Credit by Examination or Prior Learning Assessment
Enrolled students may earn up to a maximum of 50% of required award credits toward a certificate of proficiency or technical certificate or up to a total of 30 credits toward an associate’s degree.
Credit by Examination/Prior Learning Assessment Prior to Enrollment in a Course
Award-seeking students who have successfully completed a minimum of six credit hours of traditional coursework at Arkansas State University Mid-South have the option of submitting a Credit by Examination or Portfolio Request form and challenging a course prior to enrolling in the course in one of the following ways:
Completing and submitting official scores which meet or exceed the required minimum scores from a related CLEP or professional certification examination taken at an approved testing center;
Taking another course-specific competency examination and meeting or exceeding the minimum score approved by the appropriate lead instructor and Associate Vice Chancellor. Students without earned hours at ASU Mid-South may challenge a course prerequisite by examination to bypass the prerequisite requirement, but any applicable credit will not be awarded until the student has successfully completed 6 credit hours of traditional course work at ASU Mid-South;
Providing, for approval by selected advisory committee members, program faculty, and vice chancellor, a portfolio documenting work-based learning directly related to course learning objectives, as well as certification by one or more employers that the work was performed by the student. Portfolio materials more than three years old may not be accepted, depending upon technological advances or changes in a particular field.
Learn more about Prior Learning in our catalog
Credit by examination or portfolio is limited to a maximum of 50% of required award credits for a certificate of proficiency or technical certification or up to 30 credits for an associate’s degree. Such credits may not be accepted by other colleges and universities, so students planning to transfer “CR” credits are advised to obtain written verification of acceptance by the receiving institution in advance. Credit by examination is not available for all courses offered by the college. A list of available tests, costs, required scores, and testing sites may be obtained from the Registrar’s Office.
Students challenging a course by an examination must pay the required testing fees prior to taking the test. Costs include an administration fee, as well as any fee charged by commercial test publishers or vendors for the test instruments and grading, and materials fees if applicable for areas such as, but not limited to, welding and machining.
Students scoring at or above the minimum required score shall receive a grade of “CR” for the course, which indicates satisfaction of the course credit; however, no letter grade will be awarded, nor will the course carry a grade which affects the students’ grade point average. No additional tuition or fees will be assessed for the course credited. Credits earned through testing may or may not transfer according to the policy of the receiving institution.
A failing grade on a challenge test will not affect a student’s grade point average; however, students may not challenge a course more than one time in an academic year or its equivalent. Test costs are refundable only before the test is given. Failure to complete or pass a test does not justify a refund.
Students seeking credit through submission of a portfolio should first meet with the appropriate associate vice chancellor to obtain a list of program goals and course learning objectives for the course to be challenged.
These goals and objectives should guide the development of the portfolio, which must contain materials and written evidence that the student has mastered both course content and skills.
Portfolio submissions must be accompanied by the Portfolio Assessment Form, employer certification that the work submitted was developed by the student, and payment of the administration fee to the ASU Mid-South Finance Office. This fee is not refundable if credit is not awarded for the portfolio.
Approval of portfolio credit by both the program faculty and the appropriate vice chancellor is required.
Students will be provided a written evaluation indicating the reasons for approval or denial of credit. A copy of
the evaluation will also be placed in the student’s official academic record. Portfolio credit is awarded as CR
or NC and does not carry a letter grade or quality points.
Students may challenge a course through portfolio assessment only once in an academic year or its equivalent.
Credit Policy for Advanced Placement Exams
Following admission to ASU Mid-South and successful completion of six or more credit hours at ASU Mid- South, high school students may receive college credit by advanced placement for successful completion of the College Board’s Advanced Placement Examinations or College Level Examination Program (CLEP) as listed below. ASU Mid-South also accepts AP or CLEP credit granted by another accredited college or university when such credit is consistent with the college’s policy.
Advanced Placement Exams
Credit obtained through advanced placement is recorded without grade or grade points, and the maximum credit allowed is up to a maximum of 50% of required award credits for certificates or up to 30 credits for associate degrees.
