Credit for Prior Learning Procedures

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Credit by Examination/Standardized Exams

Please refer to A.02.01 Credit by Examination Policy.

Evaluation of Non-College Education and Training

ACE Military Credit

UST utilizes the American Council on Education’s (ACE) Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces which recommends college credit for formal courses offered by all branches of the military and for military occupations. These recommendations appear on the service member’s Joint Services Transcript (JST) for the Army/National Guard, Navy/Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Air Force.

The student should submit official records to the Office of the Registrar at the following address:

Office of the Registrar
University of St. Thomas
3800 Montrose Houston, TX 77006

The transcript will be reviewed by the academic departments, the Office of the Registrar, and the Office of Veterans Services for granting of course credit.

National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS)

NCCRS evaluates training and education programs offered outside the traditional college classroom setting and translates them into college credit equivalencies.

The student should check the CCRS Online Directory to determine if the organization that sponsored the course or program had the course evaluated for college credit recommendations through NCCRS.

The student should contact the organization that sponsored the course (or exam) and request that an official transcript be sent to the Office of the Registrar at the following address: 

Office of the Registrar
University of St. Thomas
3800 Montrose Houston, TX 77006

The transcript will be reviewed by the academic departments and the Office of Academic Affairs for granting of course credit.

Discipline-Specific Challenge Exams

  • Each department will annually determine courses for which they will offer challenge exams and inform the Office of Academic Affairs. The challenge exams and accompanying rubrics will be developed by the department's faculty. The complete list of challenge exams will be available to students through the Office of the Registrar.
  • A student who wants to take a challenge exam to earn credit for a course will request a meeting with the chair of the respective department. The chair will meet with the candidate to discuss eligibility and the nature of the exam and establish a time to administer it.
  • The student will submit a $90 non–refundable fee to the Business Office before the exam date.
  • Each exam is administered only once.
  • The exam is administered through the Testing Center.
  • The completed exam will be given to the department chair for evaluation. The department chair may assign the exam to a faculty member in the department for evaluation.
  • If the student earns a “C” or better on the exam, the department chair will submit the information to the Office of the Registrar using the Examination/Experience Credit form within fifteen days of the exam. The student will receive credit for prior learning, but not a grade. If the student does not pass the exam, no entry will be made in the student’s academic record.
  • The Office of the Registrar will notify the student of credit earned through successfully completing the challenge exam.

Discipline-Specific Portfolio Assessment

  • Each department will annually determine courses for which they will accept portfolios for assessment and inform the Office of Academic Affairs.
  • The Office of the Registrar provides students with information on credit by portfolio assessment, including listings of courses approved by academic departments to receive petitions for awarding credit by portfolio assessment.
  • An enrolled student assesses whether the option for obtaining credit by portfolio assessment is appropriate to pursue in consultation with an academic advisor.
  • A student who wants to submit a portfolio to earn credit for a course will request a meeting with the chair of the respective department. The department chair will meet with the candidate to discuss eligibility and the processes for portfolio construction and assessment.
  • The student will submit a $450 non–refundable fee to the Business Office and start the process of portfolio construction.
  • The completed portfolio will be submitted to the department chair for evaluation.
  • The department chair may assign the portfolio to a faculty member in the department for evaluation. The department chair may also submit a request to the dean for an external assessor. The Office of Academic Affairs will assist the dean in identifying an external assessor through professional networks (for example, the CAEL network).
  • Faculty in the department and/or an external assessor will assess the portfolio and determine whether credit is to be awarded. Academic standards in assessing the amount and quality of learning demonstrated by a portfolio are to be equivalent to the learning expected in the course when credit is acquired via instruction.
  • If the faculty/assessor determines that the student’s portfolio meets the required standards, the department chair will submit the information to the Office of the Registrar within thirty days of receipt of the portfolio using the Examination/Experience Credit form.
  • The Office of the Registrar will notify the student of credit earned through portfolio assessment.

NB: Information in this Procedures document can be adjusted by the Office of Academic Affairs without necessitating a review and formal amendment of the policy statement.