FAQs

The best way to get in touch is through e-mail at fywp@boisestate.edu. When contacting us, be sure to include the following:

• Your name
• Your student ID number
• The reason for your request

Student requests require exchanging sensitive information, such as your ID number and course grades. In order to ensure your privacy and maintain the integrity of your student records, we only send responses to Boise State student e-mail addresses (u.boisestate.edu).

We make every effort to respond to students as quickly as possible, and our goal is to respond to initial requests by the close of the next business day. All requests are processed by one representative, so it may take up to three business days to receive a first reply. Although we aim for a quick response time, each student case is different and requires research and consultation. As a result, only the rarest of cases are resolved in one exchange. Requests are handled in the order in which they are received; multiple contacts will not expedite a request.

We process student requests that require director or committee approval once a week on Wednesdays and Thursdays most weeks. Materials received by 5:00 PM on Thursday are reviewed the following week. A request with missing materials will result in a delay in going to the director or committee, so be sure to submit all required information and documents with your request.

You should receive a response via Boise State student e-mail (u.boisestate.edu) within 3-4 business days after the director or committee reviews your request.

During most of the semester, we are open five days a week, with shortened hours on Fridays.

To ensure appropriate service, all placement and transfer credit issues must be received in the FYWP Office at least ten business days prior to the start of the fall semester, and by the end of the fall semester finals week for the upcoming spring semester.

English 101 and 102 are university-level graduation requirements. All Boise State students are expected to complete these courses.

The Write Class is an online placement tool that, using your input, is used to find the best first year writing course for you. The preface does let you know that your responses are key to the results and should be well-thought-through. TWC can only be taken once, and the placement is final.

You cannot “test out” of first-year writing as it is a requirement by the State of Idaho to complete prior to graduation. That said, if you have an equivalency for ENGL101 or 102, you can receive a waiver or credit. This is accomplished through equivalent transfer credits or by taking the appropriate test at a high enough score to allow credit.

Official transcripts of having taken a course elsewhere that is equivalent to English 101 and/or 102 need to be sent to and received by the Registrar before credit can be awarded.

ENGL 101 Waived: Satisfactory score to place into ENGL 102 from The Write Class assessment tool

ENGL 101 Credit: AP Language and Composition score of 3 or 4; or Completion of International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 Credit: AP Language and Composition score of 5; or ACT English score of 31 or higher; or SAT EBRW 730 or higher (exams taken before March 2016: SAT Reading score of 37 or higher, or SAT Critical Reading score of 700 or higher); or Completion of International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme AND English 1A Language and Literature HL exam score of 5 or higher.

Note: All students must complete The Write Class, regardless of eligibility for receiving credit based on the measures previously listed. To receive credit for ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 based on ACT or SAT scores, students must complete the online Receiving Credit for English Composition Based on Test Scores form and submit it to the Registrar’s Office.

If you have any of these equivalencies, we would need the official documents sent to the Registrar’s office from the College Board website.

Once received and processed, credit can be assigned. It usually takes about two weeks for the Registrar’s office to receive them. You can check with them or look in your student account which will reflect the credit once processed.

If you do not have equivalencies, then it’s necessary to enroll in a first-year writing course at your earliest opportunity. We have a limited number of seats available and we want you to snag one soon! Let’s get this taken care of as soon as possible so that you will satisfy your first-year writing requirements in order to graduate. We want you to progress smoothly!

If there are open seats in 101P you may do so. However, you will need to contact us at fywp@boisestate.edu so we can override the placement. We are happy to assist you.

Your responses to The Write Class placed you into English 101P so there is a reasonable assumption that you would benefit from a little extra attention. You will need to take 101 plus the lab.

English 101P is the same as English 101 with an additional 45-minute studio lab for an additional credit. Your same instructor teaches both and it gives you a chance to work in a smaller group (limit  of 9 students), ask questions and receive guidance.

No matter how great a writer you may be, support is a good thing. Consider this a way to improve your skills since one of the main goals of any first-year writing class is for students to critically think about how to approach writing in all its formats and to use these skills to best communicate throughout your college career, as well as beyond.

