phd credit for experience

10 Online Colleges That Give Work & Life Experience Credit

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Quick Look:

• Many colleges allow students to earn credits for prior professional, military, or life experiences through programs like the American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE).
• Students can demonstrate their knowledge through standardized tests such as CLEP, DSST, or challenge exams, often reducing the time and cost needed to complete a degree.
• Schools also offer the option of submitting a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Portfolio, which documents training, certifications, and experiences to potentially earn credit.

You know that you have a lot to gain and to learn when you decide to pursue a college degree, that’s why you’ve decided to take this incredible step into your future. But, what about everything you already know in your chosen field? This is where work and life experience credits come in!

Originally published: September 2018 Last Updated: February 2024

Dozens of colleges and universities across America have the answer. Many institutions of higher learning have committed to giving credit where credit is due.

They will allow you to receive literal credits for your relevant experience whether that is from professional experience, life experience, prior training or credentials related to your field, or training you received in the military.

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When did the idea of work and life experience credits begin?

Since 1974, the American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE) has existed to help students earn credits for formal training that happened outside of a traditional degree program.

They have partnered with a broad range of organizations and reviewed over 30,000 different programs in order to provide colleges and universities with course equivalency information. They evaluate standardized tests, work training programs, and more.

Colleges and universities across the country trust the council to determine if credits should be bestowed upon students. There are plenty of helpful resources and more information about the service on the ACE website.

How can I prove my work and life experience?

There are a variety of ways that you can earn credit for what you already know by demonstrating competency in specific areas. So, if you have all of the knowledge and skills that a course seeks to teach you, you may be able to receive credit by showing your proficiency instead of completing the course.

One way that schools do this is by offering different standardized tests. These tests usually have an associated fee, but some students may be able to get those fees waived based on financial need. These exams include:

• Challenge Exams: You would take the equivalent of an end-of-course exam and receive credit if you pass. You will have to contact individual schools to determine if this is an option for you.
• CLEPs: The College-Level Examination Program allows students to take a set of exams in specific content areas to test out of some classes. You can search the CLEP website to see if your school accepts these exams.
• DSSTs: DANTES Subject Standardized Tests are the option for students who have learned outside of an academic setting to prove that they are proficient in a particular subject. There are more than 30 of these exams currently available, which are all recommended by ACE. Close to 2,000 schools accept these credits.

After testing, are there other ways to demonstrate my work and life experience in my field of study?

Apart from sitting for an exam, you can potentially earn college credit for professional licenses or certificates, workforce training, and military training. This is done through the creation of a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Portfolio.

This portfolio should contain information regarding all of your workplace or military training, any licensure, certifications, or diplomas you may have received, and any civic activities, volunteer service, or similar ventures.

You should include supporting documents, any competency-based exam results, as well as plenty of writing that details what you know, how you learned it, and how you can demonstrate that knowledge.

Earning credit for your life or work experience doesn’t have to be difficult. The resources published by the ACE and the academic advisors at the schools you’re considering can show you how to get college credit for work experience. Additionally, many schools have a PLA Portfolio course that you are required to take, which will walk you through this process in great detail.

The benefits of going through this seemingly daunting process should not be overlooked. First of all, you deserve to have your skills recognized. Schools that offer credit for life experience can be a great choice for senior citizens who want to earn an affordable degree .

These programs can also help you earn a degree quickly. While there are a variety of fees that you may encounter by submitting a PLA or taking the aforementioned exams, they are saving you money in the long run. The average cost per credit hour in the United States is just a few dollars short of $600. Every course that you get credit for this way is a significant savings.

If this is something that you’re interested in doing, the ten schools on this list are a great place to start. Each of these schools awards credit for work and life experience. All were ranked according to the following.

Methodology

This article explores the top ten online colleges that give credit for work or life experience. In order to create this ranking, we began by curating a list of schools that met the following criteria:

• features at least one distance education degree program;
• allows students to earn credit for their past experience;
• is based in the United States;
• is properly accredited;
• is not a for-profit institution.

Once we had a complete list, we used our standard ranking factors of the Freshman Retention and Graduation Rate. These two percentages were added together to obtain a final score (out of a possible 200) for each school.

The schools that received the highest score are presented here, with the highest-scoring school coming in first place. In the event that any two institutions receive the same final score, they are presented in alphabetical order.

