Credit for Prior Learning Policy

Effective: July 1, 2026 

Approved by: Justin Schwartz, Chancellor  

Policy Owner: Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs 

Policy Contact: Assistant Vice Provost and University Registrar 

Supersedes: N/A 

Applies to: Students 

I. Introduction

Credit for prior learning (CPL) is a term that broadly describes the various methods that institutions of higher education use to evaluate learning that has occurred outside of the traditional academic environment. At CU Boulder, CPL may be earned through standardized examinations, course challenges, or learning experiences in settings other than accredited institutions of higher education, subject to institutional processes and approvals.  

This policy does not cover the application of transfer credit, which at CU Boulder includes, but is not limited to, transfer credit from institutions accredited by agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, transfer credit from international institutions of higher education, and transfer credit for military experience as documented on a Form DD 214, Service Separation Certificate, Joint Services Transcript or Community College of the Air Force transcript. 

II. Definitions

Academic unit: For the purposes of this policy, any CU Boulder unit that offers credit-bearing courses for either degree-seeking or non-degree students. 

Course challenge: A process by which students seek to demonstrate knowledge and competencies in a specific CU Boulder course through an approved assessment to earn academic credit. 

CPL: Credit awarded for prior learning acquired outside of a traditional classroom environment. 

Post-baccalaureate degree: A degree program designed for students who have already earned a bachelor’s (or baccalaureate) degree and who are seeking a second bachelor’s degree in a different academic field. A post-baccalaureate degree requires fewer credits than a bachelor’s degree. 

Standardized exams: Nationally recognized exams such as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Credit for College Board College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), and Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) that allow students to earn college credit by achieving specific scores. 

Resident credit: Credit earned through courses or assessments administered by CU Boulder that applies toward residency requirements for degrees or certificates. 

Guaranteed Transfer (GT) Pathways: A set of general education courses guaranteed to transfer to any Colorado public college or university. 

CR grade: A grade representing “credit earned,” not calculated in GPA but counted toward credit totals. 

U grade: A grade representing “unsuccessful,” not calculated in GPA or credit totals. 

III. Roles and Responsibilities

Academic Units: Establish and assess CPL practices; propose programmatic CPL; determine eligible courses and course assessment standards; evaluate course challenge and programmatic CPL submissions; report credit awarded to the registrar; and maintain records of programmatic CPL assessment processes. 

Deans (College/School, Graduate School): Approve programmatic CPL proposals and graduate-level credit awards. 

Office of the Registrar: Records CPL credits on transcripts; publishes CPL information; manages surcharge administration; and oversees implementation and recordkeeping of CPL. 

IV. Policy Statement

  1. Institutional requirements: 
    1. Standards for awarding CPL must comply with applicable University of Colorado (CU) policies, particularly Administrative Policy Statement 8006: Acceptance of Credit for Prior Learning (APS 8006); the policies of the Higher Learning Commission, with particular attention to the definition of the credit hour and the assessment of learning; applicable policies of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE); and applicable Colorado law. 
    2. Academic units must establish, maintain and oversee transparent practices by which prior learning experiences are evaluated for credit; must engage in periodic assessments of these practices; and must provide these practices and assessment methods as required by the relevant dean’s office(s) or offices within the Division of Academic Affairs to internal and external agencies for reporting and assessment purposes such as periodic academic program reviews, specialized or programmatic accreditation or professional licensure, or University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) accreditation.
    3. CU Boulder must publicly disclose CPL information on appropriate websites, including on the CU Boulder student consumer information webpage and in the CU Boulder University Catalog.
  2. Student eligibility requirements: 
    1. To be eligible for CPL, students must be currently enrolled at CU Boulder in a degree or certificate program. An exception is made for credit earned through standardized exams, which is typically evaluated and posted to academic records prior to initial enrollment. However, such credit is removed from academic transcripts for students who do not matriculate to CU Boulder. 
    2. Students may not be enrolled in (or must be officially withdrawn from) the course(s) for which CPL is being considered or evaluated. 
    3. Prior completion of a course at CU Boulder or any other institution renders students ineligible to receive CPL for the same (or equivalent, including cross-listed) course. 
  3. Academic requirements: 
    1. CPL does not replace credits or grades already awarded for the same course. 
    2. Undergraduate-level CPL may apply to requirements only for an undergraduate degree or certificate. 
    3. Graduate-level CPL is limited to master’s degree programs and is subject to prior approval by the dean of the Graduate School. A maximum of three CPL credits may apply to a master’s degree, and the combined total of CPL and transfer credit applied to a master’s degree may not exceed nine credits. 
    4. CPL may not be applied to a doctoral degree or to any graduate-level certificate. 
    5. The academic unit is responsible for determining how CPL applies to program requirements, either as direct equivalents or exceptions (substitutions). If a student with earned CPL changes academic programs at CU Boulder, the new academic unit determines whether and how the CPL applies to the requirements of the new program. 
    6. Students in undergraduate degree programs or certificate programs must fulfill CU Boulder residency requirements for the degree or certificate regardless of CPL: 
      1. A minimum of 45 credits applied to baccalaureate degrees must be from coursework completed at CU Boulder. 
      2. A minimum of 30 credits applied to post-baccalaureate degrees must be from coursework completed at CU Boulder. 
      3. A minimum of six credits applied to undergraduate certificates must be from coursework completed at CU Boulder. 
  4. Categories and standards for CPL accepted by CU Boulder: 
    1. Credit through standardized exams: 
      1. In accordance with APS 8006, an undergraduate student may be awarded credit for designated CU Boulder courses through achievement of minimum scores on select nationally recognized standardized exams (CLEP, AP, IB, DANTES), as evaluated for equivalent credit by CU Boulder faculty and as described in the CU Boulder University Catalog. 
      2. Credit earned through standardized exams is not considered resident credit at CU Boulder. 
    2. Credit through course challenges: 
      1. Undergraduate students may receive credit for an undergraduate course in the current CU Boulder University Catalog through a course challenge, which provides the opportunity to earn academic credit for knowledge and competencies gained outside the classroom for a course which academic credit has not already been earned. The academic unit sets the submission requirements and assessment methods necessary to evaluate the student’s level of proficiency in material presented through a standard offering of the course. Course challenge submission requirements may include, but are not limited to, a final course exam or other items, such as research papers, computer programs, portfolios, recordings or artistic works that demonstrate the student’s competencies in the material covered by the course for which credit is being sought. 
      2. In accordance with Colorado law, CU Boulder academic units must administer course challenges for CU Boulder GT Pathways courses. For non-GT Pathways undergraduate courses, the academic unit determines if the course is suitable for a course challenge. 
      3. The academic unit should complete review and assessment of a course challenge submission within the academic term in which the challenge is administered. 
      4. Standards for course challenge assessment are determined by the academic unit. Students must earn an equivalent of a C- or better to earn CPL through a course challenge. 
      5. Students may attempt a challenge for a particular course only once. 
      6. Course challenge credits may apply to undergraduate degrees or certificates either as elective or required credits. 
      7. Course challenge credits are considered resident credits. 
    3. Credit for learning experiences in settings other than accredited institutions of higher education: 
      1. Prior learning may occur in settings other than accredited institutions of higher education, such as in the workplace, business, industry, or the community. In accordance with state law, CU Boulder academic units may give programmatic CPL for work-related experience, as defined by  C.R.S. § 23-5-145.5(1)(f) as any experience acquired within the past ten years through paid or unpaid employment, including but not limited to self-employment, an internship, a residency, a pre-apprenticeship program, or an apprenticeship program that may lead to or result in a business credential, an industry credential, a technical certificate or a professional license. Such programmatic arrangements must be proposed by the academic unit and must be approved in advance by the dean of the academic college or school, either the dean of undergraduate education (for undergraduate programs) or the dean of the Graduate School (for graduate programs exclusive of Law), and the provost (or designee). The programmatic arrangements must clearly define expected learning outcomes and have an associated assessment plan to monitor achievement of the learning objectives. 
      2. Programs must maintain a record of the assessment process for this category of CPL and make it available to the provost or other entities, such as accrediting bodies, upon request. 
      3. This category of CPL may not replace established courses that represent learning experiences under the direction of a CU Boulder faculty member, such as independent studies, field experiences, practicums, or clinicals. 

