Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) is a process by which students can earn college-level, academic credit for past knowledge and experiences. It encompasses knowledge, skills, and competencies that students have obtained through on-the-job training, the awarding of a certificate or license, military experience, independent study and more. CPL is an alternative way for students to receive credit towards their credential completion.
How to Apply:
Students interested in applying for Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) should complete the following steps:
- Determine if prior relevant work-related experience may equate to college-level coursework by reviewing the current Wilson Community College (WCC) catalog and the course requirements for your degree, diploma, or certificate program and identify specific courses to request CPL. To be eligible for CPL, a minimum of 25% of the curriculum program must be completed at WCC.
- Contact your academic advisor to discuss the appropriate type of CPL and steps to request.
- Determine the type and potential award of CPL. CPL may be awarded through the following methods:
- Apprenticeship
- State or Industry Recognized Credentials
- Continuing Education to Curriculum Credit
- NC High School to Community College Articulation Agreements
- Military Education and Training
- Standardized Examinations
- Credit by Examination
Eligibility:
To be eligible to receive CPL, students must meet all of the following criteria:
- Meet all admission requirements for their program of study.
- Be enrolled in a curriculum program to which the credit will directly apply; and
- Request a prior learning assessment consistent with the procedures outlined in the WCC Credit for Prior Learning Handbook.
Wilson Community College recognizes registered apprenticeships for Credit for Prior Learning.
For apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs that utilize North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) curriculum or Continuing Education (CE) coursework for the required related instruction, successfully completed coursework will be directly entered onto the student’s transcript as credit earned. In such cases, there is no need to crosswalk credit.
Wilson Community College recognizes industry standard certifications and licensures in awarding credit for equivalent curriculum courses. Industry-recognized certifications and licenses, as documented in the NCWorkforce Credentials, include certifications and professional state-regulated licensures. These credentials often align to non-collegiate instructional programs and can demonstrate competency required for credit. Credit for Prior Learning may be awarded based upon evaluation by qualified faculty in the student’s declared program of study or via approved System-Wide Credit Articulations.
Certification (usually by a third-party industry group) is a designation that is obtained once the student is qualified to perform a task or job function. Certification differs from licensure in that certification is an employment qualification and not a legal requirement for practicing a profession.
Licensure is a legal status granted by a government entity that provides permission to practice. Licensure restricts practice of the profession to individuals who have met specific qualifications in education, professional experience, and/or have successfully passed an examination.
For credit to be awarded, certifications must meet current industry standards and licensures must be current. Students are responsible for providing evidence of a valid (non-expired) certification or license that must have been issued within five (5) years prior to a request for credit. Credentials and licensures must be validated by a faculty subject matter expert. Faculty may request a hands-on demonstration of skills to validate competency for a certification earned by means of written or other form of assessment that lacks a demonstration component.
Credit awarded for professional certification is considered transfer credit and is not transferable to other institutions. Information pertaining to documentation and specific course credit for certification levels is available in Student Development.
Curriculum course credit for related Continuing Education instruction at Wilson Community College may be accepted for credit in specific programs. Students must have earned a Satisfactory (S) grade for the course. Credit will not be granted for more than 25 percent of the required courses in a diploma or associate degree curriculum, and no more than one course in a certificate program. The Dean for each division will approve Continuing Education courses and complete a Request for Continuing Education (CE) Credit to Curriculum (CU) Credit Form documenting that all course requirements have been met. The following conditions must be met in order to award credit for non-curriculum coursework:
- Hours for CE coursework are equivalent to the CU course.
- CE course objectives are equivalent to the CU course.
- Successful completion of the CE course must be based on graded assessments (tests, exams, skill demonstration).
- Faculty credentials of the CE instructor must meet all SACSCOC faculty credential requirements for the awarded credit course.
- CE course must have been completed at Wilson Community College.
- CE course credits must be within the last five (5) years.
