Southwestern College awards course credit to students who petition for credit based on a prior learning experience or for satisfactorily passing an assessment deemed equivalent to course objectives, course content, and course student learning outcomes by the discipline faculty. This process is referred to as Credit for Prior Learning.  Students are not charged a fee to earn credit for a course through credit for prior learning.

Assessment methods approved for Credit for Prior Learning include the following:

• Credit by Examination
• High School / Adult School Articulation
• External Exam Credit (AP, IB, CLEP, DANTES)
• Industry Recognized Certification or Licensure
• Prior Military Experience
• Student-Created Portfolio
• Noncredit to Credit Course Articulation

ELIGIBILITY

Students who wish to receive credit for a course through the Credit for Prior Learning process must petition using the SWC Student Petition for Credit for Prior Learning available on the college website. To be eligible to be awarded credit for a course through an evaluation of prior learning,  the following requirements must be met:

• For all CPL methods the student must be in good academic standing, defined as having a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA in the College District.
• For Credit by Exam, the student must not be on academic probation. 
• The student must have an academic history with the College District (previously earned credit or noncredit from the College District) or be admitted to the College District.  
• Current students must have a student education plan (SEP) on file; however the course(s) a student petitions to earn credit for is not required to be on their SEP.
• The course is listed in the current Southwestern College Catalog at the time of the student petition.
• The student is not currently enrolled in the course they have petitioned for credit.
• The student is not currently enrolled in nor received credit for a more advanced course in the same discipline. This criterion may be waived by the cognizant department.
• The student meets criteria established in the terms of an approved High School / Adult School Articulation Agreement or the a credit for prior learning assessment approved by the SWC Curriculum Committee. 

LIMITATIONS FOR CPL CREDIT APPLICABILITY

• Credits acquired by CPL are not applicable to meeting unit load requirements of Selective Service deferment, veterans benefits, CalWORKs, EOPS (and other special programs) or Social Security benefits.
• Credits acquired by CPL  shall not be counted in determining the 12 semester hours of credit in residence required for an associate degree.
• Credit awarded through CPL may not be used to remove a substandard grade previously received in the same course.
• Credit awarded through CPL may not be used in determining financial aid eligibility, as required by law. Any credits awarded through CPL will be counted toward the maximum unit count under the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. 
• Credit awarded through CPL does not establish or confirm catalog rights or make a student eligible for continuous enrollment status. 
• Credit acquired through CPL, including AP credit, may not be eligible for use to meet admissions and degree requirements for some programs requiring special admissions, such as nursing, dental hygiene, medical laboratory technology, and others, because of state licensing requirements, grade requirements, or other program considerations. 
• Credit granted by the College District may or may not transfer to other institutions. Students should be advised that the final determination of transfer of credit rests with the receiving institution. High School and Adult School Articulation Agreements must include language that informs students and parents that universities have the discretion to accept or deny any credits awarded under a High School and Adult School Articulation Agreement.
• Southwestern College grants credit for satisfactory completion of external examinations typically recognized by colleges and universities as measuring competencies comparable to those achieved in baccalaureate-level courses or general education areas. The College District allows the award of credit when the faculty and articulation officer have determined an external exam is equivalent to one or more courses or to fulfill a general education area requirement for the associates. Where no direct course or general education area matches an external exam, the College District may award elective credit.
• Credit awarded on the basis of an external exam is not calculated in the student's grade point average.

(Title 5 Section 55002, 55021, 55023 55025, 55050, 55051, 55052, AP 4235 - Credit for Prior Learning)

The courses below are eligible for Credit for Prior Learning, and students may petition to earn units.  Contact the Credit for Prior Learning faculty lead, the discipline department chair, or the school for more information. For a complete list of courses available to earn credit by external examination (AP/IB/CLEP/DANTES) review the SWC Catalog External Exams Credit page.