The Paul McGhee Division

CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING

You may be closer to earning a degree than you think. It is possible that your work, study, or personal experiences have given you specific knowledge that McGhee may recognize as equivalent to college-level learning. McGhee associate’s and bachelor’s degree students may earn up to half of their credits toward their degree in one or more of these four ways:

• Evaluation of prior learning by portfolio
• Performance in college-level or proficiency examinations
• Proficiency testing in foreign languages
• Evaluation of transfer credits from:
  • Accredited colleges and universities in the U.S. and recognized institutions of higher education in other countries
  • Selected courses offered through NYU-SCPS diploma programs

Together with your academic advisor you determine which prior learning assessment pathways to pursue. By maximizing McGhee's prior-learning assessment credits, you can lower the overall cost of your undergraduate degree and accelerate your time to completion.

Hear from alumna Lauren Busener on how prior learning assessment helped get her degree faster.

EVALUATION OF PRIOR LEARNING BY PORTFOLIO
Many McGhee students obtain credit for college-level knowledge that they have acquired outside the traditional academic setting. The process of prior learning assessment involves the development of an extensive portfolio that demonstrates how the college-level learning you have achieved through your life experience is equivalent to that of a specific course within your program of study.

If you plan to apply for prior-learning credit, you must enroll in the two-credit Seminar in Experiential Learning (EXPR1-DC9801). In this seminar, you learn how to develop a prior-learning portfolio, which is the basis for your request for prior-learning credit. You do not pay tuition for credits earned through the portfolio process, which may substantially reduce the costs of your college education.

• Download the course description, objectives, and complete information on the Seminar

Interested students are encouraged to attend a Prior Learning Assessment Information Session, since this is a prerequisite for entering the Seminar in Experiential Learning. For information session dates, visit our events calendar.

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CREDIT BY EXAMINATION
College-level learning may be assessed by standardized subject exams offered by:

• The College Board
• Excelsior College

The McGhee Division does not accept every exam. To ensure that only eligible exams are taken and that the exams fit into your degree plan, you are encouraged to discuss the credit-by-examination option with your academic advisor upon admission to McGhee. It is strongly recommended that you take the examination at least one semester before you intend to graduate. If you do not, the McGhee Division cannot guarantee that the credits will be posted in time for you to graduate. Students may repeat a test only once and the second test may not be taken until six months have passed from the initial test date.

• Information on credit granting scores and equivalencies accepted by the McGhee Division

The College Board
The College Board offers two types of examinations for college credit that McGhee recognizes:

• College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) Examinations
• Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations

CLEP Examinations
The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) is the most widely accepted credit-by-examination program in the United States. The computer-based tests typically cover the learning in introductory college courses in 26 subject areas. The McGhee Division offers college credit for most CLEP Subject Examinations. The CLEP General Examinations are not accepted for credit.

To learn more about CLEP exams and for instructions about how to register, call the College Board at (800) 257-9558 or visit their CLEP website at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html. To locate convenient test locations, use the CLEP Test Centers search on the College Board website.  Then contact the test center directly to find out its registration procedure and exam schedule. CLEP test centers generally administer CLEP exams during each month of the year.

Remember to have the College Board send your official score reports to the NYU-SCPS Office of Admissions. The Score Recipient Code Number for SCPS-McGhee is “8201.”

AP Examinations
Advanced Placement (AP) examinations are college-level tests that high school students take in order to receive credit for college courses (e.g., European History, Calculus, etc.). For more information, visit the College Board AP website at www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html.

To receive credit for AP Exams, you must submit an official high school transcript to the NYU-SCPS Office of Admissions.

Excelsior College
McGhee students may also receive credit for selected Excelsior College Examinations (previously known as ACT PEP: Regents College Examinations). These tests are similar to CLEP. For more information or to register for Excelsior College Exams, call (888) 72-EXAMS or visit www.excelsior.edu. Score reports must be submitted to the NYU-SCPS Office of Admissions.

More Information
For more information, please contact Eileen Capone, Assistant Director for Experiential Learning and Student Support Services, by e-mail at eileen.capone@nyu.edu or by phone at (212) 998-7280.

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PROFICIENCY TESTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES
The Foreign Languages, Translation, and Interpreting Programs at NYU-SCPS offer proficiency testing examinations in more than 50 languages. The examinations evaluate a student’s knowledge of a language in three areas—listening, reading, and writing. Credit will not be awarded for examinations in a student’s native language. The McGhee Division accepts the results of the 12-point examination and grants credit as follows:

Proficiency examinations are given by appointment throughout the year. To make an appointment, call (212) 998-7030.

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TRANSFER CREDIT
The most common way to earn credit for prior learning is through the transfer of credits. Click here for more information about transfer credit.

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Please note: Students may not use credit earned by portfolios, CLEP or Excelsior College exams, Foreign Language Proficiency testing, or transfer courses toward the four concentration courses (16 credits) required for the Bachelor of Arts degree. Students may write portfolios for two (eight credits) of the four concentration courses (16 credits) required for the Bachelor of Science degree.