Credit for Prior Learning
Credit for Prior Learning
You may discover college credits you didn't even know you have!
NSU provides you the opportunity to earn college credit for what you've already learned from the job(s). There are many forms of Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), these include Testing, Military Experience, CLEP, CLEET and Portfolio. Many students are seeking the CPL - Portfolio method where evidence is provided in building a portfolio of learned experiences as it relates to a specific course. For example, if you are wanting to take an Accounting-I class towards a Business degree and you happen to be employed as a bookkeeper you probably have already acquired many fundamental accounting skills through your work experience. After discussions with our CEL staff that could include your advisor, we would assist you in seeking out the course description from our online college catalog and also provide you with a syllabus from that particular course. After your review of the syllabus course learning objectives, we would collectively decide if you feel you have acquired the learned skills to be granted credit for the course through evidence in a portfolio. This provided evidence or examples of learned experience is demonstrated through certificates, work evaluations, letters of support to include an initial letter of demonstration of what skills you have acquired. The portfolio can be hard copy or electronic file and must provide proof or originality of certificates.
After you have built your portfolio for the course you would then submit the portfolio where your submission will be assigned an Academic assessor(s) to review submitted evidence in comparison to course objectives. If you have satisfied at least 80% of the course objectives to the assessors judgment you would be granted academic credit. This credit will be recorded as "Pass" grade. This grade will not be calculated in your GPA and cannot be paid for through the Financial Aid funding process. The Pass grade will be processed through our Registrars office where they will bill you the initial $100.00 application fee for the portfolio and include an additional $15.00 per credit transcript fee. Therefore a 3 hr. credit class using the portfolio class would cost $145.00. Please know there are no appeals of your work and no refunds. A limit of 12 hours of portfolio hours is allowed at NSU. A total of 30 hours of Prior Learning can be accumulated through other forms mentioned above to include portfolio. Please refer to the CPL attached document for detailed information.
To learn more about Credit for Prior Learning contact your advisor or College of Extended Learning at 918-449-6527 or chavez02@nsuok.edu.