CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING

Did you know? Any credits you have already earned at an accredited college never expire, so be sure to send any previous transcripts to SOU Admissions to have them counted.

Here are some other opportunities for earning credit for your life learning:

Take an Exam

• College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Exam – This is a nationally recognized series of examinations which allow the student to demonstrate knowledge acquired in a non-college setting.
• SOU accepts many of the CLEP exams. See this list of exams accepted by SOU.
• A CLEP exam costs an average of $90 and earns 4 credits.

Create a Portfolio

Document your prior learning through personal study, work, professional licensure, certification or volunteer experience through a Portfolio of your work.

At Southern Oregon University, you can produce a portfolio of your work documenting that you have met the course outcomes for courses such as:

• Business Communications
• Event Management
• Interviewing and Listening
• Digital Video Production
• Environmental Science Applied Projects
• Innovation and Leadership Applied Projects

Learn about the portfolio requirements for specific courses.

Applying for prior learning credit via portfolio costs $150. This fee covers enrollment in a self-paced tutorial designed to help you produce a successful portfolio and the actual review of your completed portfolio. If your portfolio is accepted for credit, you will pay $25 per credit for each credit earned. You should apply for CPL credit within the first two weeks of an academic term. You will be expected to complete and submit your portfolio prior to the end of the academic term in which you register for CPL.

To sign up to apply for CPL with a portfolio:

1. Carefully review the requirements detailed in the CPL course description.
2. Once you have decided which Portfolio assessment tied to a course you want to pursue, email Moneeka Settles at settlesm@sou.edu to request access to the CPL course. When she has communicated with you,
3. Go to the SOU Class Schedule, select the correct academic term, then Select Subject, scroll for Credit for Prior Learning, and click on Search to find that term’s CRN for the course.
4. Make a note of the 4-digit Course Reference Number (CRN) for CPL 199.
5. Register for the course.
6. Within 24 hours you should see a Credit for Prior Learning course in your Moodle dashboard. Log into the course and follow the instructions to get started on your CPL submission. You will use the Moodle course as support and the Portfolio assessment criteria as instructions.

Submit Pre-approved Professional Certifications or Licenses

If you have completed an SOU approved industry recognized professional certification or license, you can submit it as your portfolio of learning to earn the credits associated with a specific course. Credits may range from 2 to 18.

Some examples are:

• The American Society for Quality (ASQ) Green Belt certification or American Society for Quality (ASQ) Black Belt certification.can be submitted to earn 4 credits in BA 484 Process Improvement.
• The DPSST (Department of Public Safety standards and Training) certification completed within the last 20 years and documented employment by a law enforcement organization for at least one year earns 18 credits in CCJ 230 and CCJ 409L.
• The Wilderness First Responder and CPR certification earns 3 credits in OAL 252.

The cost for this type of prior learning credit is $25 per credit.

List of Accepted Certifications and Professional Licenses

Submit a Joint Services (Military) Transcript

• SOU accepts transcripts created by the American Council on Education (ACE) for prior learning obtained military service.
• Submit your JST transcripts when applying to SOU to have your military coursework applied.

There is no additional cost to this process.

Place into Advanced Spanish course and earn back the previous credits.

• If you test into a Spanish course beyond 101 and earn a B- or better in the course, you can apply to have credits recorded for the courses leading up to that course. For example, if you place into and pass Spanish 202 with a B- or better, you can pay to have the 16 credits from Spanish 101, 102, 103, and 201 recorded in your transcript for $25 per credit. You must apply for these credits at the language department office within one term of finishing the language course. Learn more about the language credit and buy back program.

Special Considerations and How to Learn More

Fees associated with Credit for Prior Learning are not eligible for financial aid.

• The prior learning credits described above will contribute to earning your degree at SOU but may not be accepted for transfer credit at another college or university.
• You can earn up to 45 credits through CPL towards your total of 180 credits required to graduate.
• If you are interested in using your life, work and military experience for credit but are not yet an admitted SOU student, contact SOU Admissions to discuss how your credit for prior learning supports your degree completion.
• If you are a currently admitted SOU student and would like more information about these options, complete this form or contact Moneeka Settles for more information at settlesm@sou.edu
• See SOU Academic Policy for Credit for Prior Learning.