Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)
Get Credit for What You Already Know!
Your knowledge plus experience can equal college credit. Through Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) you may be able to:
- Use work and life experience to receive credit towards your degree or certificate
- Save money by not repeating classes
- Complete your degree faster
There are two ways to get credit for work and life experience:
- Course Challenge: Take an exam issued by Peninsula College. Exams are not available for all courses.
- Portfolio: Create a portfolio of your prior work that shows you understand the course material.
How Do I Earn Credit for My Prior Learning?
Note: You must be enrolled at Peninsula College to be eligible to participate in the PLA process.
- Meet with your advisor and ask if PLA is right for you. If you are interested, contact Leigh Jewett, ejewett@pencol.edu, Associate Director of Career Services who will assist you in determining whether an experience qualifies for PLA.
- TheAssociate Director will assist students with completing the application and determining which class and how many credits are appropriate. (Note: There is a $50 fee to process the PLA Application.)
- Associate Director contacts instructors to determine whether student should take a course challenge or complete a portfolio.
- Students complete the assessment for the instructor prior to the deadline, which is usually the end of the quarter.
- Instructor grades assessment and sends grade to Associate Director. Associate Director notifies Transcript Office.
- Student will receive a confirmation email with instructions to pay through ctcLink. Charges will appear on student's ctcLink account.
- After fees are paid, students will see credits on their record within two weeks.
Student Policies
- PLA credits can only be awarded for classes that Peninsula offers.
- Grading for PLA is determined by the faculty.
- Being approved for PLA (completed application form and payment) does not guarantee that you will receive a passing grade.
- It is important to submit all assessments and documentation to your instructor prior to the deadline, which is usually at the end of the quarter.
- No more than 15 credits of portfolio-style PLA can transfer to universities in Washington.
- Most universities in Washington have indicated that they will accept PLA classes, especially when it is part of an Associate in Arts, Direct Transfer Agreement (AA-DTA) degree. Students intending to transfer to a four-year college for further study are encouraged to work closely with their transfer institution to explore the requirements of the college they wish to attend after Peninsula.
- Credits awarded are identified as such on the student’s transcript, and are not calculated into the GPA.
- Prior learning credits do not count toward residence requirements.
- Transferability of these credits to other colleges will be subject to the policies of the receiving institution.
- Prior Learning credits do not count toward the minimum 30 credits in residency requirement for graduation.
Other Options
Peninsula College accepts equivalency credit awarded by approved testing methods which reflect previous training, private study, work completed at other institutions, or other bona fide qualifications and indicate the student has knowledge or abilities equivalent to course completers. Credits in all equivalency situations are transcribed as a Pass (P) and will receive no numeric grade points.
AP (Advanced Placement)
Peninsula College awards Advanced Placement (AP) credits based on the Washington State Board equivalencies recommendations, any courses that we do not offer will be given discipline or elective credit.
SBCTC Equivalency Guide
For more information, please visit AP Central.
CI (Cambridge International)
Peninsula College will grant a minimum elective credit for each Cambridge International Examination for A-level exam with a passing grade or above for approved examinations. Credit will be awarded on the basis of official Cambridge International Examination results, not transcript notation. Duplicate credit for the same subject taken on different exams will not be granted. No grades are posted for A-level exams.
SBCTC Equivalency Guide
CLEP (College-level Subject Exams)
Acceptance of credit through the College Board for College-level Subject Exams (CLEP). Students must achieve a score in the 50th percentile or higher to receive “pass” credit at Peninsula College. Peninsula College is not a testing site for CLEP and credit must be transferred in. There will not be a transcription fee for these credits. For more information, please visit CLEP's website.
DSST (Subject Standardized Test)
Acceptance of credit through the DSST examination program offered by Educational Testing Services. There are 50 subject-standardized tests covering a wide range of college level academic, business, and technical subjects. Peninsula College is a testing site for DSST. There will be a transcription fee for these credits. For more information, please contact Student Services.
International Baccalaureate Credit
Peninsula College will grant a minimum elective credit for an International Baccalaureate (IB) Higher Level (HL) exam score of 5 or higher. Credit will be awarded on the basis of official IB results. Peninsula College awards International Baccalaureate(IB) credits based on the Washington State Board equivalencies recommendations, any courses that we do not offer will be given discipline or elective credit.
SBCTC Equivalency Guide
Military Education and Experience
When military courses are directly related to a student’s course of study or program at Peninsula College, it is possible for credit to be awarded for use toward a specific degree or certificate, click here for our military crosswalk. It should be noted, however, that many such courses may not be applicable and, therefore, no credit can be awarded. Official documentation needs to be submitted to the Student Services office.
For more information regarding Prior Learning please contact Student Services at studentservices@pencol.edu.