Sources of Credit

Overview
The following are frequently cited as sources of credit for the Big 3 schools.

Note #1: Each school has its own academic transfer policies and you should confirm any choice of alternate credit with an advisor at your school.

'''Note #2: Re-read Note #1. :)'''

Tests

 * AP Exams (ACE-approved ; available for high school juniors & seniors only; accepted by all of the Big 3 )
 * CLEP (College Level Examination Program; accepted by all of the Big 3 )
 * DSST (DANTES Standardized Subject Test; accepted by all of the Big 3)
 * ECE (Excelsior College Examination; accepted by all of the Big 3)
 * NYU Foreign Language Proficiency Testing (up to 16 credits transfer to all of the Big 3)
 * TECEP (Thomas Edison Examination Program; accepted by all of the Big 3)
 * UExcel (ACE-approved exams for college credit accepted by all of the Big 3)

Military Service, Professional Licenses & Misc. Training

 * LearningCounts (Prior Learning Assessments allow you to obtain college credit for knowledge, experience or non-credit training courses you've taken; cost is $379 for initial 12 credits, $250 for each additional 12 credits.  See this discussion for more. NOTE:  According this article, as 1/15/13 ACE is no longer being used but LearningCounts is partnering with several colleges and universities as well as plans on using NCCRS for credit approval.  See their website for more details.)
 * Military service and training can be worth ACE-approved college credit at many schools, including the Big 3 .  Click each branch's name for the link to where you'll be able to obtain your service transcript to submit to your school:  Air Force & Air National Guard, Army & Army National Guard , Coast Guard , Navy & Marine Corps.
 * Professional licences and certifications can be worth college credit at some schools.  Always check with your school's policies to see if they are accepted and how they will transfer in.  For Excelsior College download this PDF ; for Charter Oak State College click here ; for Thomas Edison State College see this page.

Courses

 * ACT (online courses normally for licensed teachers offered by a private company partnered with California State University, Monterey Bay Extension.  There are unconfirmed reports that anyone can register for these courses and they might transfer to the Big 3 for undergraduate credit.  Check with you school before enrolling.  See this discussion for more.  Cost is $110/credit.)
 * ALEKS (an adaptive AI engine for learning college algebra through pre-calculus; cost is $20/month)
 * CollegePlus (3 LL courses available that are ACE-approved and have proctored final exams.  See this discussion for more.)
 * Coursera  (ACE-approved courses that cost approximately $150-200 and have proctored final exams; 4 courses have approval for college credit as of 2/8/13.  See this discussion for more.)
 * FEMA (free ACE-approved online courses; normally are used for Free Electives at the Big 3)
 * National Fire Academy (free ACE-approved courses, normally are used for Free Electives at the Big 3)
 * Penn Foster College (a nationally accredited school with some transferrable credits to the Big 3, as long as they are ACE-approved; courses are usually under $300 which includes textbooks and materials)
 * Propero (ACE-approved courses with format like that of Straighterline; cost is $299 each)
 * Rechtschaffen Institute of Judaic Studies (NCCRS-approved courses with a few counted as UL in history, religion, ethics and political science; cost is $50/credit plus $50 proctored final exam fee.  See this discussion for more.)
 * Saylor Foundation (NCCRS-approved courses that only cost $25 for proctored final exam; 3 courses have such approval as of 1/18/13.  See this discussion for more.  Saylor's English Composition II, Microbiology  and Microbiology with Lab courses are available through Straighterline for $99/month subscription and $25 for proctored final exam)
 * Straighterline (ACE-approved courses with proctored final exams that transfer to many partner colleges, including all of the Big 3; cost is $99/month subscription plus $49/course - science labs have additional costs)
 * Texas A&M Engineering Extension (TEEX) (free ACE-approved online courses in cyber security; 10 courses have such approval as of 1/18/13.  See this discussion for more.)
 * WorkWorld Learning (ACE-approved self-paced online courses, with unconfirmed reports of unproctored final exams; cost is $540/course)
 * Distance Learning: Community Colleges (take a class at your local or online CC, transfer it in to the Big 3, as long as the CC is regionally accredited and the course is applicable to your degree plan)
 * Distance Learning: 4-Year Colleges (any regionally accredited college course will transfer, as long as it is applicable to your degree plan)
 * Other courses that are reviewed and approved by ACE or NCCRS.

Examples of Colleges Offering Distance Learning Courses
The following are commonly used for coursework credit that is then transferred in to the Big 3.
 * Brigham Young University Independent Study - $157/credit hr.; no state residency requirement. Upper and lower level courses available.
 * CalCampus - $230/credit; no state residency requirement.  Upper Level credit.
 * Clovis Community College - $39/credit residents; $89/credit non-resident. Lower Level courses only.
 * Edukan - $130/credit hr flat fee. Lower Level courses only.
 * Independent Study of Idaho - $100/credit hr flat fee. Upper Level credits available.
 * Kentucky Community & Technical College System - DegreeForum.net member ternzer recently "guinea pigged" this school and developed a full guide (click here ) on how to get the most out of KCTCS courses in the shortest time possible.
 * Louisiana State University Independent Study - 3 credits $445, 4 credits $595 includes fees.
 * Luna Community College - $35/credit for out-of-state residents for 6 credits per semester.  Lower level courses only.
 * New Mexico Junior College - $89/credit for out-of-state residents.  Lower Level courses only.

