Could Your Work Experience Count Toward College Credit?

By Monique Wells-Lopez, Ed.D.

The Decision

If you have spent years working, completing professional training, earning certifications, serving in the military, or developing knowledge outside a college classroom, you may wonder whether any of that experience could count toward a degree.

It might, but colleges do not award credit simply because you have experience. What matters is whether you can demonstrate college-level learning and whether the institution has a process for evaluating it. Even when credit is awarded, you still need to know whether it will apply to the program you want to complete.

Why This Matters

Adults often return to college with knowledge and skills they did not have when they first attended. You may have completed employer training, earned industry certifications, served in a leadership position, completed an apprenticeship, or developed significant knowledge through years of work.

Prior Learning Assessment, commonly called PLA, is one way some colleges evaluate learning that took place outside the traditional college classroom. You may also see colleges use the term Credit for Prior Learning, or CPL.

If the college awards credit and that credit satisfies requirements you still need, it could reduce the amount of coursework you have left to complete. It may also reduce the time and cost of finishing. The important part is not simply receiving credit. You need to know whether that credit actually moves you closer to completing your program.

Experience and College-Level Learning Are Not the Same Thing

Having several years of experience does not automatically translate into college credit. A college is evaluating what you learned through that experience and whether the learning is comparable to what it expects students to learn through college-level coursework.

That learning can come from many places. Employment, military training, professional certifications, apprenticeships, employer training, technical programs, volunteer leadership, and other experiences may all be considered, depending on the institution.

This also means that two people with similar work histories could receive different results. The number of years someone worked is not what determines the credit. The college is looking at the learning the individual can demonstrate and how that learning relates to its academic requirements.

How Colleges Evaluate Prior Learning

Colleges that offer PLA may use several different assessment methods. Not every college offers every method, and the options available may also depend on the academic program.

One method is portfolio assessment. A student documents what they have learned and demonstrates how that learning relates to the outcomes of a particular course or academic subject. Some colleges also use their own challenge examinations to determine whether a student has the knowledge required for a course.

Standardized examinations, including CLEP, are another option. These examinations assess knowledge in particular subject areas, but each institution determines which examinations it accepts, what scores are required, and how the resulting credit can be used.

Military education and training may also be evaluated. Military records can document occupations and completed training, but the college still determines whether it will award credit and how that credit applies. The same is true for professional certifications, apprenticeships, employer training, and other noncollege learning that an institution recognizes.

The fact that one college accepts a particular type of prior learning does not mean another college will make the same decision.

The Credit Still Has to Fit Your Program

Receiving PLA credit is only part of the issue. You also need to understand where that credit fits within the degree or certificate you want to complete.

Depending on the institution and program, PLA credit might satisfy a general education requirement, a requirement in the major, a prerequisite, or an elective. In other situations, the credit may appear on your academic record without replacing a specific requirement you still need.

This is similar to the distinction between transferred credit and applied credit. Having more credits on your academic record does not necessarily mean you have fewer requirements left to complete.

For more information about this distinction, see Understanding Transfer Credit: What Will Actually Count Toward Your Degree?

Colleges Set Their Own PLA Policies

There is no single PLA policy that applies to every college. Institutions determine which types of prior learning they evaluate, which assessment methods they use, how much credit can be awarded, and where that credit can apply.

A college may also have rules about when you can request an assessment. You may need to be admitted or enrolled first. There may be limits on the amount of PLA credit you can use toward a degree, and residency requirements may require you to complete a certain amount of coursework through the institution itself.

Programs with licensing, accreditation, clinical, or other professional requirements may have additional restrictions. This is why it is important to look at the policy for both the college and the particular program you are considering.

PLA Can Have a Cost

Prior Learning Assessment is not necessarily free. Depending on the method used, there may be examination fees, portfolio assessment fees, or other charges associated with evaluating and recording the credit.

That matters because an assessment does not guarantee that credit will be awarded. Even when credit is awarded, it may not satisfy the requirement you expected it to satisfy.

Before paying for an assessment or spending a significant amount of time preparing a portfolio, find out whether the college offers that type of assessment for the learning you want evaluated and whether the potential credit could be used in your program.

What Happens if You Transfer?

PLA credit awarded by one college may not transfer to another college in the same way as coursework you completed in a traditional course.

A receiving institution may want to review the original examination, certification, military record, training, or other evidence of learning before deciding whether it will award its own credit. It may also have a different PLA policy from the institution you previously attended.

If transferring is a possibility, do not assume that PLA credit will automatically follow you. The receiving institution determines what it will recognize and how that learning can be used in its programs.

When PLA May Be Worth Exploring

PLA may be worth asking about when you have substantial learning from work, military service, professional training, certifications, apprenticeships, or another experience that appears connected to the program you want to complete.

That does not mean you need to start building a portfolio or paying for an examination. First, find out whether the college evaluates that type of learning and whether there is a reasonable possibility that any credit awarded could satisfy requirements you still need.

The value of PLA is not simply getting credit for something you already know. The value comes when that credit reduces what you still need to complete.

Before You Decide

Do not assume that years of work experience automatically equal college credit, but do not assume that learning gained outside the classroom has no academic value either.

If you have substantial knowledge or training that relates to the program you are considering, find out whether the college offers Prior Learning Assessment or Credit for Prior Learning. You will also want to understand the assessment method, any costs involved, and how credit awarded through that process could apply to your program.

PLA can be useful when your learning can be demonstrated, the institution recognizes an appropriate way to evaluate it, and the resulting credit satisfies requirements you would otherwise need to complete. That is what determines whether pursuing PLA is actually worthwhile.

Disclaimer

Prior Learning Assessment methods, documentation requirements, fees, credit limits, residency requirements, transfer policies, and the application of awarded credit vary by institution and academic program. Licensing and accreditation requirements may also restrict the use of PLA in certain programs. Confirm the current policy and how potential credit would apply directly with the college or program you are considering.