Earn your degree faster
With Higher Education Course Credits
Unlock a faster, smarter path to success. Browse our directory of accredited colleges and universities—where real-world skills translate into course credits and quicker credentials. Many schools now award credit for assessments, certifications, or portfolios, cutting degree time and costs. These programs recognize what you’ve gained through work or military service. Transfer or earn credits, save time, lower expenses, and advance your education and career.
Competency-Based Programs
Competency-Based Education (CBE), Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), and Common Core Standards boost graduation rates and help more adults earn degrees. Research shows that these innovations raise engagement and credential completion—students with PLA credits graduate at higher rates than those without. Developed by a certified PLA educator, our directory and coaching keep both learners and faculty on course, making skill-building and lifelong achievement easier and faster.
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)
The Assessment of Prior Learning has helped Americans convert their experience into college credit since World War I. Early tools, such as the General Educational Development (GED) test, College-Level Examination (CLEP) exams, and the American Council on Education’s (ACE) College Credit Recommendation Service, validated skills acquired through military and workplace training. By the 1970s, portfolio assessments and exam programs had expanded opportunities, guided by the standards of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), for adult learners. In 1999, the first major U.S. university began offering fully competency-based degree programs, paving the way for broader adoption of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in higher education. The Department of Education’s 2013 approval of CBE programs ushered in broader adoption, empowering colleges to recognize real-world achievements.
Competency Here, There, and Almost Everywhere
Italy’s Bologna University legacy is echoed across the world. These approaches validate skills, expand access, and increase mobility and employability. The European Higher Education Area (EHEA), along with Brussels-based EITCI and EITCA, promotes digital literacy through globally recognized IT certifications, thereby keeping lifelong learning on course. New Zealand and Canada focus on flexible, outcome-driven programs, helping people build skills and move ahead in shifting markets. Everywhere, competency-based learning connects talent with opportunity.
DEGREE IN FOCUS Turn real-world skills into college credits and fast-track your degree. Search our Directory of schools and open doors for your future. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) breaks barriers, while Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) converts your experience into academic credit—saving you time and money, building confidence, and setting your course for lifelong growth in a fast-changing world.
360QUAD Prior Learning Institutions Directory
Below is a table of U.S. accredited colleges and universities offering Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) credit toward a degree. Schools may accept PLA through portfolio review, standardized exams, faculty-developed challenge tests, and other tailored methods for non-college learning. Each entry lists the institution’s name, location, type (public, private, or for-profit), PLA program website, and an admissions office link. PLA policies, eligible subjects, and assessment options differ by institution—so always check details directly with each school. Many university systems have system-wide PLA rules, meaning that some individual campuses may qualify even if they are not listed. Use the SORT drop-down to view more entries or reorder the list.
Do you have a correction, don't see your PLA program listed, or would you like your school featured? Send us a note below.
| Adelphi University | Garden City | New York | Private | https://www.adelphi.edu/admissions/nontraditional/life-experience-credits/ | https://www.adelphi.edu/admissions/ |
| Alabama A&M University | Normal | Alabama | Public | https://www.aamu.edu/ | https://www.aamu.edu/admissions/ |
| Albany State University | Albany | Georgia | Public | https://www.asurams.edu/ | https://www.asurams.edu/admissions/ |
| Albertus Magnus College | New Haven | Connecticut | Private | https://www.albertus.edu/ | https://www.albertus.edu/admissions/ |
| Alverno College | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | Private | https://catalog.alverno.edu/college-information/admissions/ | https://www.alverno.edu/admissions/ |
