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How to get college credit from job training, the military or even a hobby | Quick Guide
Posted on 01/16/2025
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Emma Gallegos, EdSource reporter, wrote about broadening the “ways students may be able to receive credit for what they’ve learned outside a college classroom, whether on the job, through volunteering or even a hobby...” Governor Gavin Newsom “praised credit for prior learning as an important way to recognize the skills that adults pick up in the military or even volunteering through the California Service Corps.” This change would support adult learners and their work and life experiences.
Adult Educators, especially, may value this as a crucial step toward “promoting equity” as often adult learners do not receive any credit for previous work experience. “Proponents of the Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) program point out that Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) tests are very common ways that students receive credit for college classes before they attend college.” Of course, these options are available to very few people. This creates a legacy of inequality with a larger opportunity gap between students and adult learners.
Costs
This inequity is further exasperated by higher education costs as “A national study by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning found that students [who started college] with 12 credits could save between $1,500 to $10,500 and nine to 14 months, depending on the institution.” This study additionally “found that 48% of students over 25 years old who had obtained credit for prior learning...completed their degree...within 7.5 years, compared with 27% of students who had no credit. The completion rate was even higher, at 73%, for credit received outside the military.” These statistics support a broader distribution of credit for work and military experience.
How can a student receive credit?
The article outlines several ideas including a knowledge test, portfolio review, certification/license and currently the American Council on Education offers more guidance on how to award the credit.
Interestingly, a substantial proportion of students earned their credits through the military. When a veteran is discharged, they receive a Joint Services Transcript which translates the military credit into civilian credits. “Veterans can also receive credit for college through free examinations called DSST tests.” Every public university or college in California accepts this transcript, though whether the course is eligible for credit is up to individual institutions or departments.
The Air Force is the one branch which bypasses this entire process because it has its own community college. So, veterans receive a college transcript when discharged.
How do California’s colleges and universities view it?
The one similarity between the three public systems is each will “consider veterans’ Joint Services Transcript and offer credit for any equivalent courses.” Unfortunately, each system and sometimes a department are the deciding factors. There is not a standardized system yet.
Community Colleges have the most ambitious goal of ensuring that “at least 250,000 Californians receive credit for prior learning by 2030.” This includes awarding credit for “skills learned through work experience, employer-trained programs, military service, government training, independent study or volunteer work.”
CSU did overhaul its policies in 2023, and each campus has its own policy. It is important to realize one campus may accept the credits while others may not. This requires extra research by the student when considering applying to a CSU. And this fact may not be well known, so this is important for Advisors to consider.
In the meantime, UC has the strictest guidelines for prior learning. Prior credits must meet the “same high standards of the UC system.”
This legislation can have positive results for adult learners who are pursuing a certificate or degree. Earning credit for prior work and experience could lead to a quicker turnaround and a less expensive option
