Prior Learning Assessment

You may earn college credit through certain standardized testing. Upon receiving a satisfactory score, you may earn college credit. For more assistance on what types of exams Arapahoe Community College accepts, please contact the ACC Graduation and Prior Learning Assessment Coordinator at 303.797.5630.

To schedule a CLEP, DSST, or UExcel exam and/or for fee information, please contact the ACC Testing Center at 303.797.5993.

If you have taken one of the standardized exams listed below at another location, order an official transcript/score report and have it sent to ACC for evaluation: Arapahoe Community College, Attention Records and Enrollment Services, Campus Box 14, 5900 S. Santa Fe Drive, P.O. Box 9002, Littleton, CO 80160.

View a list of accepted scores for:

• CLEP Exams 
• DSST Exams
• UExcel Excelsior College Exams
• AP (Advanced Placement) Exams

If you have stopped out of college, the Alternative Credit Project (ACP) provides a pool of online courses that Arapahoe Community College (ACC) will accept towards your degree (with some restrictions). ACC may accept these ACP courses as transfer credits if they are required in your ACC degree or certificate. 

“Institutional Challenge Exams are faculty-developed tests. They assess your mastery of the competencies for the ACC course being taught. To register for a challenge exam, please complete the Credit for Prior Learning Challenge Exam Form.

We currently offer challenge exams for:

• Accounting
  • ACC 1011 and ACC 2035
• Automotive Technology
  • ASE 1001, 1003, 1010, 1011, 1020, 1023, 1034, 1040, 1041, 1050, 1060, 1070, 2020, 2050, 2064 
• Biology
  • BIO 2101, 2102, and 2104
• Chemistry
  • CHE 1111 (111)
• Computer Aided-Drafting
  • CAD 1110 (115)
  • EGT 2305 (205)
• Computer Information Systems
  • CIS 1018 -  Introduction to PC Applications
  • CIS 2020 - Fundamentals of Unix 
• Computer Science
  • CSC 1019 - Introduction to Programming
• Early Childhood Education
  • ECE 1111 (111)
• Electronics
  • ELT 1206 and ELT 2254
• Health Information Technology 
  • HIT 1001 (101), 2020/2021 (220/221), 2031 (231)
  • HPR 1040 (178)
• Mathematics
  • MAT 1120 (103), 1150 (108), 1240 (120), 1340 (121), 1420 (122), 1400 (125), 1260 (135), 1220 (155), 1230 (156), 1440 (166), 2410 (201), 2420 (202), 2430 (203), 2431 (204), 2540 (255), 2561 (261), 2560 (265)
• Multimedia, Graphic Design
  • MGD 1011 (111), 1012 (112), 1013 (114)

Institutional Challenge Exams are the way ACC abides by Colorado Revised Statutes 23-1-125, which requires public institutions of higher education to offer students an option for testing out of core courses.

Military training may be recognized for college credit. The American Council on Education's (ACE) Military Guide provides college credit recommendations for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Credit for learning gained in the U.S. military (if applicable to a student’s declared degree or certificate at ACC) is generally transferred based upon ACE credit recommendations found on a Joint Service Transcript (JST) for current or former military personnel. Air Force personnel will have their credit documented on a Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) transcript.

To be evaluated for possible credit, you should order your official transcript from the provider (JST, CCAF) or third-party organization (ACE, etc.) and have it sent directly from the issuing organization to ACC for evaluation: Arapahoe Community College, Attention: Records, Campus Box 14, 5900 S. Santa Fe Drive, P.O. Box 9002, Littleton, CO 80160.

Knowledge and skills acquired through work and lifelong learning may be evaluated and validated through a formal portfolio assessment process. For more information about the portfolio assessment process, please contact the ACC Graduation and Prior Learning Assessment Coordinator at 303.797.5630.

We currently offer portfolio assessments for:

• Art
  • ART 1201 and 1301
• Communication
  • COM 1150
• Computer Information Systems
  • CIS 2087
• English
  • ENG 1031
• Health Professions
  • HPR 1008
• Photography
  • PHO 1021
  • PHO 1061
• Management
  • MAN 1028
• Marketing
  • MAR 1060
• Medical Assisting Professional
  • MAP 1010
• Music
  • MUS 1031

ACC considers credit recommendations for industry training programs and credentials from local and nationally recognized entities, including National Guide to College Credit for Workplace Training, and the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS).

ACC may evaluate non-collegiate instructional programs that result in industry certification, professional licensure, apprenticeship completion, and other workplace skills development. Faculty subject-matter experts will evaluate the prior learning and identify if the learning warrants the awarding of credit.

At ACC, our most recognized industry certifications for credit are:

For more information about the evaluation of this type of non-collegiate instruction please contact the ACC Graduation and Prior Learning Assessment Coordinator.

The Early Childhood Education CPL is a structured process through which students can bridge their professional experience with college-level competencies by showcasing their acquired knowledge, comprehension, and practical abilities. Utilizing an exam and portfolio, students have the opportunity to earn college credit in any of the following courses: ECE 1011, ECE 1031, ECE 1111, and ECE 2641. Complete the Early Childhood Education Credit for Prior Learning Form to get started. Check out the ECE web page for information on ACC's Early Childhood Education programs.

• Credit for Prior Learning Challenge Exam Form

• Credit for Prior Learning Form - Certification / Licensure

Costs

Challenge Exam:

Portfolio:

Cert / Licensure: