Earn college credit for what you already know to fly further, faster.
Your life experience has taught you something. As a parent, employee, community volunteer, or military veteran, you know how to lead, motivate, manage, communicate, and connect. At Ball State, we believe that adult learners bring valuable personal, professional, and educational experiences to the classroom, and we award credit for knowledge already mastered through prior learning experiences.
What is Credit for Prior Learning?
According to the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), Credit for prior learning, or CPL, is a term for various methods that colleges, universities, and other education or training providers use to evaluate learning that has occurred outside of the traditional academic environment. It is also sometimes called prior learning assessment (PLA). It is used to grant college credit, certification, or advanced standing toward further education or training.
Review Ball State’s official Credit for Prior Learning policy listed in the Undergraduate Catalog. This policy recognizes and values the diversity of students’ learning experiences and provides guidance to students seeking to obtain college credit(s) for prior experiential learning or non-credit training programs that are equivalent to college coursework.
Ways to Accelerate Your Journey
- College Level Exam Program (CLEP tests—subject and general, including credit for language fluency)
- Credit earned through military service
- Credit by credential (non-credit training and certifications)
- Credit for work and life experience (demonstrated portfolio skills)
- Credit by departmental examination
Begin the process to assess if your prior learning knowledge qualifies for credit by reviewing ways to accelerate your journey and sharing your unique life experience with us in the form below. Email lifetimelearning@bsu.edu, or call 765-285-8565 with questions.
CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING FORM
The College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP) helps you receive college credit for what you already know, for a fraction of the cost of a college course. CLEP offers 34 exams that cover introductory level college course material. You can also earn CLEP or Modern Languages Placement Exam credits for language fluency. CLEP, DSST and Modern Languages testing is offered at our on-site Testing Center.
For CLEP questions, contact Jennifer Lawson, Academic Services Coordinator, at 765-285-5488.
Have you taken college-level courses while in military service? You may be eligible to receive credit at Ball State if your official military reports of educational achievement indicate attainment of college-level equivalency. Your Joint Service Transcript (JST) is an official academic record that contains college credit recommendations. Students from the Community College of the Air Force will submit their transcripts for review at the time of admission.
Ball State awards credit according to the guidelines of the Office of Educational Credit (OEC) of the American Council on Education.
Lifetime Learning offers industry-recognized certifications and articulation badges. When you are ready, your completed credential could be the start of a degree. Credit equivalency for Lifetime Learning credentials is determined before you start your course through a curriculum mapping process with one of Ball State’s seven colleges, so you can rest assured your non-credit course counts towards credit if it is a Lifetime Learning “articulation badge,” or “same-as-credit” credential. Articulation badges feature the name of the for-credit course for ease in recognition, like the CompTIA A+ certification example below. Once completed, certified non-credit students who decided to join Ball State for an undergraduate degree earn three credits with the College of Communication, Information and Media (CCIM).
For a complete list of current articulation badges, visit our Credly badging platform.
Earn college credit for prior work and life experiences that do not fit into another category of recognized credit, such as a certification or exam credit, by highlighting skills with “evidence,” or a portfolio of work.
What is the process to submit a portfolio for evaluation?
Fill out the online eligibility form, provide an updated résumé, unofficial transcripts, and evidence of prior learning from certifications, badges, sample work products, multimedia projects, published articles, essays, blogs, etc. Please note that a submitted portfolio may not result in an award of credit. Portfolios are evaluated for alignment with competencies learned in a for-credit course by the faculty member or expert most familiar with the course content and approved by the Division of Department Chair. Students seeking portfolio review pay $150.
Ball State Faculty will evaluate portfolios and verify competencies using an evaluation rubric to ensure a rigorous level of mastery of the subject matter.
View a sample Portfolio Template.
You may take an academic department’s exam for a course before you enroll or while you are attending Ball State. Credit is granted if your score meets departmental standards. All Foundations, Tier 1, and Tier 2 courses in Ball State’s University Core Curriculum are available for credit by exam. Contact the appropriate department to obtain an Application and Certification for Credit by Departmental Examination, Authorization, and Related Field Experience. A $30 fee may be required.