Placement & Pre-Advising

The Grad to Gator program offers Placement & Pre-Advising sessions at participating high schools to help students get ready for their first quarter of classes. Our staff will help you understand your placement scores, explain what they mean for your degree, and recommend the best classes for your first quarter.

Placement is a required step before you can enroll in classes, so this page will guide you through the process.

What is Placement and Why is it Important?

Placement is the process of figuring out your academic starting level based on your skills. It's important because you don't want to start in a class that's too hard, which could lead to failing that class. Failing a class can affect things like your GPA (which is easy to lower but harder to raise) and your Financial Aid (if receiving funding). Being placed into the right level of classes gives you a better chance to succeed in college. Placement isn't about passing or failing; it's about finding the best starting point for you.

Students are assessed in two main subjects: Math and English.

Some classes like those in Science, Engineering, and Foreign Languages, may require a certain level of Math and/or English placement as a prerequisite to enroll. Depending on your placement, you might need to take extra classes to meet the required level. However, these extra classes are usually covered by Financial Aid if you qualify for it.

How do I get Placement?

Placement used to only be done through an assessment at GRC, but now we can assess your skills using:

You or your high school counselor can submit your transcript, Smarter Balanced score, or other placement documents to Green River College Placement & Testing Center digitally (upload button below). After submission, our Placement & Testing Specialists will evaluate your documents and determine your placement. Once your documents are evaluated, we will email you with your Math and English placement levels. Keep a look out for an email from TestingCenter@greenriver.edu.

Please Note for Uploading Documents:

  • Files must be kept separated and saved in .pdf format
  • Multiple files can be uploaded to the dropbox at one time

Upload Documents

What do I do if I didn't get Placement in Math or English?

The email we send will explain what options you have for placement if we couldn't place you based on the documents we received. Most students who don't get placed will need to take a placement assessment through GRC. If you need to take an assessment you can visit www.greenriver.edu/assessments for instructions on how to take it online. In-person testing is also available during our testing hours and no appointment is needed. To check when in-person testing is available, visit www.greenriver.edu/testing.

What is Pre-Advising?

Pre-Advising is guidance provided by Grad to Gator staff before you meet with your assigned Advisor. An Advisor is like your high school counselor, but for college.

During Pre-Advising, our staff will explain what your placement means for your degree choice, how long it might take you to finish your degree based on your placement, and recommend class options for your first quarter. While you are responsible for choosing your classes, we can help you understand why one class might be a better choice than another, or which branch campus could be a good fit for your first quarter.

You can also meet with your assigned Advisor for more help before College Signing Day, which is when you get to enroll in classes through the Grad to Gator program.
Note: When in college, you are seen as an adult, and that means you have to advocate for yourself. Advocating for yourself means speaking up for your needs, asking questions when you're unsure about something, and making sure you're getting the support you need to succeed. This dffers from high school when your teachers, counselor, and parents were your advocates. We recommend meeting with your Advisor many times throughout your time at GRC to make sure you are on the right path to completing your educational goals.

Degree Options at GRC:

  • Certificates - shortest option and teaches a specific skill for a job or career. Multiple certs can be stacked to complete an Associates degree.
  • Associates - commonly known as a 2 year degree, but can be completed in a shorter or longer period of time. Can lead to one of GRC's Bachelor degrees. Includes our Career & Technical Education programs.
  • Transfer - 2 year degree intended for students looking to pursue a Bachelors degree at a university, or even one of GRC's Bachelor degrees.
  • Bachelors - commonly known as a 4 year degree, but can be completed in a shorter or longer period of time. At GRC, you must complete an Associates or Transfer degree BEFORE starting a Bachelors degree, for a total of about 4 years at GRC.

GRC offers over 40 specific program options that you can study. Options like:

  • Art
  • Aviation Technology
  • Business, Marketing, & Entrepreneurship
  • Carpentry
  • Engineering
  • Medical Office Administration
  • Occupational Therapy Assistant
  • Welding
  • and more!

For all degree and program options at GRC, visit our Degrees and Programs webpage.

From the Degrees and Programs webpage, click on any program of choice.
Once on a program wepbage, look for the section titled Degrees & Certificates. There you can click on a specific Certificate, Associate, or Bachelor degree that will take you to our Catalog.
Once on the Catalog page, you will find the list of classes that can be taken for that degree and how many credits you'll need to complete in specific categories.

Electives are classes that let you explore your interests, discover new passions, and make your college experience more exciting. While some electives might be related to your program of choice, others can be fun classes like music, theater, fitness, or a foreign language. Many degrees offer a selection of electives you can take.

When deciding which electives would be best, think of these two areas:

  1. What classes would benefit me and my career goals?
    Choosing electives that help grow you for the professional world is important. Yes we want you to have fun in college, but we also want you to prepare yourself for the real world. For example, you may not like public speaking but if you are choosing a career that could potentially have you presenting projects to leadership or leading meetings, then enrolling in a Public Speaking class may be a good choice to grow your skills.
  2. What classes allow me to try new things or would be a fun addition to an otherwise boring quarter?
    A successful college life means balancing work and fun, and electives can help with that. Maybe you've always wanted to try pottery, or wanted to learn Japanese but your school didn't offer that language option. Choosing a fun elective can bring excitement to your class schedule and is a great way to meet other students with the same interests.

View your program of choice catalog page for the full list of electives available [see the section above this one on how to find classes required for a degree].

It's okay! College is a great time to explore your options and GRC offers many resources to help you decide your educational and career goals. GRC's Career & Advising Center provides professional career assessments to help connect your interests to career choices, career related workshops and events to further connect you with potential options, and Career Planners to answer your questions, review assesssment results with you, practice interview skills, and more!

View the Career Services webpage for more information and to schedule an appointment with a Career Planner.

GRC's Career & Advising Center has Transfer Advisors that can help prepare you for a successful transition to another college or university. Depending on the college or university you want to attend, the process can differ and can be confusing and overwhelming for students. Transfer Advisors provide you with the advising tools and resources necessary for navigating the process.

View the Advising for Transfer Students webpage for more information.