The data presented to you in this ranking came directly from the schools’ websites whenever it was available. Additional information was gathered from U.S. News & World Report and the National Center for Education Statistics.

As a disclaimer, OnlineCollegePlan doesn’t grant any institutions more favorable treatment. All of the schools are held to the same rigorous standards, and we openly provide our methodology so that you can understand how we came to these conclusions. Due to incomplete information, there may be a number of schools that are not represented here that otherwise may have ranked.

If none of the schools in this ranking seem like a good fit for you, you may want to check out our article featuring the Top 100 Best Online Colleges .

Tuition Disclaimer: All stated tuition values are based on a student’s in-state residency only and are subject to change.

Linfield is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and currently only offers bachelor’s degrees. Linfield offers a total of 72 different majors and minors to a student body of less than 2,000.

The college offers students credit for life experience through examinations with either CLEP or course finals. ACE-approved work-related credits are also accepted, and the college also provides portfolio examinations for those whose experience cannot be categorized.

Linfield College accepts up to 30 credits for past experience, listing standard sources as well as travel, personal interest, family, and life experience. This is a very welcoming policy, which is part of what makes this college the best online option for students seeking credit for experience.

Coupled with the exceptional educational quality that comes from a highly personalized environment, this is an impressive school. Majors offered online include:

• Business Information Systems
• Computer Information Systems
• Global Studies
• International Business
• Project Management

There are six minors and 18 certificates to customize your learning further. Linfield offers interesting certificates, such as Wine Management, and a Yoga Instructor program.

Online programs at Colorado State University are reasonably popular given the size of the university’s student body. More than a tenth of those students are studying entirely online through the Colorado State University Global campus which offers a variety of undergraduate degree completion programs, graduate degrees, certificates, and other continuing education opportunities.

The university accepts up to 90 transfer credits for some of its programs which is an excellent option for those of you who have completed some of your degree already.

In addition to that, the university also accepts credit from Advanced Placement testing at the high school level, college courses you completed during dual enrollment in high school, International Baccalaureate credits, CLEP testing, and more.

There are 20 online programs offered at DeSales University, including a selection of accelerated bachelor’s degrees and professional certificates. Online classes at DeSales are presented asynchronously, and the courses are condensed into six- and eight-week sessions depending on which class it is. There are 11 start dates throughout the year.

These programs are provided through what the university calls the ACCESS program which has garnered recognition several times throughout the past 40 years since it was established. You have the option to take classes in this accelerated format, or you can also take them on a more traditional schedule.

If something happens and you need to take time off to take care of other obligations, you can pick right back up where you left off. 75 transfer credits are accepted, and you can earn credit for your experience in several ways. DSSTs, CLEPs, and more are all accepted. You also have ample access to financial aid and academic support services while enrolled.

Wisconsin Lutheran College offers one online degree program that leads to a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. As the college continues to grow, its offerings to distance-learning students will grow with it.

This degree program is provided in an accelerated format, allowing it to be completed in as little as 20 months of full-time study. There is a generous transfer policy that you could benefit from if you have any prior college experience.

If not, Wisconsin Lutheran College does accept up to 45 credits from other sources such as previous life and work experience. You can apply any CLEP test results to your degree, and you can also submit a portfolio.

Demonstrating competency in specific areas through a variety of ways will allow you to earn credit, as will any other learning experience you received in a professional setting.

Westfield State University is made up of the following:

• College of Education, Health, and Human Services
• College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
• College of Graduate and Continuing Education
• College of Mathematics and Sciences

There are six online degrees offered at the bachelor’s level:

• Business Management
• Criminal Justice
• Liberal Studies

The university has been recognized for the quality of its online programs in the past. Classes are offered all year, which may help you to complete your degree faster. Westfield accepts credit through the presentation of a Prior-Learning Portfolio.

You have the opportunity to earn credit for CLEP testing, internships, and can also demonstrate your proficiency in other ways.

Central Michigan University offers 53 total online degree programs. In addition to that, you can also explore your options with more than 20 certificate programs, professional development courses, and personal enrichment courses.

There are options for accelerated format programs that allow you to complete part of your master’s degree courses while you’re working on your bachelor’s degree. The majority of classes are asynchronous, and there are very few on-campus requirements across its entire repertoire.

Students of the CMU Global Campus can earn credit for prior learning. Prior Learning credit is awarded for work, training, and life experience at CMU. What sets the university apart is that it relies on competencies.

