Credit for Prior Learning

Arcadia University awards credit for prior learning in courses successfully completed at accredited two and four year institutions. Arcadia accepts up to 75 credits from regionally accredited two-year institutions and up to 90 credits from four-year institutions. Use the transfer equivalency tool to help you estimate how many of your credits will transfer.  

Do you have questions about transferring courses from another college or university? Contact transfer@arcadia.edu.

Arcadia University awards credit for prior learning in dual enrollment or concurrent enrollment courses successfully completed during high school from an at accredited two and four year institutions. 

Do you have questions about transferring courses from another college or university? Contact admiss@arcadia.edu.

Arcadia University awards credit for prior learning to students who have met certain standards on the AP Program, administered in high schools in collaboration with the College Board. Students who participated in the AP Program in their high schools will receive credit from Arcadia University according to the following table:

For more information about Advanced Placement credit, please contact admiss@arcadia.edu.

Arcadia University awards credit for prior learning to students who have earned a “pass” or better in A-Level exams, including English. Students may receive college credit based on their grades in the individual Advanced subject examinations.  For more information please see the table below:

For more information about Cambridge Curriculum credit, please contact admiss@arcadia.edu.

Arcadia University awards credit for prior learning to students who have participated in the nationally recognized College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and achieved the required standards. Credit is awarded according to the CLEP Equivalencies Chart. 

For more information about CLEP credit, please contact admiss@arcadia.edu.

Arcadia University awards credit for prior learning for students who have taken the DSST examinations according to the American Council of Education (ACE) recommendations.

For more information about DSST credit, please contact admiss@arcadia.edu.

Arcadia University awards credit for prior learning to students who have completed coursework and achieved the requisite standard in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), a two-year educational program aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world.   

Successful certificate candidates and course candidates will be evaluated based on their entire academic records, with preference given to students who have successfully completed three or more higher-level courses with scores of 4 or greater. Please refer to the following table for more information.

For more information about IBDP credit, please contact admiss@arcadia.edu. 

Arcadia University awards credit for prior learning to students who have active first responder credentials or licensure, such as Pennsylvania Firefighter I, Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission Certification (MPOETC) or other police  and firefighter academy credentials.

Do you have questions about credentials from a police or fire academy? Contact Devon Miller at millerd@arcadia.edu.

Arcadia University awards credits for prior learning for successfully completed EMT programs. Students who have completed an EMT program are eligible for up to 9 credits. Those who have completed intermediate and paramedic training may be eligible for more.

Do you have questions about EMT credits? Contact Devon Miller at millerd@arcadia.edu.

Arcadia University awards credit for prior learning for successfully completed training courses from governance agencies, such as the Border Patrol Academy and FEMA. Accepts credits earned from accredited training government academies.

Do you have questions about whether your credits are from an accredited academy? Contact Devon Miller at millerd@arcadia.edu.

Arcadia University awards credit for prior learning credits licenses, certifications, and training that have been evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE) or by the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS).  

Decisions about the appropriate equivalency are at the discretion of faculty in the relevant academic department. Learn more by visiting the ACE National Guide for Learners Seeking Credit or the NCCRS Students information site.

Do you have questions about corporate training academies? Contact Devon Miller at millerd@arcadia.edu.

Arcadia accepts credits earned from other job-related training programs that have been evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE) or by the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS).

Do you have questions about other job-related trainings? Contact Devon Miller at millerd@arcadia.edu.

Arcadia University offers credit for prior learning to members of the Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy: Active Duty, Reserve and Veterans using credit recommendations from ACE Military Guide, Joint Services Transcript (JST) and nationally recognized DSST Credit by Exam programs (DSST) and the Defense Language Proficiency Tests (DLPT).

Do you have questions about your military training and experience? Contact Devon Miller at millerd@arcadia.edu.

Arcadia University awards credit for prior learning for IT, cybersecurity, and business and management certifications for college credit, as evaluated by the American Council on Education.

Do you have questions about your professional certifications? Contact Devon Miller at millerd@arcadia.edu.