Credits for Prior Learning

Ways to Earn College Transfer Credit

You may be further along on your path to graduation than you know and have college credits, called Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), in the bank.

If any of the following apply to you, you may be eligible for CPL, speeding up your program completion and reducing the cost of your education:

Earned college credits from another institution in the US or abroad
Exam scores from programs like:

Advanced Placement (AP)
Excelsior, UExcel, or International Baccalaureate
College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
DANTES or DSST
Departmental Challenge Exam

Professional experience

Certificates or credentials earned from professional workshops, industry training, or seminars
Course completion through Workforce Development or Continuing Education
Past experiences or skills applicable to your intended program of study

Education as a member or veteran of the Armed Services

Learn more here!

Guidelines

DMACC awards Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) gained through a variety of life experiences. CPL are academic credit for past experiences which you can use to meet your degree requirements and reach your professional goals. At DMACC, you may:

Earn up to 50% of a program’s required credit through a Credit for Prior Learning pathway.
Use all CPL to help satisfy your degree, diploma or certificate program requirements with the exception of DMACC’s residency requirement for graduation.

CPL awarded at DMACC:

Are based on how the credit is earned and associated processing fees
Are based on DMACC’s policy in effect when you request CPL
• Cannot be used to meet the enrollment requirement for government-funded financial aid programs or resident credit requirements for graduation
May not transfer to another college or university
Will not be granted if it duplicates credit for a course already taken, passed or failed

Previously Earned College Credit – US

DMACC accepts college credit earned at accredited colleges and universities.

You may apply up to 43 semester credit hours of transfer credit toward degree requirements.
The total GPA (grade point average) of credits transferred to DMACC must equal 2.0 or higher.
Grades earned at other colleges or universities will not be included in your GPA at DMACC.
Official transcripts must be mailed to us from your college, bearing the official seal and signature of the official in charge of the records

To transfer previously earned college credit, request that an official transcript be sent directly to the DMACC Admissions Office by each college or university you previously attended to:

DMACC Admissions
2006 S Ankeny Blvd, Bldg. 1
Ankeny IA 50023

If you use an electronic transcript service, the DMACC email address is:

Admissions@dmacc.edu

Only electronic transcripts sent directly from the transfer college’s transcript service to this email address will be considered official.

Previously Earned College Credit – International

DMACC accepts college credit earned at accredited colleges and universities throughout the world.

You may apply up to 43 semester credit hours of transfer credit toward degree requirements.
The total GPA (grade point average) of credits transferred to DMACC must equal 2.0 or higher.
Grades earned at other colleges or universities will not be included in your GPA at DMACC.
Official transcripts must be mailed to us from your college, bearing the official seal and signature of the official in charge of the records, to:

DMACC Admissions
2006 S Ankeny Blvd, Bldg. 1
Ankeny IA 50023

If you use an electronic transcript service, the DMACC email address is: Admissions@dmacc.edu

In addition:

If your official transcript is in a language other than English, an English translation of the transcript must be provided.
You must have your international transcript(s) evaluated by one of the agencies listed below AND request a course-by-course evaluation.

Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
PO Box 514070
Milwaukee, WI 53203
www.ece.org

World Education Services, Inc.
PO Box 5087
Bowling Green Station
New York, NY 10274
www.wes.org

SpanTran Houston Office
2400 Augusta Drive, Suite 451
Houston, TX 77057
www.spantran.com

SPANTRAN Evaluation Application

If you have questions about other international evaluation agencies, please contact:

DMACC Credentials & Graduation Office:
1-800-362-2127, ext. 6644
credentials@dmacc.edu

Credit by Examination – Testing Agencies

Several standardized exams, usually taken in high school after completely specific coursework, can result in credit at DMACC.

In general, you must meet minimum score requirements set by each agency and have the testing agency send your scores directly to DMACC. Credit earned by examination will appear as “T” (for Testing without a grade) and will not be used to figure your GPA. You can apply credits earned by examination toward a degree, diploma, or certificate from DMACC.

They are:

AP (Advanced Placement)

You must meet minimum score requirements (Procedure ES 4544, see Appendix A ) to use AP credit toward a DMACC degree, diploma, or certificate.
You can apply up to 30 credit hours of AP credit to your program of study.
AP’s testing agency, College Board must send your scores to DMACC Admissions.

UExcel (Excelsior College Examination)

You must meet minimum score requirements (Procedure ES 4544, see Appendix A) to use UExcel credit toward a DMACC degree, diploma, or certificate.
UExcel’s testing agency, Excelsior College must send your scores to DMACC Admissions.

IB (International Baccalaureate)

You must meet minimum score requirements (Procedure ES 4544, see Appendix A) on approved Higher Level IB Exams to use IB credit toward a DMACC degree, diploma, or certificate.
IB’s testing agency, International Baccalaureate must send your scores to DMACC Admissions.

