Quick Highlights:
- Earning college credits through professional experience, such as work or military service, can help you earn your degree faster.
- You can apply for college credit using different methods including portfolio assessments, CLEP exams, DSSTs, and institution-specific challenge exams.
- Most universities require you to work with an academic advisor and submit required documentation for credit approval.
- Typically, colleges cap credits from experience at half of degree requirements, and fees are associated with exams and credit evaluation.
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If you want to achieve your career goals, going back to college can help. However, you don’t need to spend years of your life studying textbooks and taking tests. Depending on where you go to school, you may be able to earn college credits for work experience.
With college credit for professional experience, you will typically turn in a portfolio or resume to showcase your experience. You may also use tests, like the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) test for credit. By using CLEP exams for college credit, you can skip some of your prerequisites and general education courses.
Whether you want college credits for life experience or work experience, many schools have options that can help you. In addition, you can also get college credit for military experience. By getting these types of credits, you can lower the amount of time and money you end up spending on school.
Related:
How Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Can Fast-Track Your Degree
Overview of Methods to Earn College Credits for Experience
If you are trying to earn college credits for work experience, there are a number of options available. From prior learning assessments (PLA) to DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSSTs), you can prove your work or life experience in a variety of different ways.
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)
You can use a portfolio assessment for college credits if you have work and life experience. For example, many people use their work experience to create a resume or portfolio. Then, they turn in this portfolio as documentation of their work experience.
If you have completed a professional training program or certification for your job, you may be able to use these experiences to get a work or life experience credit. It all depends on what your university is willing to accept.
To begin the PLA process, you will typically need to reach out to an academic advisor. The advisor will consult with you about the type of experience you may be able to submit to the college. They will also tell you what type of documentation you need to use to receive college credit for professional experience.
Credit by Examination
If you aren’t able to access PLA credits at your university, you may be able to take CLEP and DSST exams for college credits. The CLEP exam is available for a variety of general education topics. All you have to do is pay a small fee, and you can take the exam. With a high enough score, you can use CLEP exams for college credit.
Originally, DSST exams were only offered to military members and their families. Today, anyone is eligible to take these exams. You can take these tests on a variety of topics, like the Civil War, cybersecurity, algebra, and business ethics.
Many high school students are already familiar with the concept of credit by examination. Advanced Placement (AP) exams are commonly used by high school students to get credit for the classes they’ve taken in high school. After taking each AP course, high school students can take a test to demonstrate that they have achieved college-level knowledge.
Challenge Exams
Challenge exams are similar to DSST and CLEP exams for college credit. The big difference is that they are offered by your specific institution. While taking challenge exams for college credit will allow you to get additional credits at your school, they won’t count if you decide to go somewhere else. Because this policy can vary significantly from one school to another, it is important to talk to an academic advisor at your institution to see if you qualify or not.
Portfolio Assessments
If you don’t want to take a test, you may qualify for portfolio assessments. These assessments are designed to give you credit for work experience. For example, you may use a training program you had to go through when you became a manager at work. This type of experience could be used to satisfy a business management course or business electives.
Likewise, you can often get credits for certifications and licenses you have received during your work career. To demonstrate your knowledge, you may need to submit a copy of your certification as well as the knowledge required to get the certification. Then, your school can decide which credits you should receive for your experience.
Military Experience
A military career is a popular way to get credit for work experience. With college credit for military experience, you can use your military records to get a headstart on your degree. Your training and job title can be evaluated for different types of credit. If you took DSST exams while you were in the military, you may be able to use these exams to get credit as well.
The Process of Converting Experience to College Credits
While each college is different, there are normally some common requirements involved in getting college credits for life experience. For example, most universities will normally require you to consult with an academic advisor and provide some type of documentation. Then, your application will be evaluated by the university before you can earn college credits for work experience.
Consult With an Academic Advisor
For most colleges, the process of getting college credit for military experience and work experience begins with an initial consultation. During this consultation, you will talk to your academic advisor about your resume and career. You may also discuss any certifications or licenses you have had to get during your career.
Provide Proof of Learning
Next, you will need to provide some type of proof of your life experience. This may be through the course description for a training program at work or references from your employer. You may also provide documentation of your career experience or military records. If you have a professional license or exam results, you can provide the college with this information.
Submit Your Application
To earn college credits for work experience, you will need to submit the application for credit before you start school. Your college may have a specific deadline or additional application requirements that you need to meet. Once you have turned in the application for college credits for life experience, the school will evaluate your submission. This step can take time, so be patient.
Receive Credits
If your application for college credit for professional experience is successful, you will receive credits for your knowledge and abilities. Colleges will not provide you with credit for all of your degree requirements. Instead, they normally give you a maximum of half of your credits for your work experience. This amount can vary at different universities, so it’s important to check with your academic advisor to find out how many college credits for life experience you can get.
Preparing Your Documentation
When you gather documentation of college credit for military experience and life experience, it’s important to consider what type of documentation is more compelling. Typically, exams and training programs are more effective because they naturally involve documentary proof. Colleges want concrete information about what you know, so subjective evaluations and references are not as useful.
To make your application more compelling, research the college’s course descriptions. Then, format your documentation so that it clearly meets the requirements in the course description. This makes it easier for the evaluator to determine which course credits you should be awarded for your experience.
Challenges and Considerations
As you pursue fast-track degree options, it is important to keep a few challenges and considerations in mind. One of the most important things to remember is that each institution has different policies. You need to spend time searching for experience-based degree programs because some colleges won’t give you any college credit for professional experience.
More importantly, you should keep in mind that there are normally limitations on the number of credits you can get. Most colleges will only give you a maximum of half of the credits required for the degree, although there are a few institutions that will let you get more credits.
Finally, you should keep in mind that CLEP exams for college credits and college credits for life experience will still cost money. Any exams you take will involve a fee that is paid to the exam company. Then, you will also need to pay a fee to the college to get your work experience evaluated. Because these fees can add up, you should research the costs involved before you apply for work experience credits.
Tips for Maximizing College Credits Through Experience
To maximize the college credit for military experience and life experience that you can get, you should research your options ahead of time. If you know that your school accepts credits from testing agencies, you may want to delay starting school. Then, you can spend time studying and taking additional exams so that you can get extra college credits.
To make sure you are studying the right topics, look at the degree you want to get. The degree program will say which classes must be taken in order to graduate. You can use this list of classes as the basis for taking CLEP exams for college credit.
Other than exams, schools are also likely to accept certifications and licenses. If you are at a large corporation, your school may accept the company’s training programs. Ideally, you should focus on experiences that involve some type of test or documentation so that you can easily prove your experience to the college’s evaluator.
Speed Up Your Degree Through College Credits for Work Experience
When you earn college credits for work experience, it can speed up the time it takes to get your degree. Other than taking CLEP exams for college credit, you can get college credit for military experience and professional certifications. Because these credits effectively reduce the number of classes you have to take, they can lower the time and money involved in getting your degree. Through the best college credit for professional experience, you can get a headstart on achieving your career dreams.