule will give you important information on the courses offered for the term you are registering, including course descriptions, restrictions, and availability.
• Enhanced Registration Instructions: This link has step by step instructions that can be helpful as you learn the Enhanced Registration System
  • The college has also created some slides to help navigate the registration system.
• Programs of Study: This site will show you the programs of study for all the majors in the College of ACES. You can view how your major breaks down all the various requirements you must complete.
• General Education Courses: The course explorer website also has a helpful grid that shows you all the courses offered on campus that meet general education requirements

Our mission as academic advisors in ACES is to empower each student to realize his or her potential. Through shared responsibility with our students, we foster the development of professional, self-sufficient, ethical citizens and exemplary leaders in the local and global communities.

The College of ACES and University of Illinois have many staff and faculty that could fall under the category of "advisor" to help you throughout your time here at Illinois. The College of ACES has staff to help you with career guidance, study abroad programs, honors, and of course, navigating the degree program for your major. Each department has Academic Advisors who are here to assist you in course selection and graduating on time!

ACES has an “Advising” page that you should look through now and reference throughout your time here as a student at Illinois.

Other Recommended Advising Resources

• Office of the Provost’s Advising Information
• University of Illinois Student Code

Finally, all ACES Students should be familiar with their "college office," which is called the ACES Office of Academic Programs. This is a place where you can go to get help in navigating the campus and getting your questions answered.

ACES Office of Academic Programs
128 Mumford Hall, 1301 West Gregory Drive, Urbana
Phone: 217-333-3380
Email: aces-academics@illinois.edu
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-5 p.m., Monday-Friday