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2024 Academic Catalog > Admission and Transfer Policies > Transfer of Credits > Credit for Prior Learning > Prior Learning Assessment

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Contents
  • Introduction
  • Accreditation
  • Trident Learning Outcomes
  • Admission and Transfer Policies
    • Admission Requirements and Required Documents
    • Admission is Not Guaranteed
    • Readmission
    • Additional Degrees and Concentrations
    • First Session Enrollment in a Degree Program
    • Transfer of Credits
      • General Conditions and Procedures
      • Transfer and Articulation Agreements
      • Authorization to Close File
      • Credit for Prior Learning
        • Prior Learning Assessment
  • Bachelor to Master Dual Credit Options
  • Tuition, Fees, and Financing
  • Student Information and Procedures
  • Registration and Enrollment
  • Course and Grading Policies
  • Graduation Requirements
  • General Policies
  • University College
  • Glenn R. Jones College of Business
  • Glenn R. Jones College of Business, Department of Information Systems
  • College of Education
  • College of Health and Human Services
  • Certificates
  • Courses
  • Teach-Out
  • Academic Faculty and Staff
  • Teach-Out - Programs, Certificates, and Courses
  • Appendix of Changes
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Prior Learning Assessment

The Trident University International believes that learning happens over a lifetime and occurs through personal, professional, and life experiences. As such, Trident offers a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) program where students can have credits awarded for learning that has taken place outside of a traditional academic environment and applied to specific course(s) in the student’s program of study. In the evaluation and awarding of credit for prior learning, Trident employs PLA evaluators, faculty, and subject matter experts. The institution adheres to Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) standards and guidelines and is guided by established prior learning assessment practices in higher education.

Methods for Earning PLA

Undergraduate Programs

  1. Challenge Exams
  2. Credit by Examination (AP, CLEP, DSST, Excelsior, etc.)
  3. Individualized assessment – Experiential Learning Portfolios
  4. Individualized assessment – Experiential Essays
  5. Industry Certifications; Licensure; Apprenticeship
  6. Credits for Non-College or Corporate Training programs, as validated by The National College Credit Recommendations Service (NCCRS) or American Council on Education (ACE)

Graduate Programs

  1. Industry Certifications; Licensure; Apprenticeship
  2. Individualized assessment – Experiential Learning Portfolios
  3. Individualized assessment – Experiential Essays
  4. Credits for Non-College or Corporate Training programs, as validated by The National College Credit Recommendations Service (NCCRS) or American Council on Education (ACE)

Professional Doctorate Programs

  1. Industry Certifications or Licensure
  2. Individualized Assessment – Experiential Learning Portfolios

PLA Credit Requirements

Life and learning experiences alone are inadequate bases for the award of PLA credit. There must be a demonstration that learning has occurred. Credit is awarded for college-level learning and not simply for experience. Submissions must represent and demonstrate learning which is comparable to student learning outcomes at Trident and consistent with the University’s academic policies and standards. Credit may be awarded for emergent knowledge areas and perspectives which may not be represented in standard college curricula.

In order for such learning to be considered for PLA credit award, the learning experience and evidence must:

  • Have clear outcomes that are documented and validated.
  • Meet the program or school’s quality criteria.
  • Be assessed as being similar to or meeting the requirements of learning gained through college coursework.
    • Learning experiences must be applicable to coursework required for the student’s enrolled program of study or appropriate elective areas.
    • Learning experiences must result in mastered competencies that are appropriately documented and substantially similar to the outcomes that would be acquired in the comparable Trident course.
      • For undergraduate courses, the learning similarity has to be at least 70%, and for graduate courses at least 80%
  • Meet the equivalent of minimum grade requirements for the award of credits.
    • Experiential Learning Portfolios and Experiential Essays must receive the equivalent of a “C” grade or higher for undergraduate, and the equivalent of a “B” grade or higher for graduate or professional doctorate course credit awards.

Faculty will review learning experience submissions and determine:

  • Whether the credits apply to the lower or upper division courses in undergraduate programs, whether they meet graduate level course requirements for graduate programs, and/or whether they meet doctoral level course requirements for professional doctorate programs.
  • Whether credits will be accepted in the core areas of the program based on the age and how long ago the learning occurred.

The following rules apply to specific types of PLA:

Trident Challenge Exams

  • Students may only attempt a Challenge Exam once.
  • Must be passed with a 60% or higher.

Experiential Learning Portfolios and Experiential Essays

  • Must be verifiable and documented.
  • Must demonstrate a student’s mastery of the learning outcomes.
  • Must be evaluated by a faculty subject matter expert and determined to be substantially similar to the learning that occurs in comparable Trident course(s)

Professional Trainings, Certifications, Licensures, and Apprenticeships:

  • Must be verifiable and documented.
  • Must either carry an ACE or NCCRS credit recommendation and be comparable to a degree requirement or appropriate elective.
  • If not ACE/NCCRS recommended, must be comparable to a Trident course, and approved by a faculty subject matter expert and determined to be equivalent to the learning that occurs in comparable Trident course(s).

PLA Credit Restrictions and Limitations

While there are many situations where credit may be awarded for prior learning, there are also many instances where PLA credit cannot be awarded. Prior Learning Assessment cannot be awarded for any of the following:

  • Courses for which institutional or traditional transfer credits have already been awarded.
  • A course that the student has attempted at Trident or any other educational institution.
    • If a student has failed a class, they cannot fulfill it through available PLA alternatives.
  • Procedural training with no college-level outcomes or academic content
  • Remedial or developmental coursework (non-college level).
  • Meetings, conferences, work experience, volunteer work, life experience, and other events which do not have verifiable, specific learning objectives or an assessment method that verifies learning outcomes.
  • Coursework not required for the student’s enrolled program of study or appropriate elective areas.

Prior Learning Assessment is subject to maximum credit eligibility according to degree level:

Undergraduate Programs

Students can earn up to 15 Semester Credits through PLA in an Associate’s degree program. Students can earn up to 30 Semester Credits through PLA in a Bachelor’s degree program. PLA credit is awarded for learning at the equivalent of “C” (2.0) grade or higher for undergraduate courses.

Graduate Programs

Graduate students may receive up to 20% of the credits required for the program through PLA in a Master’s degree program. Credit is awarded for learning at the equivalent of "B" (3.0) grade or higher for graduate courses.

Doctorate Programs

Students may receive up to 12 semester credits through PLA in a doctorate degree program. Credit is awarded for learning at the equivalent of “B” (3.0) grade or higher for doctorate courses.

Certificate Programs

Due to the varying credit structures of Certificate programs, the amount of PLA credit a student may earn in a Certificate program may vary. Please refer to the individual Certificate program page(s) for specifications.

In addition to maximum credit applicability, there may be situations where prior learning credits may be eligible, but there may not be room in the degree program to apply those credits. PLA credits CANNOT:

  • Be awarded more than once for the same learning within a student’s overall degree.
  • Apply toward meeting residency requirements for graduation.
  • Apply to capstone courses.
  • Apply to Doctoral Study Project courses.
  • Be split or combined unless specifically recommended by ACE or NCCRS.

Credit Transcription

A P (Passing) grade is awarded for credit earned through prior learning assessment. There is no letter grade assigned and it is not factored into the GPA. However, credits applied are factored into the Rate of Progress calculation, which affects the Quantitative measure of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Please refer to the Satisfactory Academic Progress section of this catalog for additional information.

The University neither implies, nor guarantees that Prior Learning Assessment credits will be accepted by other institutions. Instead, Prior Learning Assessment credit demonstrates that students are proficient in the specific course requirement for the respective degree program of study.