Credit for Prior Learning & Experience

Nashua Community College > Admissions > Credit for Prior Learning & Experience

Start anywhere, finish here!

Nashua Community College may award credit for students who have potentially acquired learning outside of the traditional academic learning environment.

This learning may be composed of industry certifications, work experience, employer training programs, independent study, non-credit courses, volunteer or community service, or non-college courses or seminars.

The CPLA Triangle (pictured right) illustrates how Credit for Prior Learning will be assessed from the top (Level 1) to the bottom (Level 3). Students must exhaust all options starting at Level 1 before moving on to the next level.

Level 1

Transfer Credit
Credits for college courses taken at another accredited institution or System College and earned a “C” or higher. Courses successfully completed prior to admission will be considered for transfer.

TES® the Transfer Evaluation System from CollegeSource is the premier interactive resource for course data from institutions of higher education. 
 
Transfer Evaluation System Logo

Curious to learn how your credits and professional experience will transfer into NCC?

Use our Transfer Evaluation System (TES)® to search for the courses you’ve taken at other institutions and see what may transfer to NCC.  

  1. Visit our Transfer Evaluation System (TES)
  2. In the TES Portal under “Institution Search”, type the name/s of institutions that have previously awarded you college credit.
  3. View the results. The first column indicates courses that have been evaluated and the second column indicates which course requirement it fulfills at NCC. When you click on one of these selections, you may view more information.

In addition, TES evaluates professional licenses, industry certifications, and college level exams (i.e.: CLEP). TES is intended to serve as a planning tool, and it is not an official evaluation of your transfer credit. An official transfer course evaluation will be completed once you are accepted into a certificate or degree program and your official transcript is on file.

 
 

Level 2

Select option that is most relevant for your experience: 

ACE
College credit may be granted to students with military training, experience, or coursework that is recognized by the American Council on Education (ACE) based on the program the student is entering.

CBE
Students may challenge a course by requesting and completing an examination or evaluation that covers the instructional material of the course. If successful, the appropriate credits earned are applied to the students’ programs but may not be transferable to another college. Not all programs provide the CBE option

CLEP
A nationally standardized exam known as CLEP (College Level Examination Program). Passing scores for CLEP are 50 and above unless specified otherwise. Successful completion of a CLEP exam is treated as a transfer credit. 

IRC
Industry Recognized Credential is an umbrella term used to describe apprenticeships, badges, micro-credentials, certificates, certifications, degrees, diplomas and licenses.

INDUSTRY TRAINING
Trainings performed that do not sit for a certification exam

Level 3

PORTFOLIO
Credit for prior learning offers students the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge they have gained through life experiences and apply this knowledge toward credit in some degree/certificate programs. To prepare for this option, students will develop a portfolio to be assessed by appropriate college personnel.
A student must be matriculated at NCC and exhausted all previous levels of CPL to be eligible to apply for experiential learning assessment credit.

50+

Degrees and Certificates

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Contact:

Jayleen Aleman,  Adult Education Coordinator

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(603) 578-8953 ext. 1604
[email protected]