The following are less-frequently cited as sources:
 * Colorado State University-Pueblo Independent Study - $447/course (3 credits); no state residency requirement; UL & LL courses available.
 * East Tennesse State - Free courses with letter of competition. Univ credit option $300/course.
 * [State University, Dominguez Hills] allows high school students in California to enroll in two university courses through distance learning each semester and earn up to six units of college credit for only $3.50
 * Mississippi State University Independent Study - $449/course (3 credits); no state residency requirement. Upper & lower level courses available.
 * Quincy College - Mostly $170/credit, but check varying rates for different programs. No state residency requirement. Lower level courses only.
 * Rio Salado College - $215/credit for both AZ residents & non-residents online. 48 times per year to register for courses. Lower level courses only.
 * Test Drive College - Free? Lower Level credit only. FAFSA eligible.
 * University of Alaska - Fairbanks Center for Distance Education - $154/credit at 100/200 level; $187/credit at 300/400 level; $372/credit at 500/600 level; extra fees apply. No residency requirement and courses may be taken for a semester or through a whole year.
 * University of Arkansas Independent Study - $99/credit for AR residents; $105.25/credit for non-residents. Upper and lower level courses available.
 * University of Georgia Independent & Distance Learning - $729/course (3 credits); no state residency requirement. Upper & lower level courses available.
 * University of Mississippi Independent Study - $724/course (3 credits); no residency requirement. Upper & lower level courses available.
 * University of North Dakota Distance & Continuing Education- $242/credit; no state residency requirement. Upper & lower level courses available.
 * University of Oklahoma Independent Study - $241/credit; no state residency requirement. Upper & lower level courses available.
 * Western New Mexico University - $179/credit for out-of-state residents for 6 credits per semester.  Lower Level and Upper Level courses available.  FAFSA eligible.

What it is:

 * PLA is accredited college credit for college level knowlege gained independently outside of the accredited academic environment that has not been specifically pre-evaluated by an acceptable credit review organization such as Ace, NCCRS, PONSI, or your own institution.
 * Examples would include: On-the-job-training/experience(OJT), courses taken from non-accredited sources whether it be a non-accredited academic instituiton, open courseware (OCW or MOOC), continuing education, or indepent study from tutors, mentors, and/or textbooks.
 * PLA can be documented through a narration summary of what you know, how you know it, and back-up evidence that it was you who gained the knowledge.
 * PLA credits are generally tied directly to a similar, by title and/or syllabi, accredited college course outcomes.
 * You demonstrate your knowlege by crafting a portfolio of documentation that is assessed by a subject matter competent reviewer that determines whether you have met the minimum proficiencey level (grade C or better knowledge) of a specific college level course.

What it is not:

 * You cannot earn PLA credit based on any length of time experience. E.g: You were secretary to a lawyer for over 5 years and experienced many legal issues.  The time is not important.  What academic legal knowledge that fulfills the outcomes of college level courses can you demonstrate by documentation?
 * Because time experience alone has no theory/principles component of learning, you generally cannot earn PLA soley for general life experience or internships or practicums. (even though these might have an equivalent college course number,credit hours, and be required at some accredited institutions for certain majors).
 * PLAs are not graded credits and won't count in your overall GPA  So if you have GPA requirements over a certain number of hours credit, PLA won't fulfill your academic requirements.
 * PLA may not help you get into graduate school, earn a teacher's licencse or qualify for another professional license except under certain circumstances. E.g: A portfolio/deparmental test/autiion (such as for studio and performing arts majors) or standardized tests (such as GRE,LSAT,Praxis etc.) are the established practice for entry into your professional school or employment.
 * PLA is probably not the simplest nor easiest way to earn credit.  You can expect to spend as much as 35 hours with 10-30 pages for your portfolio narration,  You may spend weeks gaining evidence such as letters of reccomendation, old photos, performance videos, etc

Who should consider PLA?

 * You want to complete your degree offline and there are no other options for certain required courses, or
 * Your college degree is a terminating event. I.e. you are sure that the degree you are pursuing is the last in your career plans,or
 * Earning your PLA will be faster/cheaper than other methods; e.g: credit-by-exam, online courses, etc, E.g:You have a lot credits needed and you have a lot of potential PLA credit possibitlites.
 * And you know for certain that your instituion will accept specific PLAs into your degree plan - this is the root cause of most disappointing PLA experiences.  Verify with your enrolled advisor before spending any time and/or money on what you personally believe to be acceptable prior non-accredited learning

PLA FAQs

 * Does the college level knowledge for a PLA have to be only in the past?
 * No, there is no reason you could not build your portfolio for your "prior learning" in parallel with your actual asquisition of it. In fact, this is the way to get the credits you need when there are no other options for you. Just be sure you complete the learning in the same time span as you get for taking the PLA course, which varies by institution or start the learning before registering for the PLA course. Never, never, use this method for critical degree requirements without first clearing your plan with your enrolled advisor!

Courses That Are NOT Accepted
Any course that is not from a regionally accredited school, or in the case of either ACE or NCCRS reviewed, limitations on the amount and/or type of credit accepted will probably be imposed. This includes any course that provides "Continuing Education Units" (CEUs) for completion. There are occasional exceptions, however, so it can't hurt to ask a school adviser if you have a specific courses that you feel strongly about because they will be greatly difficult or time consuming to replace. For example, credit may be granted for some certifications. Also, there limitations for the total number of credits accepted from Community Colleges; In the final analysis the acceptance for credit by a receiving accreditted instituion is completely at their policy discretion