Arcadia University awards limited credit for prior learning experiences and employment through programs such as The College Level Examination Program (CLEP), DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST), Advanced Placement Exams (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and military experience (JST) .
To earn Credit for Prior Learning at Arcadia, the transferred credit must:
- Be offered in a curriculum at Arcadia University
- Support the student’s progress toward an Arcadia University degree
- Not be duplicated for credits awarded elsewhere
All transcripts/records of prior learning should be sent to the Office of Enrollment Management for review.
Advanced Placement (AP)
Students who participated in the Advanced Placement Program (AP) in their high schools will receive credit from Arcadia University according to the following chart:
| Exam | Score | Course (Credit) | Score | Course (Credit) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African American Studies | 3, 4, 5 | HS185 (4) | HS185 is an elective. | ||
| Art Hist | 3 | AH 111 (3) | 4, 5 | AH 111+AH 112 (3+3) | |
| Biology | 3 | BI 185 (4) | 4, 5 | BI 101+BI 186 (4+4) | BI 185 and 186 are electives |
| Calc AB | 3 | MA 207 (3) | 4, 5 | MA 201 (4) | |
| Calc BC | 3 | MA207+MA208 (3+3) | 4, 5 | MA 201+MA 202 (4+4) | |
| Chemistry | 3 | CH 185 (4) | 4, 5 | CH 101 AND CH 185 (4+4) | Placement Exam Required.CH185 is an elective. |
| Chinese | 3 | CHI101 (4) | 4, 5 | CHI101+CHI102 (4+4) | Placement Exam Required |
| Comp Sci A | 3 | CS201 (4) | 4, 5 | CS201+CS202 (4+4) | |
| Comp Sci Principles | 3, 4, 5 | CS185 (3) | |||
| Econ-Mac | 3, 4, 5 | EC210 (4) | |||
| Econ-Mic | 3, 4, 5 | EC211 (4) | |||
| Eng Lang/Comp | 3,4 | EN185 (4) 1st selection | 5 | EN185+EN186 (4+4) | Max 8 credits in EN. Students receiving credit for AP English will be awarded English credit, not composition credit. EN185/186 is an elective. |
| Eng Lit/Comp | 3, 4 | EN185 (4) | 5 | EN185+EN186 (4+4) | Max 8 credits in EN. EN185/186 is an elective. Students receiving credit for AP English will be awarded English credit, not composition credit. EN185/186 is an elective. |
| Env Science | 3 | ID101 (4) | 4, 5 | ID101+ID102 (4+4) | |
| Euro Hist | 3, 4, 5 | HS103 (4) | |||
| French Lang | 3 | FR102 (4) | 4, 5 | FR101, FR102 (4+4) | Placement Exam Required |
| French Lit | 3 | 4, 5 | FR185+FR186 (4+4) | FR185 and 186 are electives. | |
| Germ Lang | 3 | GM102 (4) | 4, 5 | GM101+GM102 (4+4) | Placement Exam Required |
| Gov & Pol/Comp | 3, 4, 5 | PS150 (4) | |||
| Gov & Pol/US | 3, 4, 5 | PS101 (4) | |||
| Human Geog | 3 | EL185 (4) | 4, 5 | EL185+EL186 (4+4) | EL185 and 186 are electives. |
| Intl Eng Lang | 3 | EL185 (4) | 4, 5 | EL185+EL186 (4+4) | EL185 and 186 are electives. |
| Italian | 3 | IT102 (4) | 4, 5 | IT101+IT102 (4+4 | Placement Exam Required |
| Japanese | 3 | JA102 (4) | 4, 5 | JA101+JA102 (4+4) | Placement Exam Required |
| Latin | 3 | EL185 (4) | 4, 5 | EL185+EL186 (4+4) | EL185 and 186 are electives. |
| Music Theory | 3 | MU101 (4) | 4, 5 | MU101+MU102 (4+4) | |
| Philosophy | 3, 4, 5 | PL150 (4) | |||
| Physics 1 | 3, 4, 5 | PH201 (4) | |||
| Physics 2 | 3, 4, 5 | PH202 (4) | |||
| Physics B | 3 | PH201 (4) | 4, 5 | PH201+PH202 (4+4) | |
| Physics C – E&M | 3 | PH212 (4) | 4, 5 | PH212+PH285 (4+4) | PH285 is an elective. |
| Physics C – Mech | 3 | PH211 (4) | 4, 5 | PH211+PH285 (4+4) | PH285 is an elective. |
| Psychology | 3, 4, 5 | PY111 (4) | |||
| Research | 3, 4, 5 | EL185 (3) | |||
| Seminar | 3, 4, 5 | EL185 (3) | |||
| Spanish Lang | 3 | SP102 (4) | 4, 5 | SP101-SP102 (4+4) | Placement Exam Required |
| Spanish Lit | 3 | SP185 (4) | 4, 5 | SP185+SP186,(4+4) | Placement Exam Required. SP185 and 186 are electives. |
| Statistics | 3, 4, 5 | MA141 (4) | |||
| Studio Art Draw | 3 | FA185 (3) | 4, 5 | FA185+FA186 (3+4) | FA185 and 186 are electives. |
| Studio 2D | 3 | FA185 (3) | 4, 5 | FA185+FA186 (3+4) | FA185 and 186 are electives. |
| Studio 3D | 3 | FA185 (3) | 4, 5 | FA185+FA186 (3+4) | FA185 and 186 are electives. |
| US History | 3, 4, 5 | HS185 (4) | HS185 is an elective. | ||
| World History (Europe) | 3, 4, 5 | HS103 (4) | |||
| World History | 3, 4, 5 | HS185 (4) | HS185 is an elective. |
Cambridge Curriculum
Students taking the Cambridge curriculum should achieve ‘pass’ or better in A-Level exams, including English. Students may receive college credit based on their grades in the individual Advanced subject examinations.