NC High School to Community College Articulation Agreement The North Carolina High School to Community College Articulation Agreement is an agreement between the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and the North Carolina Community College System. The statewide articulation agreement comprises specific high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses that match the knowledge and skills taught in similar community college courses. The articulation agreement ensures that if a student is proficient in his/her high school course, the student can receive college credit for that course at any North Carolina community college.
NCDPI high school courses that appear in the High School to Community College Articulation Agreement are eligible for Combined Course Library curriculum course credit. College and high school partnerships that result in local articulation agreements similarly apply at the local college level. Students meeting the following eligibility requirements should submit their high school transcripts along with any additional required items to the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar.
Eligibility:
Students who have completed a high school course that is listed in the High School to Community College Articulation Agreement will receive credit for the associated community college if they meet all of the following criteria:
- Grade of “B” or higher in the high school course.
- A score of 93 or higher on the standardized CTE post-assessment.
- Students must enroll within two years of high school graduation date.
- Students must provide official high school transcript and CTE post-assessment scores.
The North Carolina High School to Community College Articulation Agreement is an agreement between the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the North Carolina Community College System. It provides a seamless process that joins secondary and postsecondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs of study.
This statewide articulation agreement comprises approximately 50 high school CTE courses that match the knowledge and skills taught in similar community college courses. The articulation agreement ensures that if a student is proficient in his/her high school course, the student can receive college credit for that course at any North Carolina community college. This streamlines the student’s educational pathway by eliminating the need to take multiple courses with the same learning outcomes.
Students desiring more information should contact the Wilson CC Registrar or their high school counselor.
The complete list of CTE Articulated credit is located at NC High School to Community College Agreement.
To receive credit, students must enroll at Wilson CC within two years of high school graduation and meet the following criteria:
- Final grade of B or higher in the high school course AND
- Score of 90 or higher on the CTE post assessment
The College grants credit for military service schools that are applicable to the student’s program of study in accordance with the recommendation of the American Council on Education’s Military Guide and/or National Guide. Students requesting to have military training evaluated for credit should contact the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar to determine the required military documents.
Upon receipt of the required military documents, the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar will evaluate the transcript and grant appropriate credit toward the program being pursued at WCC. Credit for military schools will not be calculated in a student’s GPA. Questions concerning credit for military education and training should be directed to the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar.
Any student who has completed military Basic Training may present certification by DD 214 or DD 295 to the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar for review and receive credit for PED 110: Fit and Well for Life.
A standardized examination is any form of test that (1) requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from a common bank of questions, in the same way, and that (2) is scored in a “standard” or consistent manner.
North Carolina Community Colleges currently use the following standardized exams to provide students with credit for prior learning: Advanced Placement (AP), College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), Credit for International Baccalaureate (IB), Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), and Cambridge International Examinations.
Advanced Placement (AP)
The College grants non-course credit for identified courses with satisfactory scores on AP Tests that are applicable to the student’s program of study. A satisfactory score is at least a 3 on a scale of 1 to 5. Students wishing to have AP Test results evaluated for credit should have official score reports sent to the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar.
Upon receipt of the required score reports, the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar will review the scores earned and grant appropriate credit toward the program being pursued at WCC. AP credit will not be calculated in a student’s GPA. Questions concerning requirements and credit should be directed to the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar.
College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
The College grants non-course credit for identified courses with satisfactory scores on CLEP Examinations that are applicable to the student’s program of study. Students wishing to have CLEP results evaluated for credit should have official score reports sent to the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar.
Upon receipt of the required score reports, the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar will review the scores earned and grant appropriate credit toward the program being pursued at WCC. CLEP credit will not be calculated in a student’s GPA. Questions concerning requirements and credit should be directed to the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
The College grants non-course credit for identified courses with satisfactory scores on International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. A satisfactory score is at least a 5 on a scale of 0 to 7.
IB is a college-preparatory program for students ages 16-19 administered by International Baccalaureate, an international education foundation. The IB curriculum is offered at a select number of high schools in North Carolina. Standardized IB exams are used to assess student mastery of course content. IB credentials must be obtained from a recognized international institution that is validated by a US credentialing agency.