| American Public University System | Charles Town | West Virginia | For-Profit | https://www.apu.apus.edu/prior-learning-assessment/ | https://www.apu.apus.edu/admissions/ |
| Andrews University | Berrien Springs | Michigan | Private | https://bulletin.andrews.edu/content.php?catoid=4&navoid=239 | https://www.andrews.edu/admissions/ |
| Anoka Ramsey Community College | Coon Rapids/Cambridge | Minnesota | Public | https://www.anokaramsey.edu/about-us/policies-disclosures/policies-procedures/procedure-3e111-admissions/ | https://www.anokaramsey.edu/admissions/ |
| Arizona State University | Tempe | Arizona | Public | https://aztransmac2.asu.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/ATF.woa/wa/AZRSS?AZ=PLA | https://admission.asu.edu/contact |
| Berklee College of Music | Boston | Massachusetts | Private | https://www.berklee.edu/academics/programs | https://www.berklee.edu/admissions |
| Blackhawk Technical College | Janesville | Wisconsin | Public | https://www.blackhawk.edu/Admissions/Credit-For-Prior-Learning | https://www.blackhawk.edu/Admissions |
| Boise State University | Boise | Idaho | Public | https://www.boisestate.edu/registrar/transfers/prior-learning-credit/ | https://www.boisestate.edu/admissions/ |
| Broward College | Fort Lauderdale | Florida | Public | https://www.broward.edu/admissions/credit-for-prior-learning/prior-learning-assessment.html | https://www.broward.edu/admissions/ |
| Bryan College | Dayton | Tennessee | Private | https://www.bryan.edu/wp-content/uploads/cpl-handbook.pdf | https://www.bryan.edu/admissions/ |
| California State University | multiple | California | Public | https://www.calstate.edu/ | https://www.calstate.edu/apply |
| Capella University | Minneapolis | Minnesota | Private | https://www.capella.edu/cpl/ | https://www.capella.edu/contact-us/ |
| Central Maine Community College | Auburn | Maine | Public | https://www.cmcc.edu/ | https://www.cmcc.edu/admissions/ |
| Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant | Michigan | Public | https://www.cmich.edu/ | https://www.cmich.edu/admissions |
| Central New Mexico Community College | Albuquerque | New Mexico | Public | https://www.cnm.edu/ | https://www.cnm.edu/depts/admissions |
| Century College | White Bear Lake | Minnesota | Public | https://www.century.edu/ | https://www.century.edu/admissions |
| Charter Oak State College | New Britain | Connecticut | Public | https://www.charteroak.edu/ | https://www.charteroak.edu/admissions/ |
| Chemeketa Community College | Salem | Oregon | Public | https://www.chemeketa.edu/ | https://www.chemeketa.edu/admission-aid/ |
| City University of New York (CUNY) | New York City | New York | Public | https://www.cuny.edu/ | https://www.cuny.edu/admissions/ |
| Clark College | Vancouver | Washington | Public | https://www.clark.edu/ | https://www.clark.edu/apply-and-register/admissions/ |
| Clinton Community College | Plattsburgh | New York | Public | https://www.clinton.edu/ | https://www.clinton.edu/admissions/ |
| Coffeyville Community College | Coffeyville | Kansas | Public | https://www.coffeyville.edu/ | https://www.coffeyville.edu/admissions/ |
| Colby Community College | Colby | Kansas | Public | https://www.colbycc.edu/ | https://www.colbycc.edu/admissions/ |
| Colorado Christian University | Lakewood | Colorado | Private | https://www.ccu.edu/ | https://www.ccu.edu/admissions/ |
| Colorado State University | Fort Collins | Colorado | Public | https://www.colostate.edu/ | https://admissions.colostate.edu/ |
| Colorado State University Global | Aurora | Colorado | Public | https://csuglobal.edu/tuition/transfer-credits/prior-learning-assessment | https://csuglobal.edu/admissions |
| Columbia College | Columbia | Missouri | Private | https://www.ccis.edu/ | https://www.ccis.edu/admissions |
| Davenport University | Grand Rapids | Michigan | Private | https://www.davenport.edu/ | https://www.davenport.edu/admissions |
| DeSales University | Center Valley | Pennsylvania | Private | https://www.desales.edu/ | https://www.desales.edu/admissions |
| DeVry University | Naperville | Illinois | For-Profit | https://www.devry.edu/ | https://www.devry.edu/admissions/ |
| Eastern Kentucky University | Richmond | Kentucky | Public | https://www.eku.edu/ | https://admissions.eku.edu/ |
| Edgewood College | Madison | Wisconsin | Private | https://www.edgewood.edu/ | https://www.edgewood.edu/admissions |
| Fayetteville State University | Fayetteville | North Carolina | Public | https://www.uncfsu.edu/ | https://www.uncfsu.edu/admissions |