| Cambridge A (Advanced) | Score | Arcadia Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry A | A – B | CH111 |
| Computer Science A | A – B | CS 185 (4) |
| Economics | A – B | EC 185 (4) |
| Further Mathematics A | A – B | MA 201 and MA 202 |
| Further Mathematics A | C | MA 201 and MA 208 |
| Mathematics A | A – B | MA 201 and MA 202 |
| Mathematics A | C | MA 201 and MA 208 |
| Mathematics A w/ papers 6&7 | A – B | MA 201, MA 202, MA 141 |
| Mathematics AS | No credit | No credit |
| Physics A | A – B | PH 211 |
| Thinking Skills A | A – B | EL 185 (4) |
College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
Arcadia acknowledges students’ prior learning and participation in the CLEP examinations, and awards credit according to the CLEP Equivalencies Chart.
DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)
Arcadia University awards credit for DSST examinations completed according to the American Council of Education (ACE) recommendations.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
Arcadia University recognizes the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) standard-level and higher-level examinations of the IBDP when reviewing students for admission, awarding credit, course exemptions, and placement. In addition to students completing the IBDP, students who are course candidates or who are completing individual certificates in the IBDP are strongly encouraged to apply for admission. 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.
| IB Course | Level | Score | Arcadia Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | Higher | 5 | BI 185 |
| Biology | Higher | 6+ | BI 185 and BI 186 |
| Biology | Standard | 6+ | BI 185 |
| Chemistry | Higher | 4+ | CH 101 and CH 102 |
| Chemistry | Standard | 6+ | CH 101 |
| Economics | Higher | Any | No Credit |
| English A | Higher | 4+ | EN 185 |
| English A | Standard | 6+ | EN 185 |
| Film | Higher | 4 | CM 150 |
| Film | Higher | 5+ | CM 150 and CM 185 |
| Film | Standard | 6+ | CM 150 |
| French B | Higher | 4 | No Credit |
| French B | Higher | 5 | FR 101 |
| French B | Higher | 6+ | FR 102 |
| French B | Standard | Any | No Credit |
| Hindi B | Higher | 5 | FL 101 |
| Hindi B | Higher | 6+ | FL 102 |
| Hindi B | Standard | Any | No Credit |
| History | Higher | 4 | HS 185 |
| History | Higher | 5+ | HS 185 and HS 186 |
| History | Standard | 6+ | HS 185 |
| Mathematics | Higher | 5 | MA 201 and MA 208 |
| Mathematics | Higher | 6 | MA 201 and MA 202 |
| Mathematics | Standard | 6+ | MA 101 |
| Math Analysis | Higher | 5 | MA 201 and MA 208 |
| Math Analysis | Higher | 6+ | MA 201 and MA 202 |
| Math Analysis | Standard | 5+ | MA 207 |
| Math Applications | Higher | 5+ | MA 141 and MA 201 |
| Math Applications | Standard | 5+ | MA 186 |
| Philosophy | Higher | 5+ | PL150 |
| Physics | Higher | 4+ | PH 201 and PH 202 |
| Physics | Standard | 6+ | PH 201 |
| Psychology | Higher | 4+ | PY 111 |
| Russian B | Higher | 5 | RUS 101 |
| Russian B | Higher | 6+ | RUS 102 |
| Spanish AB | Standard | Any | No Credit |
| Spanish B | Higher | 4 | No Credit |
| Spanish B | Higher | 5 | SP 101 |
| Spanish B | Higher | 6+ | SP 102 |
| Spanish B | Standard | Any | No Credit |
| Theater | Standard | 6+ | TH 185 |
| Theater | Higher | 4+ | TH 185 |
| Visual Arts | Higher | 6+ | FA 102 or FA 103 |
Work Experience
Arcadia University does not currently evaluate students for academic credit based on work experience but will accept such credit awarded by a regionally accredited institution in accordance with current transfer policy.
Military Experience
Joint Service Transcripts of veterans will be reviewed by Arcadia University, and credit will be awarded using the ACE recommendations.
Other Prior Learning Credits
Arcadia University will not award credits for other prior learning experiences. In consultation with University Schools, Colleges and Programs, students may be given permission to waive prerequisites and/or requirements following departmental review of learning outside of the categories/organizations listed above.