V. Procedures

  1. Credit through standardized exams: 
    1. Process: A student must request their official score report(s) to be sent directly from the exam source to CU Boulder for evaluation. 
    2. Transcripts: Credit awarded through standardized exams is recorded on CU Boulder transcripts as a block of test credit. It is calculated in credit totals, but not in GPAs. 
    3. Charges: CU Boulder does not assess a surcharge for credit earned through standardized exams. Students pay the organization administering the exam. 
  2. Credit through course challenges: 
    1. Process: A student initiates a course challenge request with their academic unit or college or school dean’s office to determine eligibility. If a course is deemed eligible and the student meets the criteria to challenge the course, the academic unit determines the appropriate assessment methods and minimum requirements or standards.  
      1. The student completes a formal course challenge petition form and pays the course challenge surcharge. The form is then routed to the academic unit authorizing it to proceed with administration of the course challenge. Academic units may not administer course challenge exams or begin other assessments until notified of student approval and payment. 
      2. After the course challenge has been completed, assessed, and graded, the academic unit returns the form, along with a final grade, to the Office of the Registrar for processing.  
      3. A successful course challenge does not automatically satisfy a course requisite that requires a grade of C or better. If the course challenge is approved by the academic unit for a course requisite that requires a grade of C or better, the unit will need to make or request a manual override.  
      4. In lieu of course challenge assessments, academic units may direct students to standardized exams, where available. 
    2. Transcripts: Successful course challenges are recorded as resident credit with a grade of CR (credit earned) within the term the challenge was completed. Unsuccessful course challenges are recorded on academic transcripts with a grade of U (Unsuccessful). 
    3. Charges: CU Boulder assesses a per-credit administrative surcharge for course challenges. The current rate is listed on the Course Challenge form. Refunds are not issued for unsuccessful course challenge attempts. 
  3. Credit for learning experiences in settings other than accredited institutions of higher education: 
    1. Process: External experiences proposed by an academic unit to fulfill CPL requires approval by the dean of the college or school, either the dean of undergraduate education (for undergraduate degree programs) or the dean of the Graduate School (for graduate programs exclusive of Law) and the provost (or designee). The proposal must include an academic rationale, learning outcomes, and an assessment plan, as well as what requirements or electives may be fulfilled. Approved proposals must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar. When an approved external experience has been successfully completed by a student, the academic unit must promptly notify the Office of the Registrar, so it may be recorded in a student’s academic record. 
    2. Transcripts: Earned credit for learning experiences in settings other than accredited institutions of higher education is awarded as a block of external CPL. It is calculated in credit totals, but not in GPAs. 
    3. Charges: CU Boulder may assess a surcharge for CPL for external learning experiences. The surcharge is based on the experience, and the amount is determined by the Office of the Registrar, subject to approval by the provost (or designee). 

VI. Related policies, forms, guidelines, and other resources 

VII. History 

  1. Adopted: February 5, 2025 

  2. Revised: July 1, 2026

  3. Last Reviewed: N/A