| Fort Valley State University | Fort Valley | Georgia | Public | https://www.fvsu.edu/ | https://www.fvsu.edu/admissions/ |
| Fox Valley Technical College | Appleton | Wisconsin | Public | https://www.fvtc.edu/ | https://www.fvtc.edu/admissions |
| Friends University | Wichita | Kansas | Private | https://www.friends.edu/ | https://www.friends.edu/admissions/ |
| Harper College | Palatine | Illinois | Public | https://www.harpercollege.edu/ | https://www.harpercollege.edu/admissions/ |
| Highland Community College | Freeport | Illinois | Public | https://highland.edu/ | https://highland.edu/admissions/ |
| Iowa Western Community College | Council Bluffs | Iowa | Public | https://www.iwcc.edu/ | https://www.iwcc.edu/future-students/admissions/ |
| Jacksonville (FSCJ) | Jacksonville | Florida | Public | https://www.fscj.edu/academics/cpl | https://catalog.fscj.edu/student-services/admissions |
| Jarvis Christian University | Hawkins | Texas | Private | https://www.jarvis.edu/ | https://www.jarvis.edu/admissions/ |
| Jefferson College | Hillsboro | Missouri | Public | https://www.jeffco.edu/ | https://www.jeffco.edu/admissions |
| Kansas State University | Manhattan | Kansas | Public | https://www.k-state.edu/ | https://www.k-state.edu/admissions/ |
| Lakeland University | Plymouth | Wisconsin | Private | https://lakeland.edu/ | https://lakeland.edu/admissions |
| Lakeshore Technical College | Cleveland | Wisconsin | Public | https://gotoltc.edu/ | https://gotoltc.edu/admissions/ |
| Lamar University | Beaumont | Texas | Public | https://www.lamar.edu/ | https://www.lamar.edu/admissions/ |
| Lesley University | Cambridge | Massachusetts | Private | https://lesley.edu/ | https://lesley.edu/admissions |
| Linfield University | McMinnville | Oregon | Private | https://www.linfield.edu/ | https://www.linfield.edu/admission/ |
| Lone Star College | Houston | Texas | Public | https://www.lonestar.edu/discover-pla.htm | https://www.lonestar.edu/admissions.htm |
| Lower Columbia College | Longview | Washington | Public | https://lowercolumbia.edu/ | https://lowercolumbia.edu/admissions/ |
| Macomb Community College | Warren | Michigan | Public | https://www.macomb.edu/ | https://www.macomb.edu/admissions-aid/admissions.html |
| Medgar Evers College (CUNY) | Brooklyn | New York | Public | https://www.mec.cuny.edu/ | https://www.mec.cuny.edu/admissions/ |
| Metropolitan College | Louisville | Kentucky | Public | https://metro-college.com/ | https://metro-college.com/admissions/ |
| Miami Dade College | Miami | Florida | Public | https://www.mdc.edu/pla/ | https://www.mdc.edu/admissions/ |
| Midway University | Midway | Kentucky | Private | https://www.midway.edu/ | https://www.midway.edu/admissions/ |
| Minnesota State Colleges & Univ. | Multiple | Minnesota | Public | https://www.minnstate.edu/ | https://www.minnstate.edu/admissions/ |
| Montgomery College | Rockville | Maryland | Public | https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/ | https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/admissions/ |
| Moraine Park Technical College | Fond du Lac | Wisconsin | Public | https://www.morainepark.edu/ | https://www.morainepark.edu/admissions/ |
| Niagara County Community College | Sanborn | New York | Public | https://www.niagaracc.suny.edu/ | https://www.niagaracc.suny.edu/admissions/ |
| Northcentral Technical College | Wausau | Wisconsin | Public | https://www.ntc.edu/ | https://www.ntc.edu/admissions |
| Northern Kentucky University | Highland Heights | Kentucky | Public | https://www.nku.edu/ | https://www.nku.edu/admissions |
| Ohio Christian University | Circleville | Ohio | Private | https://www.ohiochristian.edu/ | https://www.ohiochristian.edu/admissions |
| Pace University | New York City | New York | Private | https://www.pace.edu/ | https://www.pace.edu/admissions |
| Pellissippi State Community College | Knoxville | Tennessee | Public | https://www.pstcc.edu/ | https://www.pstcc.edu/admissions/ |
| Penn State University | Abington | Pennsylvania | Public | https://www.abington.psu.edu/academics/registrar/pla | https://www.psu.edu/admission |
| Portland Community College | Portland | Oregon | Public | https://www.pcc.edu/ | https://www.pcc.edu/admissions/ |
| Portland State University | Portland | Oregon | Public | https://www.pdx.edu/ | https://www.pdx.edu/admissions |
| Post University | Waterbury | Connecticut | Private | https://post.edu/ | https://post.edu/admissions/ |
| Pulaski Technical College | North Little Rock | Arkansas | Public | https://uaptc.edu/ | https://uaptc.edu/admissions/ |
