Although the alternative ways to earn credit do not apply to all bachelor-level programs, some bachelor-level programs permit the earning of credit via experiential learning, industry certification, and/or internship. These alternative ways to earn credit require department approval.
Credit through Licensure or Certification
This may not apply to all bachelor-level programs.
College credits may be awarded to eligible students toward a Bachelor degree program based on industry certification or licensure.
For information and requirements, visit https://valenciacollege.edu/academics/programs/as-degree/credit-industry-certification-agreements.php to view the Alternative Award of Credit Agreements. Eligible students must complete the Award of Credit Request Form and furnish a copy of the appropriate license or certification required. To have the credit awarded, students should must submit a copy of the required documentation to the appropriate Student Success Coach for verification and Academic Dean approval.
Advanced Placement
It is possible for you to earn college credits prior to enrollment at Valencia College under a Florida statewide Advanced Placement Program agreement. In order to receive college credit, you must have sent directly to Valencia an official Advanced Placement score report that shows you earned the minimum required score between 3 and 5 on the AP examination administered by the College Board. No letter grades or quality points will be assigned. Advanced Placement credit granted by Valencia is transferable among Florida institutions of higher education participating in the statewide Advanced Placement agreement.
College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
As a Valencia student, you may gain credit in certain specified courses through examinations of the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) from the College Board. The CLEP Examinations are administered via computer Monday through Friday on Valencia's East, Osceola and West campuses. You must be a current or former Valencia student to test at Valencia; you may take a maximum of two exams on the same test date.
Fee schedules and information on specific courses for which CLEP credit may be granted, as well as registration forms, are available online through your Atlas account and in the campus Assessment Offices and online at valenciacollege.edu/assessments. If, at the time of testing, you request that your scores be sent to Valencia and you earn passing CLEP scores, the credits will be recorded as part of your official Valencia record approximately four weeks after the test date. In order to receive college credit, you must have sent directly to Valencia an official CLEP score report that shows you earned the minimum required score on the CLEP examination from the College Board.
You may use CLEP credit under the repeat course policy for D or F grades only. Within the guidelines of the repeat policy, all attempts for a course will be counted in your GPA until you earn a grade of C or better when only the last attempt will be counted. If you earn an acceptable CLEP score in a course in which you have earned a D or F, the CLEP credit will be recorded and the D or F will no longer be computed in your GPA. No letter grades or quality points will be assigned.
Gordon Rule writing requirements can be partially satisfied via CLEP. For further information about CLEP, visit the Assessment Web site at valenciacollege.edu/assessments/clep.
Experiential Learning
This does not apply to all bachelor-level programs.
As a Valencia student, you may be awarded appropriate credit for your demonstrated knowledge gained from experiential learning. This learning may result from an industry certification, in service training or employment experiences.
To request course credit based on experiential learning, you are required to provide documentation of the learning experience (certificates, employment records) and demonstrate acquired knowledge, skills, and competencies linked to the learning outcomes for the course(s) for which you are seeking credit. Credit for experiential learning is awarded based on portfolio assessment.
You may obtain an Experiential Learning Packet including the Request for Portfolio Assessment in Atlas under Student Forms. The Experiential Learning fee is reflected with the fees in the Financial Information and Fees section of this catalog and is assessed per credit requested. To apply for Experiential Learning credit, you must complete the Experiential Learning packet form and submit it along with the fees to the Business Office prior to submission of the portfolio. Once the application process has been completed, you may submit your portfolio to the appropriate Academic Dean's office. The Dean will assign the assessment to a faculty member qualified in the academic field who will provide a written evaluation of the assessment and determine if credit is to be awarded and, if so, the amount of credit.
