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Credit for Prior Learning

The training and work experiences you’ve gained outside the classroom are valuable. We are committed not only to providing you with a top-notch education, but to help you graduate quickly, saving you both time and money. Whether it’s military service or specialized high school coursework, EKU has processes for evaluating workplace training and educational experiences to help you receive academic credit for college-level learning and accelerate your academic progress.

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Key Resources

Transfer Credit

If you have collegiate credit recorded on a transcript and are interested in learning about transferability, please contact the EKU Office of Articulation and Transfer Services at oats@eku.edu or view the transfer course equivalency guide.

Contact Information

Cassie Bradley
Coordinator
Credit for Prior Learning
cassie.bradley@eku.edu
859-622-2854

Credit Opportunities

EKU recognizes the unique social and cultural perspective that the veteran and military community brings to our campus. Learn how to receive course credit and the course equivalencies available for formal military training.

College-level credit is awarded for exams outside of the university such as Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and DANTES Subject Standardized Test (DSST). Learn more about accepted external exams.

Accepted External Examinations

CLEP: The College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP®) is a rigorous College Board program that allows students of a wide range of ages to demonstrate their mastery of college-level material in introductory subjects and earn college credit. CLEP offers examinations that represent courses typical of the first two years of college study.

AP Credit: The Advanced Placement Program consists of courses of study and special examinations open to junior and senior high school students. High schools administer the AP exam during the month of May. EKU receives scores during the first week of July. AP exams are scored and reported to EKU by The College Board educational testing service. A high school student must choose EKU as their score recipient in order for the scores to be reported to EKU.

ACE (Non-Military): The American Council on Education (ACE) is an evaluation service for non-academic learning and experience. Those with specific industry training or open-source course credit may attempt to find their experiences listed in the ACE database. If present, you may request for ACE to send a transcript bearing their credit recommendations for evaluation by EKU faculty. Evaluations are stored within EKU’s transfer equivalency database. Established equivalencies can be found using their ACE ID as the course code. For additional information on ACE credit, please contact academic.testing@eku.edu

DANTES: DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) exams are recommended for credit by the American Council on Education (ACE). The tests are available to any interested student and cover upper and lower-level baccalaureate credit courses. View details about the types of tests offered by visiting the DSST webpage.

International Baccalaureate Exams (IB): IB exams are internationally standardized tests taken by learners completing the IB Diploma Program. Higher-level IB exam scores can often be used to earn college credit. For more information, visit https://www.eku.edu/testing/ib/

EKU accepts credit for approved licensure, registries, industry exams, or industry certifications to support diverse prior learning experiences.

Industry certification is a credential recognized by business and industry at the local, state, or national level. It could be an assessment, examination, or license administered and acknowledged by an industry third-party or governing board.

Professional Licensures is a means by which “permission to practice” is regulated and is a qualification required by law. Professional licensure protects the public by enforcing standards that restrict practice to individuals who have met specific qualifications in education, work experience, or exams.

Recognized Certifications & Licensures

  • ACLS: Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support
  • International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) Certified Fire Investigator
  • Licensure in Health Insurance
  • Licensure in Life Insurance
  • National Assn. of Fire Investigators (NAFI) Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator
  • OSHA Training Institute Courses
  • PALS/PEPP = Pediatric Advanced Life Support / Pediatric Emergencies for Prehospital Professionals
  • PHTLS/ITLS = Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support / International Trauma Life Support
  • Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP)
  • Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP)

For questions relating to industry and workplace credentials, please contact us.

Academic departments have the option to develop departmental credit by examination (CBE) assessments. Departmental exams allow students to attempt to earn credit for individual courses. Exams are administered by the department offering the course. Enrolled EKU students interested in attempting to earn credit through a departmental exam should contact the department main office.

For more information about Departmental testing please contact academic.testing@eku.edu.

Students have the option to earn college credit for work completed through high school programs. EKU evaluates a variety of approved high school coursework and programs.

Accepted High School Credit

Advanced Placement Credit: The Advanced Placement (AP) Program consists of courses of study and special examinations. High schools administer the AP exam during the month of May. EKU receives scores during the first week of July. AP exams are scored and reported to EKU by The College Board educational testing service. A high school student must choose EKU as their score recipient in order for the scores to be reported to EKU. For more information relating to AP Credit, contact academic.testing@eku.edu.

International Baccalaureate Exams (IB): International Baccalaureate (IB) exams are internationally standardized tests taken by learners completing the IB Diploma Program. Higher-level IB exam scores can often be used to earn college credit.

Dual/Concurrent Enrollment Credit: Dual/concurrent credit is awarded to high school students enrolled in college-level courses. These courses are typically offered to public school, private school, and home school learners to offer a variety of general education courses, career pathways, and future major required courses. Terms of academic credit are typically outlined in agreements between the school district/school and the institution offering the credit and credit is awarded as both high school credit and on the college transcript. For additional information relating to Dual/Concurrent Credit, please contact lisa.cox@eku.edu.

Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE): AICE offers high school students the opportunity to take advanced courses equivalent to college-level courses. These courses culminate in examinations that can earn college credit at participating universities. For additional information on CAICE, please contact academic.testing@eku.edu.

EKU evaluates knowledge and skills gained through experience, programs, and/or learning that occurs outside of traditional college or university settings to determine if learners meet the standards for collegiate-level credit.

EKU credit awarded through non-collegiate course credit evaluation allows learners to leverage their diverse educational experiences and demonstrate their readiness for collegiate-level work, potentially accelerating their progress toward a degree or meeting course requirements at EKU. Examples include:

  • Industry-specific training programs and workshops (ex: CompTIA, Cisco, Microsoft, etc.)
  • Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) (ex: Coursera, edX, Udacity, etc.)
  • Community education/ Continuing education courses
    Professional organization/association (ex: American Medical Association)
  • Government agency/institute training courses (ex. FEMA)
    Non-profit educational organizations (Khan Academy, Saylor Academy)
  • Corporate/workplace training programs
  • Open Educational Resources (OER) (Ex: OpenStax, MIT Open Course Ware, self-studies, etc.)
  • Professional development programs

Students interested in non-collegiate course credit should contact us for more information.

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