IB credit will not be calculated in a student’s GPA. Questions concerning requirements and credit should be directed to the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar.
Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)
DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) is a prior-learning assessment program that allows students to earn credit for prior learning by taking an exam. Beginning in 2008, DSST exam scoring moved to a criterion-referenced methodology for scoring. Scores range from 200 to 500 with 400 being the cut score for all exams.
DSST credit will not be calculated in a student’s GPA. Questions concerning requirements and credit should be directed to the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar.
Cambridge Assessment International Education Examination
Cambridge Assessment International Education Examinations are a series of internationally recognized college-level examinations administered by Cambridge Assessment International Education, a unit of the University of Cambridge.
Upon review and evaluation of student submitted documentation by the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar, students may earn non-course credit based on the AS and A Level exam(s) taken and grade(s) earned. An official grade report from Cambridge International must be provided to the college.
Students shall earn credit if a grade of e/E or better (which is the equivalent to a grade of C in the United States) is earned on the Cambridge International AS and A Level Examinations.
Course credit is awarded based upon the academic program of study. Cambridge credit will not be calculated in a student’s GPA. Questions concerning requirements and credit should be directed to the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar.
Credit by examination may be allowed for a specific course if the student can demonstrate subject matter proficiency that is equal to or greater than the proficiency they would have achieved if they had taken and completed the actual course.
The following should be noted when considering requests for Credit by Examination:
- Wilson Community College does not guarantee transferability of credit by examination earned at WCC to any other institution. Students should contact the college or university to which they intend to transfer to determine that institution’s policy regarding the acceptance of credit by exam grades.
- Developmental courses (any course that has 0 as the first number in the 3-digit course number) and courses with a clinical component are not eligible for credit by examination. A student must be enrolled in the curriculum program of study for which the course applies and meet all pre-requisite requirements.
- Exemptions may be granted for no more than 25% of the required courses in a diploma and associate degree curriculum, and no more than one course in a certificate program. Challenge exams may only be attempted once and may not be used to replace an already earned course grade. To successfully earn credit by exam, the student must pass a comprehensive exam based on standards set by the department, which is a grade of C or higher.
- Credit by Exam credit will not be calculated in a student’s GPA.
- A student who fails, audits, withdraws, or is withdrawn from a course is not eligible to earn credit by examination. Individuals qualified to receive Veteran’s Administration (VA) benefits or Title IV Financial Aid are advised to consider the implications of participating in a challenge exam since hours earned by exemption will not be counted toward enrollment status, thereby potentially reducing or eliminating benefits.
- Career and College Promise (CCP) students may participate in challenge examinations to earn college credit but may not earn dual credit (high school credit). To earn dual credit, students must enroll in and complete the course.
To earn credit by exam, the student must initiate the process with their advisor and the instructor responsible for the credit by exam course. The instructor will complete a Credit by Exam Request Form and submit it to the Vice President for Academic Affairs/CAO. Justification for the request must be provided.
Once approved, the student must arrange a time for the exam to be administered. If the student earns a grade of C or higher, non-course credit will be issued for the course. If a student earns below a C on the exam, they will be required to complete the course when it is offered to receive credit.
Upon successful completion of the exam, the instructor will submit an Exempt Grade Request Form with all supporting documentation, including tests, skills checkoffs, presentations, or rubrics, to the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services/Registrar. Credit for the course will be designated as non-course credit on the student’s transcript.
Approval to exempt a course by examination is considered if the student can show one of the following:
Previous Coursework/Work Experience
A student who has previous coursework or work experience and believes they possess verifiable competencies of a specific course may request a challenge exam through their advisor. If the advisor is not the faculty member teaching the challenged course, the request must be evaluated and approved by the teaching faculty. Documentation of previous coursework demonstrating competencies, or a job description for work experience, will be required.
Licensure and Certification
Licensure or certification does not automatically equate to course exemption. A student who holds current licensure or certification in an occupational field but does not meet the state or industry-recognized credential requirements, may request credit by exam for courses in which these competencies are specified.