So, even if your knowledge doesn’t pertain to a specific course offered, you can still potentially have your knowledge recognized as a credit. In order to receive this credit, students would submit a PLA portfolio for review.

Online programs are offered at Walsh University; however, they are not very popular among the current student body. There are more than ten majors that can be completed in online and accelerated formats. Courses last just five- or eight-weeks and they are self-paced. Some programs can be finished in just over a year of full-time study.

The undergraduate programs accept up to 92 transfer credits, including those from prior learning. Majors include business, communication, a BSN, and more. If none of the offered majors suit your needs, you can also create your own major; Walsh University is one of the very few schools with this option for online students.

There are also four different graduate degrees you can earn online, with a further ten areas of interest to choose from. Walsh University welcomes credits from CLEP testing, work training or experience, and even life experience when students can adequately demonstrate their competency in their portfolios.

Albertus Magnus College has some of the most flexible online programs for students. There are online programs that are taken entirely via the web, and there are what AMC calls Flex programs. The Flex programs allow those students who are close enough to the school to take classes at the brick-and-mortar campus if they are interested in doing so.

There are accelerated degree programs that feature eight-week courses. The setup of these programs allows you to earn as much as 30 credits in just one year, and you can do that online or on-campus. The college is more than committed to enabling you to enroll in a program that is convenient, efficient, and meets all of your needs.

Prior learning credits can be earned from CLEP, DANTES exams, challenge exams, and by submitting a portfolio. Students are eligible for financial aid whether they are full- or part-time, and the college provides access to internships, experiential learning, career services, and more.

The University of Memphis has operated a Division of Professional and Continuing Education since the 1970s. Over time, in order to expand options for nontraditional students, the University of Memphis Global was created. This division offers more than 60 online programs that are fully online, don’t require any visits to campus, and feature predominantly asynchronous courses.

These programs are very flexible, making them an excellent opportunity to attend a highly respected university and receive a quality education that meets all of your needs. U of M offers prior learning credit through a PLA Portfolio because as it boasts, it understands that learning can happen anywhere.

Almost every course in the undergraduate curriculum allows for challenging exams. You can also earn CLEP, DSST, AP, and IB credit. Professional training and licensing are also considered.

There are more than 40 online degree programs to choose from through Eastern Kentucky University’s EKU Online division. Some of the fields offered include business, criminal justice, education, nursing, psychology, social work, and more.

There are six start dates throughout the year, and all of the courses are taught by the same faculty as their on-campus counterparts. EKU Online takes great care to make sure that its programs fit into the lives of busy students no matter what they have going on, so many of the courses are asynchronous. In addition, there are generous financial aid opportunities available.

Credit for life and work experience is formally recognized by the university as long as students are actively enrolled and seeking a degree. EKU currently accepts military training and CLEP examination credits as long as there is an equivalent course offered at the university.

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Get Degree Credit for Work and Life Experience Test out or earn credit for prior learning.

Take credit for what you know.

You've learned a lot outside of the classroom. And some of that knowledge may be worth savings – both in time and money – toward your degree.

Through a process known as credit for prior learning (CPL), you could get credit for what you've learned outside of college – through work, industry and IT certifications, and training, for example.

Commonly Transferred Experiences

• College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

• Sophia Learning
• StraighterLine

Certifications

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Southern New Hampshire University accepts 600+ of these experiences as credit toward your degree. Even better: SNHU actually accepts up to 90 transfer credits  toward your bachelor's – that's 75% of your program  – so you can combine your CPL with other credits you've earned, like those from another college or through the military.

(By the way, SNHU is known for being one of the most transfer-friendly universities.)

Find out if what you know could help you finish your degree faster.

Talk with your admission counselor ( 888.327.SNHU ) to learn more or discuss experiences you may not see listed. If you're a current student, check with your academic advisor before completing an experience to find out if it can count toward your degree. 

Have military credits?

SNHU accepts those, too! Transfer your military experience .

Getting credit for work and life experience doesn’t just save you time toward your degree, it saves dollars in your pocket – a lot of them.

What SNHU Students are Saying

Jayson Camp '22

“I was really pleasantly surprised by the number of credits that transferred from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission Basic Law Enforcement Academy.”

Frequently Asked Questions

University Accreditation

Southern New Hampshire University is a private, nonprofit institution accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)  as well as several other accrediting bodies.