Know Your College’s CLEP Policy
CLEP stands for College Level Examination Program. The College Board shared there are currently 2,900 colleges and universitiesgrant credit for CLEP, and each institution sets its own CLEP policy. Each institution determines the exams for which it awards credits, the minimum qualifying score required to get credit, and the amount of credits that will be granted per exam. CLEP exams test mastery of college-level material acquired in a variety of ways — through general academic instructions, significant independent study or extracurricular work. CLEP exam-takers include adults just entering or returning to school, military service members and traditional college students
How Much Credit Can I Earn?
If you pass a CLEP exam, you may earn up to 12 credits. The amount of credit you can earn on an individual CLEP exam varies with each college. Some colleges place a limit on the total amount of credit you can earn through CLEP. Other colleges may grant you exemption but no credit toward your degree. Some colleges may offer six credit hours versus three credit hours.
Prior Course Work
Some colleges won’t grant credit for a CLEP exam if you’ve already attempted a college-level course closely aligned with that exam. For example, if you successfully completed English 101 or a comparable course on another campus, you’ll probably not be permitted to receive CLEP credit in that same subject. Also, some colleges won’t permit you to earn CLEP credit for a course that you failed.
Can I Take the Exam More Than Once?
Be sure to wait at least six months before repeating a CLEP exam of the same title. Scores of exams repeated earlier than six months will not be accepted (and test fees will be forfeited).
Colleges usually award CLEP credit only to their enrolled students. Here are some additional questions to consider: Does the college require that you “validate” your CLEP score by successfully completing a more advanced course in the subject? Does the college require the optional free-response (essay) section for the examinations in Composition and Literature as well as the multiple-choice portion of the CLEP exam you’re considering? Will you be required to pass a departmental test such as an essay, laboratory, or oral exam in addition to the CLEP multiple-choice exam? Learn the answers to these questions. Source: CollegeBoard.