These are not just essay writing classes like you might have experienced in high school. These are courses that help you identify your audience, the format and style of writing that is expected, and the critical thinking needed to communicate clearly in whatever discipline you choose. They also incorporate how to conduct research, identify legitimate sources and how to give proper credit to those sources.

English 101/101P and 102 are mandated by the State of Idaho to be completed prior to graduation. However, to get the most success out of your college experience, you should always take them early. Why? Because they are the foundation for all the writing you will need to do to complete your academic journey. You may not think you will use the skills in your field of choice, but we believe you will use them more often than you think. Every email, text, blog, paper, report, social media entry you post will utilize what you learn.

If you are planning on a management position, or will be required to submit reports, or intend to communicate clearly in your writing – you must learn to do these things well in order to succeed in whatever field holds your interest.

Boise State awards credit for or waives first-year writing courses according to the table below.

If you would like to receive credit for a first-year writing course based on a test score, contact fywp@boisestate.edu from your Boise State e-mail address with the following information:

• Your name
• Your student ID number
• Your test results (to be verified through student records system)

Keep in mind that you cannot receive test credit for ENGL 101 or ENGL 102 if you have previously completed it or an equivalent class. You must complete The Write Class assessment in order to be eligible to receive credit based on a test score.

To ensure appropriate service, all placement and test credit issues must be received in the FYWP Office at least ten business days prior to the start of the fall semester, and by the end of the fall semester finals week for the upcoming spring semester.

*IB Diploma Programme is not the same as graduating from an IB school. Information about the Diploma Programme can be found here. There are two English 1A exams: Language and Literature, and Literature. FYW credit is only awarded for the Language and Literature exam.

**In order to receive credit for ENGL 101 and 102, students must submit the Receiving Credit form to the Registrar’s office.

If your transcript has been evaluated for transfer credit and you have not received first-year writing credit for a course comparable to ENGL 101 or ENGL 102, your previous first-year writing course may need further review.

Reviewing a course requires the following:

• Your name
• Your student ID number
• Institution name
• Institution’s course catalog information about first-year writing sequence (in electronic format, such as PDF or link to online catalog page )
• Course subject, number, and title as well as description from course catalog of the year in which you took course (in electronic format, such as PDF or link to online catalog page)
• Course Syllabus

To request an evaluation of transfer credits, use the Academic Adjustment for Transfer Credit form from the Registrar’s Office.

Student Forms

To ensure appropriate service, all transfer credit issues must be received in the FYWP Office at least ten business days prior to the start of the fall semester, and by the end of the fall semester finals week for the upcoming spring semester.

No. These tests have not proven to be accurate assessments of your understanding of Boise State first-year writing course content.

Boise State awards credit for first-year writing courses according to the table below.

If you would like to receive credit for a first-year writing course based on IB, contact fywp@boisestate.edu from your Boise State e-mail address with the following information:

• Your name
• Your student ID number
• Your IB results (to be verified through student records system)

Keep in mind that you cannot receive test credit for ENGL 101 or ENGL 102 if you have previously completed it or an equivalent class. You must complete The Write Class assessment in order to be eligible to receive credit based on IB.

To ensure appropriate service, all placement and test credit issues must be received in the FYWP Office at least ten business days prior to the start of the fall semester, and by the end of the fall semester finals week for the upcoming spring semester.

The Office of the Registrar maintains a list of courses that have been approved as transfer equivalencies, but there can be mistakes on that list. Therefore, all Boise State students who are exploring options to take classes elsewhere are strongly encouraged to have a course pre-approved. Otherwise, there is no guarantee that a course will transfer back in as ENGL 101 or ENGL 102.

Pre-approval of a course requires the following:

• Your name
• Your student ID number
• Institution name
• Institution’s course catalog information about first-year writing sequence (in electronic format, such as PDF or link to online catalog page )
• Course subject, number, and title as well as description from course catalog of the year in which you plan to take the course (in electronic format, such as PDF or link to online catalog page)

Send the required information from your Boise State e-mail address to fywp@boisestate.edu.

During the orientation period, we try to keep options available by releasing some seats in currently closed sections throughout the enrollment time. Keep checking back to see what seats have been released and are now available for you to enroll.

