Credit for Prior Learning

What is Credit for Prior Learning?

As an SLCC student, you bring a wonderful variety of non-college learning experience to our classrooms, and we want to give you credit for that. Our Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) assessment process can save you time and money and help you graduate faster. Keep in mind that your learning—not just your experience—must align with current SLCC learning outcomes and demonstrate college-level mastery to receive credit.

Why CPL?

• CPL students save between $1500 and $10,200 in overall college expenses.
• A 2020 study found that adult students who received CPL saved an average of 9-14 months in completing their degrees.
• Students who complete CPL are 2.5 times more likely to graduate than students who do not, according to the Council for Adult & Experiential Learning’s 2010 data.
• Latinx students are 8 times more likely to graduate when they complete CPL.

Who is eligible for CPL?

Any SLCC student signed up for courses is eligible to have their learning assessed for college credit, saving them time and money.

How does CPL work?

• You can use CPL for approved, lower-division credit-based courses.
• The CPL assessment process goes toward courses approved in the current curriculum.
• CPL can’t be used to duplicate previously earned credit.
• This kind of credit appears on your transcript as “Credit for Prior Learning.”
• For federal financial aid purposes (not scholarships), CPL counts toward your maximum time frame to graduation.
• Remember, CPL is different from college credit transferred to SLCC.