Students are able to complete their degree requirements mainly through courses provided on campus. However, several alternative pathways to college credit are available Current degree-seeking students may apply for credit (maximum of 30 credit hours) for learning from experience gained outside the traditional classroom. This credit may be granted for portfolio, military experience, field experience, advanced placement program (AP), international baccalaureate (IB), and college-level examination program (CLEP).

Portfolio Credit

This may include experience in community service, public service, private business, private research, professional training, and non-credit continuing education. Application for credit for prior learning experience is made through the Executive Vice President/Provost. The application involves preparation of a portfolio; a Portfolio Development Handbook explaining what should be included is available in the Executive Vice President/Provost’s Office. A student wanting portfolio credit must be a current, degree-seeking student at Kansas Wesleyan University.  A review/attempt fee of $25 per credit hour is charged; a transcript fee of $50 per credit hour is charged for approved credit.

Credit for Military Experience

Students who wish to receive credit for military experience should contact the Enrollment & Financial Services Office and request an evaluation. Evaluation of documents includes DD-214, DD-295, certificates of completion, Defense Language Institute transcripts and AARTS transcripts. The University follows the recommendation given in “A Guide to the Evaluational Experiences in the Armed Services” published by the American Council on Education. Military correspondence courses and courses which last less than two weeks are not accepted for college-level credit. Active military personnel may have their current, primary MOS evaluated provided it has been validated by an SQT score or performance within the last twelve months.                                                                                    

Advanced Placement Program

Students who have participated in the College Board Advanced Placement Program in high school and have taken one or more Advanced Placement examinations may earn college credit as follows:

       -   For a score of 4-5, six hours are granted in the subject field.
       -   For a score of 3, three hours of credit are granted in the subject field

International Baccalaureate Program

Students who have participated in the International Baccalaureate program in high school and have taken one or more examinations may earn college credit as follows:

- For a score of 6-7 at the Standard Level, three hours are granted in the subject field.
- For a score of 5, 6, 7 at the Higher Level, six hours are granted in the subject field.

Credit and course equivalencies granted are usually the same as the introductory course in a discipline

College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

This national program offers five General Examinations: Humanities, Natural Sciences, College Mathematics, English Composition, Social Sciences, and History. An entering or re-entering student may earn up to 30 semester hours (6 hours for each of the 5 examinations), depending on the score achieved.  CLEP also has approximately 30 subject examinations that relate to specific college courses. A student scoring 50 or above will receive credit according to the corresponding Kansas Wesleyan University course. Contact the Enrollment & Financial Services Office for further information.

Credit by Examination

To receive credit by examination, a student must arrange with the instructor of the course to take the examination and have the examination graded before the date listed in the academic calendar. Credit is granted to students who earn “A” or “B” on the examination. Credit by examination is not used in determining students’ course loads since the courses are considered completed when the examinations are taken and the grades reported to the Enrollment & Financial Services Office. The courses, are, however, recorded on student official transcripts and count toward both the cumulative grade point average and the total number of credit hours required for graduation. An attempt fee of $25 per credit hour is charged.  A transcript fee of $50 per credit hour is charged for approved credit.

Credit may not be established in the following cases:

       -   Wherein the course was taken previously for credit or audit, except for students whose professional preparation requires an update of a specific course.
       -   Wherein the course is a prerequisite for a course in which credit has been earned.
       -   Wherein the course has been attempted previously by examination.

Application for credit by examination is made to the Enrollment & Financial Services Office and approved by the department offering the course. Departments set the policy governing administration of the test and set the requirements for satisfactory achievement.