You are able to waitlist up to 12 credits (four 3-credit classes) so broaden your chances of dropping in from the waitlist by adding your name to multiple sections. Once you are enrolled in a class the system will ignore the other places you have waitlisted because you now have a seat.

While the sections in 101P cannot be waitlisted in the system (because of the lab), you can keep checking back to see what opens up. You may let us know which section(s) of 101P you’d like to waitlist by sending an email to fywp@boisestate.edu, as we keep a manual list and will contact you if seats open.

Our first year writing classes tend to fill quickly and fully. There is usually some movement in enrollment the week before classes. You can choose to waitlist up to 12 credits (four 3-credit classes) in hopes that someone will drop out in the first week.

However, even if someone drops in the first week, in order to add the class, you must attend the specific class you want to enroll in, have the instructor’s permission and do the required assignments. If you attend and no one drops, you will need to wait to enroll again the following semester. We do not enroll students above the capacity of the class.

There are two types of online courses.

The first is offered to Boise State students who can take either online or on-campus classes. These begin with a 40xx section number. We administer the enrollment for these online sections.

The second is offered exclusively to Online Degree Program (ODP) students who take all courses online and can be military, out-of-state, or other types of students who may not be able to take classes on-campus in Boise for a variety of reasons. These begin with a 42xx section number.

If you are not an Online Degree Student but are trying to enroll in a 42xx section, you will not be considered for placement in that section.

If you would like to find out more about the ODP program, please contact eCampus via their website page or email them at ecampus@boisestate.edu.

We do not issue permission numbers for classes when the prerequisite class is in progress. You will need to wait until the class is completed and request the official transcripts from the other institution. Once those transcripts have been processed, you should be able to self-enroll.

If you feel your official documents should have already been received, please contact Admissions (208-426-1156) as they are the ones who enter them into our system.

It is recommended that you meet with your advisor to talk about options in the event that you are unable to enroll in English 102 in the Spring.

To maintain the effectiveness of our courses, the First-Year Writing (FYW) program limits enrollment changes after the first week. This policy ensures that all students have timely access to essential information and assignments necessary for success. Writing assignments and collaborative activities begin in the first session, and by the second week, the course is fully underway. As a result, students who enroll late frequently face challenges in integrating into the class, which creates additional work for instructors and leads to less favorable outcomes for students.

FYW courses are structured around a collaborative framework that relies on both instructor guidance and peer interaction from the very start. Missing the first week means missing critical foundational material and assignments that are essential for success throughout the course. Departmental data consistently shows that students who miss the first week face significant challenges in catching up and completing the course successfully. While we understand this policy may present challenges, it is in place to ensure equitable access to the full course experience and to support student success.

This issue occurs when students complete The Write Class process on or after the start of the current term. Based on your results from The Write Class, you will be assigned to a student group that corresponds to your First-Year Writing course placement. Our automated system assigns an effective date for student group placements based on the upcoming term, rather than the current term.

If you find yourself in this situation, the First-Year Writing Program will manually adjust the effective date for your student group placement. Please contact the First-Year Writing Program at FYWP@boisestate.edu to request an adjustment to your effective date.

Boise State University’s policy on course repeats (Policy #3190) details the rules governing the times that students can repeat courses for academic credit.  It is each student’s responsibility to make sure that they understand how this policy impacts them.

Students may register for an undergraduate course a maximum of two (2) times. This includes audits, Ws, CWs, letter grades, and pass/fail (P/F) grades. Students who have repeated a course and did not pass are required to complete a “Request to Exceed Maximum Course Registration” form. This form requests approval by the student’s advisor, as well as the chair of the program offering the course. First-Year Writing students will contact the Program Chair, Dr. Ti Macklin, at FYWP@boisestate.edu to submit a request to exceed maximum course registration for approval and signature.

Before submitting the form to the Program Chair for approval and signature, please ensure the following:

• All prior unsuccessful attempts to complete the course are listed under “Previous Enrollment in the Course.”
• The course you wish to enroll in has available seats. If the section is full, please select the “waitlist” option.
• You are not attempting to enroll in an Online Degree Pathway (ODP) section unless you are an ODP student.
• Both you and your advisor have signed and dated the form.