Credit for Prior Learning will be awarded based on a score of 70% (50) or higher on the Financial Accounting CLEP exam. In addition to the CLEP exam the student will have taken a high school accounting course or have an equivalent of two full years work experience in accounting. Both experiences need to be verified.

Three credits will be awarded in lieu of ACCT 291 – Accounting I.

Meet with the department chair about credit for this class: acct2b@stcloudstate.edu. 

All St. Cloud State University Policies and Procedures in regard to Credit for Prior Learning need to be followed.

More information on the Financial Accounting CLEP Exam is available through Collegeboard.

This process is established for BIOL 266 Medical Terminology by challenge exam. Other courses and assessment mechanisms may be added later following review by department faculty.

1. Students should contact the chair and/or program director of Biological Sciences. 
2. The chair/program director will consult with faculty teaching this course to evaluate both the written and oral portions of the challenge exam.
3. Students are directed to resources to help prepare, including a reserve copy of a textbook and examples of test questions including each style of question on the exam.  
4. The written portion of the exam will be administered through the testing center.
5. Within 14 duty days of written exam completion, the faculty member will evaluate this portion of the exam and schedule the oral portion of the exam.  
6. Students can view feedback on the exam, but faculty will retain the completed test.
7. A passing score will be 70% correct. The score will be reported to CPL office.
8. Students cannot repeat the exam for 12 months.

Students may seek exemption from the required first-year composition class, ENGL 191, if they meet one of these criteria:

• Graduated in upper 25 percent of high school class
• Earned score on ACT combined English of 25 or higher
• Earned score on Advanced Placement (AP) Language/Literature test of 3 (scores of 4 and 5 earn automatic exemption)
• Received credit for ENGL 100, ENGL 162, or transfer equivalent

The exemption exam has two parts:

• A writing portfolio that demonstrates achievement of the ENGL 191 course objectives
• An argumentative response to a question, written during a two-hour session

Portfolio Content

Prior to the examination date, compile the portfolio. The portfolio, which will be submitted at the start of the exam, must include college academic writing samples that demonstrate achievement of the ENGL 191 course objectives. At least one sample must be an argument assignment (preferably 5-10 pages in length) that includes analysis of a subject and research to support the claim made in that writing.

The portfolio may include additional content to support and contextualize the writing samples.

• Letters from a teacher (or other school officials), printed on official school letterhead.
  • Certifying that the writing submitted is your work.
  • Describing your writing ability, the assignments for which the samples were created, the general focus of the course in which the writing occurred.
• Transcripts that list the grades for courses in which the sample were composed.
• Course materials (i.e., syllabus, policy statement, schedule, catalog description).
• Assignment materials (i.e., assignment sheets, rubrics, final draft criteria, grade sheets) that correspond with the samples include in the portfolio.
• List of completed writing-intensive courses with descriptions of assignments and grades earned for each course and major writing assignment.

At the on-campus writing exam, qualified students will complete a portfolio cover sheet that includes a statement of original authorship, contact information and signature.

The Department of Environmental & Technological Studies has developed the following processes to award credit for prior learning. Do not submit any original documents (copies only), as the portfolio will not be returned to you. It is strongly recommended that you maintain a back-up copy of the portfolio. Submit the portfolio to:

ETS Department Chairperson
216 Headley Hall, SCSU
720 4^th Ave S
St. Cloud MN 56301
ets@stcloudstate.edu

ETS has develop the process for two construction courses to be reviewed for credit for prior learning. ETS 134: Introduction to Construction Technology credit must be awarded before ETS 336 will be considered for review. Both courses can be reviewed at the same time.

Review will generally take between two to three weeks (longer over academic breaks). The portfolio should be designed to document experiences that meet the specific Student Learning Outcomes. 

The process is designed to award credit for life experiences. This can be from a variety of experiences but is not from a specific course taken at another school. Credit for that experience can be done via transfer process. However, informal or non-credit trainings can be used to document knowledge of meeting student learning outcomes.

ETS Courses

Application details

• Student Evidence of Proficiency Column: Provide a description of the experiences related to each student learning outcome.
• Type(s) of Evidence Column: You should indicate how proficiency was obtained for each Student Learning Outcome. For example, was this paid work experience, military experience, etc.
• Link to Evidence Column: It is recommended you include as many different items to demonstrate competency. For example, photos of work, paperwork from projects, letters from employers/supervisors.
• Degree of Attainment: This will be completed by the reviewer with comments.
• Application forms (Microsoft Word): ETS 134 or ETS 336

Somali speakers may be tested through the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). The test can be taken through the Arch Language Network in St. Cloud. Some students have used this option successfully to count towards one year of a world language in lieu of a minor.

Students may also take the CLEP exam through St. Cloud State’s Testing Center, where they can earn credits for 101, 102 and 201—depending on their scores—in Spanish, French and German. Official test results should be sent to the Office or Records and Registration, where they will be recorded on students’ transcripts.

Another option is to be granted up to 20 credits in any language taught at St. Cloud State University, including Japanese, Chinese, and Russian, using the Credit for Prior Learning form. Professors fill out the form and will specify the classes for which the student will earn credit. This pathway is most suitable for native speakers of a given world language who are declared or intended majors and minors in need of lower division credits.

For those students who have taken the AP World Language exam (language portion), the following scores and their resultant earned credits are as follows (Spanish is used only as an example):

• AP 3=Spanish 201
• AP 4=Spanish 201, 202, and 221/222
• AP 5=Spanish 201, 202, 221/222, and 310

On the literature exam:

• AP 3=Spanish 201, 202, and 221/222
• AP 4=Spanish 201, 202, 221/222, and 301
• AP 5= Spanish 201, 202, 221/222, 310, and 331