IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR UNDERGRADUATES

Effective July 1, 2009, the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) will no longer be administered.  Recent Florida legislation repealed funding for the CLAST.  The measurement of college-level proficiency in communication and computation is still required for undergraduate students seeking Associate of Arts (AA), Bachelor or Arts (BA), or Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees from public colleges and universities in Florida.

Students who need to meet communication and computation proficiency after June 30, 2009, may exempt the existing College-Level Skills (CLAS) requirements through SAT, ACT or through specified courses in the subject areas.  Students should consult with an academic advisor to determine which courses will meet the exemption criteria.

Any new information on additional testing alternatives for the CLAS will be provided to students as it is received.    

What is CLAST?

The College-Level Academic Skills Test is part of Florida’s system of education accountability that satisfies the mandates of Section 229.551 Florida Statutes. The CLAST is an achievement test that measures students’ attainment of the college-level communication and mathematics skills that were identified by the faculties of community colleges and state universities.

Since August 1, 1984 students have been required to pass the four sub-tests of the CLAST for the award of an Associate in Arts Degree, for admission to upper-division status and the award of a Bachelor’s degree in a state university in Florida. There are two exceptions to this rule:

1. anyone seeking an undergraduate degree from a Florida institution that has already earned an accredited Bachelor’s degree.
2. anyone who was awarded an Associate in Arts degree before September 1, 1982, and was admitted to upper-division status in a Florida public university before August 1, 1984.

Fully admitted students at FIU seeking an undergraduate degree for the first time, who have completed eighteen (18) semester hours, are eligible for the CLAST.

The CLAST requirement should be completed by all undergraduate degree-seeking students by the time they have earned 55-60 semester hours. Students who do not comply with the CLAST requirement by the time 96 semester hours have been earned; 1) may be prohibited from registering until the requirement is met and 2) may be removed without refund from any upper division classes.  If you have had a CLAST hold, failure to attend the test may prevent you from registering for subsequent semesters.  Transfer students with more than 36 credit hours should take the CLAST during their first term at FIU.

All four sections of the CLAST exam must be satisfied prior to submitting an application for graduation.

The receipt of official CLAST scores may take approximately six weeks for the paper/pencil test and three weeks for the computer version of the test.  You must schedule the CLAST and receive scores in advance of the graduation application deadlines.

When is CLAST given?

1.  The paper/pencil version of the test is administered once each semester.

Fully admitted students at FIU seeking an undergraduate degree for the first time, who have completed eighteen (18) semester hours, are eligible to register for the CLAST.  You are not eligible to register for CLAST if:

The registration deadline is usually one month in advance of the test date. Check the academic calendar for exact dates.

2. The computer version of the test (CAT-CLAST) is offered regularly throughout each semester.  An advanced payment of $30 is required for each administration taken on computer.  Students who are not admitted and degree-seeking at FIU must receive approval from their home institution prior to the scheduling of an appointment.