Credit for Prior Learning Policy

The award of academic credit for prior learning can shorten time to degree, improve persistence and completion, and save students money. Expert faculty evaluation is integral to maintaining academic integrity throughout the process. This Credit for Prior Learning Policy provides a framework to award university credit for validated learning experiences that were not obtained from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. Credit by evaluation may be awarded to matriculated students in a degree or certificate program or enrolled in a microcredential.

Statement of Policy

Credit for prior learning may be awarded in recognition of validated college-level learning from the following sources:

1. Standardized exams within published score ranges:
  1. Advanced Placement (AP)
  2. International Baccalaureate (IB)
  3. Advanced International Certificate of Education Program (AICE)
  4. Advanced Level Qualifications (A-levels)
  5. Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support (DANTES)
    Standardized Tests (DSST)
  6. College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) Subject Examinations
  7. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency
    assessments
2. Military education and training:
  1. as documented on a Joint Military Services Transcript (JST)
  2. in accordance with recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE) Military Guide
3. Other forms of learning including professional and industry certifications, licenses, or other credentials; non-credit continuing education; coursework from non-regionally accredited sources; on-the-job training/education; and work experience may be eligible for credit if validated through at least one of the following:
  1. assessments by a nationally recognized external body, including the American Council on Education (ACE), the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS)
  2. faculty/department developed proficiency examinations, portfolio review, or other individualized prior learning evaluation

Credit is only granted for prior learning that is satisfactorily evaluated by faculty experts to be equivalent to courses or curricula offered by SUNY Plattsburgh:

1. Credit may fulfill various requirements, including major, certificate, microcredential, general education, or elective requirements
2. All disciplines may accept academic credit awarded through evaluation, however, faculty from each discipline will determine whether credit for prior learning is subject to programmatic or accreditation restrictions, in which case the credit may be eligible for elective credit only

Credit for prior learning is subject to the following restrictions:

1. Limited to a maximum of 30 undergraduate credits, including CPL awarded by other SUNY campuses or accredited institutions, subject to program-specific requirements, to facilitate smooth student transfer between campuses.
2. Considered transfer credit and is counted towards established transfer credit limits:
  1. undergraduate programs: up to 67 transfer credits from two-year institutions and up to 84 transfer credits from four-year institutions, provided that at least 17 of those credits were earned at a four-year institution
  2. graduate programs: up to 12 credits for courses completed at another accredited institution or earned at SUNY Plattsburgh as a non-matriculated student, with approval of the faculty of the department/program which supervises the graduate program and the dean of the appropriate division.
3. Is not counted toward the university residency requirement or commencement honors eligibility
4. Is not calculated in the grade point average (GPA)
5. Cannot duplicate previously awarded credit
6. Time limitations for inclusion of credit for prior learning to meet degree requirements are consistent with policies for the acceptance of transfer credit
  1. undergraduate credit does not have a time limitation
  2. for graduate degree programs requiring 60 or more credits, all degree requirements must be completed within ten (10) years prior to the date of graduation; for graduate degree programs requiring fewer than 60 credits, all degree requirements must be completed within seven (7) years prior to the date of graduation

SUNY Plattsburgh will maintain an Inventory of Approved Credit for Prior Learning that is accessible to prospective and current students. Documentation of the policy and procedures will be accessible on the website, in the catalog, and other applicable locations.

Procedures

1. Credit documented through a standardized published exam, on a joint military services transcript, or validated by a nationally recognized external body, including the American Council on Education (ACE), the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS) will be applied upon verification by Admissions or the Registrar’s Office in collaboration with the provost’s designee as needed; no fee is required
2. Credit for other forms of prior learning that have not been previously validated may be requested through an individualized prior learning evaluation using the following procedure:
  1. individualized prior learning evaluation must be requested through Admissions for new students or through the Registrar’s Office for continuing students
  2. faculty in the discipline, in collaboration with the provost’s designee, will determine if evaluation by proficiency exam or portfolio review is applicable, develop the applicable method of review, and determine the institutional equivalency; results of this evaluation will be documented on the Credit for Prior Learning Evaluation Form and decisions will be documented in the Inventory of Approved Credit for Prior Learning. Upon the completion of the assessment, faculty evaluators will be compensated commensurate with the scope of required evaluation.
  3. fees for individualized prior learning evaluation will be charged at the time a student’s evaluation request is accepted and are nonrefundable once the request is accepted
  4. fees will be publicly accessible and made transparent to students
  5. the request for individualized prior learning evaluation and the submission of all required documents must be made by the posted deadline in order to be be applied to the following semester
  6. the evaluation should be completed within 3 weeks of the receipt of all necessary materials.
  7. fees may be eligible for financial aid; counseling will be provided about the implications of accepting. credit for prior learning
3. Credit for prior learning that has been accepted by the student will be transmitted to the Registrar’s Office and the equivalent course will be indicated on the student’s degree audit as having been met by credit for prior learning.
4. Students who do not agree with the initial evaluation may appeal the credit offered for their prior learning by following the Credit Evaluation Appeal Process, overseen by the Registrar’s Office.

Forms

Credit for Prior Learning Evaluation Form — Submitted by faculty after completion of an individualized prior learning evaluation of other forms of learning that have not been previously validated and are not currently included in the SUNY Plattsburgh inventory.