CLEP (College-Level Examination Program)

You must meet minimum score requirements (Procedure ES 4544, see Appendix A) on CLEP General or Subject-Matter Exams to use CLEP credit toward a DMACC degree, diploma, or certificate.
You can earn up to 6 semester credits for each of the General or Subject-Matter Exams exam. (see Procedure ES 4544)
You can repeat any CLEP Exam 1 time if standards are not met. However you must wait 3 months before taking the exam again.
You can take CLEP exams a DMACC Testing Center.
If you take your CLEP exams elsewhere, CLEP’s testing agency, College Board must send your scores to DMACC Admissions.

DSST (DANTES Subject Standardized Tests)

You must meet minimum score requirements (Procedure ES 4544, see Appendix A) to use DSST credit toward a DMACC degree, diploma, or certificate.
DSST’s testing agency, Prometric, must send your scores to DMACC Admissions.

Credit by Examination – Departmental Challenge

In certain situations -- when no CLEP or DSST exam exists to demonstrate subject-matter competency, you may ask to take a Departmental Challenge exam. This is an approved exam developed and administered by college faculty and offers you yet another pathway to earn credit. You can apply credits earned by examination toward a degree, diploma, or certificate from DMACC.

Credit for a successfully challenged course, defined as a grade of “C” or higher on the departmental examination, will appear as “T” (for Testing without a grade) and will not be used to figure your GPA. (Credit processing occurs at end of the academic term to avoid financial aid disruptions.)

To pursue this pathway, you must:

Show evidence you have equivalent knowledge and skills through work experience, training, or other means
Request and receive approval of the appropriate Academic Dean
Pay a $50 non-refundable administration fee before attempting the departmental exam. If you challenge a course in which you are enrolled beyond 100% refund date, the $50 administration fee does not apply nor is tuition refunded if you pass the exam. If you fail Challenge Examination while enrolled in the equivalent course, they you may remain in the course.

In addition, you may:

Attempt a Challenge Examination up until the last date to withdraw of Part of Term 1 to ensure credit is awarded on the final transcript
Only challenge a course once and may not do so if you have already received a grade in the course at DMACC.

Students enrolled in non-credit courses that have conversion agreements with credit courses that have departmental exams may request to take the challenge exam at no additional charge. The student is subject to all other Challenge Exam regulations.

Approved Departmental Challenge Exams (see Procedure Loading..., Appendix B)

Departmental Challenge Exam Request Form (see Procedure Loading..., Appendix B)

Departmental Challenge Exam & Appeals Process

Credit by Experience

You may be eligible for college credit for your professional life experience. These “credits by experience” could come from:

Earned professional certifications and licensures from non-collegiate institutions
Mastery of equivalent competencies through work experiences and non-credit training or coursework

Only credit that can be applied toward your degree requirements will be transcribed. Credit earned by examination will appear as “L” (for experiential learning) and will not be used to figure your GPA. You can apply credits earned by examination toward a degree, diploma, or certificate from DMACC. You have until the last date to withdraw of Part of Term 1 to submit Credit for Experience and ensure credit is awarded on your final transcript.

(Procedure Loading..., see Appendix A)

Certifications and Licensures

DMACC’s Credit for Prior Learning Crosswalk (currently under development) will help you determine which of your licenses and certifications may be eligible for credit. Licenses and certifications must be unexpired when you apply.

Credit is awarded using the American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service, the ACE Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services, or other approved organizations.

(If your credential isn’t listed, follow the Credit for Prior Learning Process & Appeals Process to obtain credit.

Equivalent Non-Credit Experience

You may feel your experiences and training are worthy of college credit – and you can prove it. DMACC consults with the American Council of Education (ACE), the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS), and the Council of Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) for guidance in the development of competency-based pathways between non-credit coursework and their credit equivalencies, giving students like you a path forward.

Credit for Non-Credit Experience Process & Appeals Process

Credit from the Armed Services

If you completed courses while a member of the Armed Services, those courses could qualify for college credit. The American Council of Education (ACE) has evaluated many courses taken as part of military service, and DMACC uses their published recommendations to award credit for these courses.

Treated as equivalent to a collegiate transcript, credit will be immediately be transcribed as equivalent to DMACC’s program. The process of receiving credit depending on the branch of service.

Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and Marines: Order your Joint Services Transcript (JST) and have it sent directly to DMACC. Correct any missing courses through your armed services branch and JST.
Air Force: Order an official transcript from the Community College of the Air Force and have it to DMACC. Credits will be evaluated from the transcript.
Military transcripts unavailable? Submit your DD 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) in addition to Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) and copies of non-commissioned officer enlisted evaluations.