| Purdue University Global | West Lafayette | Indiana | Public | https://www.purdueglobal.edu/transfer-students/work-life-experience/ | https://www.purdueglobal.edu/admissions/ |
| Rio Salado College | Tempe | Arizona | Public | https://www.riosalado.edu/ | https://www.riosalado.edu/admissions |
| Rochester Community & Tech. College | Rochester | Minnesota | Public | https://www.rctc.edu/ | https://www.rctc.edu/admissions/ |
| Rogue Community College | Grants Pass | Oregon | Public | https://www.roguecc.edu/ | https://www.roguecc.edu/admissions/ |
| Savannah State University | Savannah | Georgia | Public | https://www.savannahstate.edu/ | https://www.savannahstate.edu/admissions/ |
| Simmons University | Boston | Massachusetts | Private | https://www.simmons.edu/ | https://www.simmons.edu/admission |
| South Dakota State University | Brookings | South Dakota | Public | https://www.sdstate.edu/ | https://www.sdstate.edu/admissions |
| Southeast Arkansas College | Pine Bluff | Arkansas | Public | https://seark.edu/ | https://seark.edu/admissions/ |
| Southern New Hampshire University | Manchester | New Hampshire | Private | https://www.snhu.edu/ | https://www.snhu.edu/admission |
| Southwest Wisconsin Tech College | Fennimore | Wisconsin | Public | https://www.swtc.edu/ | https://www.swtc.edu/admissions/ |
| Spokane Falls Community College | Spokane | Washington | Public | https://sfcc.spokane.edu/ | https://sfcc.spokane.edu/Admissions |
| Strayer University | Washington | D.C. | For-Profit | https://www.strayer.edu/ | https://www.strayer.edu/admissions |
| Temple University | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | Public | https://www.temple.edu/ | https://admissions.temple.edu/ |
| Thomas Edison State University | Trenton | New Jersey | Public | https://www.tesu.edu/ | https://www.tesu.edu/admissions |
| Tulane University | New Orleans | Louisiana | Private | https://tulane.edu/ | https://admission.tulane.edu/ |
| University of Akron | Akron | Ohio | Public | https://www.uakron.edu/ | https://www.uakron.edu/admissions/ |
| University of Arizona | Tucson | Arizona | Public | https://www.arizona.edu/ | https://admissions.arizona.edu/ |
| University of Colorado | Boulder | Colorado | Public | https://www.colorado.edu/ | https://www.colorado.edu/admissions |
| University of Maine at Presque Isle | Presque Isle | Maine | Public | https://www.umpi.edu/academics/credit-for-prior-learning/ | https://www.umpi.edu/admissions/what-does-it-take-to-be-accepted/ |
| University of Maryland | College Park | Maryland | Public | https://www.umd.edu/ | https://www.admissions.umd.edu/ |
| University of Maryland Global Campus | Adelphi | Maryland | Public | https://www.umgc.edu/transfers-and-credits/fast-paths-to-credit/prior-learning | https://www.umgc.edu/admissions |
| University of Massachusetts | Amherst | Massachusetts | Public | https://www.umass.edu/ | https://www.umass.edu/admissions |
| University of Memphis | Memphis | Tennessee | Public | https://www.memphis.edu/ | https://www.memphis.edu/admissions/ |
| University of Phoenix | Phoenix | Arizona | For-Profit | https://www.phoenix.edu/ | https://www.phoenix.edu/admissions |
| University of Wisconsin | Madison | Wisconsin | Public | https://www.wisc.edu/ | https://admissions.wisc.edu/ |
| Virginia Western Community College | Roanoke | Virginia | Public | https://www.virginiawestern.edu/ | https://www.virginiawestern.edu/admissions/ |
| Walden College | Minneapolis | Minnesota | For-Profit | https://www.waldenu.edu/ | https://www.waldenu.edu/admissions |
| Washburn University | Topeka | Kansas | Public | https://www.washburn.edu/ | https://www.washburn.edu/admissions/ |
| Waukesha County Technical College | Pewaukee | Wisconsin | Public | https://www.wctc.edu/ | https://www.wctc.edu/admissions/ |
| Western Governors University | Millcreek (Salt Lake City) | Utah | Private, Nonprofit | https://www.wgu.edu/admissions/transfers.html | https://www.wgu.edu/admissions |
| Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo | Michigan | Public | https://wmich.edu/education/priorlearning | https://wmich.edu/admissions |
| Westfield State University | Westfield | Massachusetts | Public | https://www.westfield.ma.edu/ | https://www.westfield.ma.edu/admissions |
| Wichita State University | Wichita | Kansas | Public | https://www.wichita.edu/ | https://www.wichita.edu/admissions/ |
| Wilmington University | New Castle | Delaware | Private | https://www.wilmu.edu/ | https://www.wilmu.edu/admissions |
| Wisconsin Lutheran College | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | Private | https://www.wlc.edu/ | https://www.wlc.edu/admissions/ |
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