Credit for Prior Learning

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Credit for certain courses may be earned by scoring 50 or higher on the CLEP exam, which is administered by the College Board. Students may have taken the exam prior to applying to Farmingdale, or during their course of study at Farmingdale.

• Farmingdale CLEP exam course equivalencies
• Information on the College Board CLEP

Advanced Placement (AP)

Credit for certain courses may be earned by scoring 3 or higher on the AP exam, which is administered by the College Board. Students have generally taken the exam prior to applying to Farmingdale.

• Information on the College Board AP exam
• Farmingdale AP exam course equivalencies

International Baccalaureate (IB)

Credit for certain courses may be earned by scoring 3 or higher on IB Exam, which is administered by the International Baccalaureate. Students have generally taken the exam prior to applying to Farmingdale.

• Information on International Baccalaureate
• Farmingdale IB exam course equivalencies

A-Level Exams

Credit for certain courses may be earned by passing A-Level exams. Students have generally taken the exams prior to applying to Farmingdale. To receive credit, an official transcript documenting the exam grades must be submitted to the Office of Transfer Services.

• Information on A-Level exams

DANTES Subject Tests

The Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) helps service members and veterans pursue their educational goals and earn degrees both during and after their service. DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) allow students the opportunity to receive college credit for prior learning. The cost of these exams may be subsidized for active service members. To receive credit, an official transcript documenting the exam grades must be submitted to the Office of Transfer Services.

• Information on DANTES Subject Standardized Tests

Department Challenge Exams

Credit for certain courses may be earned by showing competency on a challenge exam administered by the academic department. Farmingdale currently offers a Foreign Language Proficiency Exam through which students can demonstrate language proficiency. Students must request credit on the prior learning assessment form and schedule the exam on one of the available exam administration dates. There is a nonrefundable fee prior to taking the exam. The fee is charged regardless of outcome. Other departments may also offer challenge exams upon request; please contact the academic department chair for more information.

• Information on the Farmingdale Foreign Language Proficiency Exam

Farmingdale State College is committed to veterans seeking postsecondary educational opportunities. In accordance with the VALOR Act, Farmingdale evaluates credit earned for military education, training, experience, or coursework using the same standards as those applied to coursework from accredited colleges and universities.

The Joint Services Transcript (JST) provides veterans and active service members the opportunity to receive college credit for their relevant military experience. There is no cost for an evaluation of the official JST at Farmingdale.

• Information on how to request your Joint Services Transcript (JST)

Credit for certain courses may be earned by departmental review of industry certifications, licenses, apprenticeship programs, or other non-credit training. Students must request credit on the prior learning assessment form and request evaluation by the department faculty of the certification. There is a nonrefundable fee for the evaluation. The fee is charged regardless of outcome.

If the training has a pre-approved course equivalency provided by:

1. American Council on Education (ACE) evaluations of Non-military Education, Workplace, and Training, based on ACE National Guide to College Credit for Workforce Training
2. National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS, a program of the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York) recommendations of Workforce and Volunteer Training

Then, the student may provide official documentation of the ACE recommendation or NCCRS recommendation directly to the Office of Transfer Services for evaluation. The fee is waived for ACE and NCCRS-approved course equivalency recommendations.

Portfolio assessment is a way to document that your prior learning and knowledge is equivalent to what is taught in a college-level course, and therefore is eligible for college credit. Students write a narrative portfolio and provide additional documentation to outline how their experience has met the learning outcomes of a college-level course. Credit may be awarded for portfolio assessment, based on faculty evaluation of official documentation to assess learning outcomes achieved through life, work, or other educational experiences.

Students who are interested in portfolio assessment are encouraged to discuss this request with their academic department chair, who will help to identify a faculty member who will assess the portfolio. The portfolio is then assembled by the student using the Application to Seek Credit for Prior Learning form available on Etrieve. There is a nonrefundable fee for the portfolio evaluation. The fee is charged regardless of outcome.