Key Takeaways:
- Earn accredited college credit without taking traditional classes by using PLA, certifications, exams, and alternative credit platforms.
- Work experience, military training, and professional credentials often fulfill the learning outcomes of college courses.
- CLEP, DSST, and challenge exams let you test out of subjects and earn credits quickly and affordably.
- ACE-recommended platforms like Study.com, Sophia, and StraighterLine help you complete general education and elective credits at your own pace.
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Most students spend years and thousands of dollars taking classes they could have skipped. But the truth is, you can earn accredited college credit without sitting through a single lecture or 16-week syllabus. This guide shows you the legitimate shortcuts colleges rarely advertise but fully accept.
📌 Check Transfer Policies Before You Begin: Every school sets its own rules for PLA, certifications, exams, and alternative credits. Look over the policies or speak with an advisor to know exactly what applies. With the right plan upfront, you can shorten your timeline and lower costs.
1. How Prior Learning Assessments (PLA) Let You Earn Credit
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is how colleges award credit for what you already know. Instead of asking, “What classes have you taken?” PLA asks, “What can you do, and where did you learn it?”
PLA can evaluate learning from:
- Work
- Training programs
- Military service
- Certifications
- Volunteer experience
- Independent study
The college reviews your experience and determines how many credits it equals, and which courses it can replace.
📝 How Colleges Evaluate Prior Learning: Schools may review portfolios, conduct faculty assessments, or use third-party credit recommendations. Your experience, skills, and ACE/NCCRS-approved training are then matched to comparable college courses.
2. Work Experience Credit: How Your Job Can Count Toward a Degree
Many adult learners already meet the learning outcomes of introductory college courses through years of professional experience. Skills like budgeting, leadership, IT troubleshooting, and training staff often translate directly into credit.
Transfer-friendly institutions that support work-based credit include:
- Thomas Edison State University (TESU)
- Western Governors University (WGU)
- UMass Global
- Colorado State University Global
- Charter Oak State College
- DePaul University’s School for Continuing and Professional Studies
These schools often provide advisors to help you build a strong portfolio.
🎓Work Experience Credit: This lets you bypass what you already know and go straight into courses that push your degree forward.
3. How to Get College Credit for Military Training and Service
Military training is one of the most credit-rich forms of prior learning. Technical schooling, leadership roles, and completed trainings are commonly evaluated by ACE and assigned recommended credit values.
Universities known for accepting military credit include:
- University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC)
- Thomas Edison State University (TESU)
- Excelsior University
These schools frequently award credit in areas such as leadership, cybersecurity, aviation, and emergency management. As a result, many service members can begin their degree with a substantial number of credits already earned.
4. Certifications for Credit: Turning Credentials into College Credit
Professional certifications can convert directly into college credit, particularly in IT and business.
IT certifications that often earn credit include:
- CompTIA A+
- Network+
- Security+
- Project+
- Cloud+
Schools like WGU, Purdue Global, and UMass Global commonly award course equivalencies for these credentials.
💼Certifications Count: SHRM, PMP, and Six Sigma are often accepted at SNHU, Liberty, and UMass Global, and can sometimes replace a full class.
5. How to Test Out of Classes with CLEP, DSST, and Challenge Exams
If you already understand a subject, testing out can be one of the fastest ways to earn credit. CLEP and DSST exams allow you to study independently and earn three to six credits by passing a standardized test. Many colleges, including Liberty University, TESU, and UMGC, accept these exams.
Challenge exams are similar but created by the college. Schools like TESU, UMass Global, and the University of Wisconsin Flexible Option offer exams in math, writing, computer science, business fundamentals, and foreign languages. Passing one grants full course credit at a lower cost than enrolling in the class.
6. How Alternative Credit Platforms Help You Finish College Faster and for Less
When you still need general education or elective credits, alternative credit providers offer a flexible and affordable option.
Popular ACE-recommended platforms include:
- Study.com
- Sophia Learning
- StraighterLine
These courses can be completed at your own pace and transferred to your university to meet gen ed, elective, or lower-level requirements. Study.com’s unlimited-course subscription is especially useful for students moving quickly.
💸Big Savings: Transfer-friendly schools may take as many as 90 alternative credits, reducing how much you pay at your main institution.
Your Next Step Toward an Affordable Degree
A degree doesn’t have to take years or cost a fortune. If you use PLA, military experience, certifications, test-out exams, and alternative credit platforms, you can move through your program faster and more affordably. Review your school’s policies, choose a starting point, and use these Degree Hacked strategies to reach graduation sooner.
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