Frequently Asked Questions

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL)/Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is one way that colleges and universities can evaluate a person’s college-level extra-institutional learning for the purposes of awarding college credit or advanced standing.  FGCU offers opportunities for undergraduate Returning Students to earn credit following a formal review of their evidence of learning and the associated learning outcomes and competencies of a corresponding course(s) at FGCU.

Prior Learning is a term used by educators to describe learning that a person acquires outside of a traditional academic environment. The learning may have been acquired through work experience, employer training programs, independent study, non-credit courses, volunteer or community service, travel, or non-college courses or seminars. 

Students who did not traditionally matriculate directly into a university environment upon completion of high school. This also includes stop-out students who began college previously and, after a gap of time, return to complete a degree.

You should consider CPL/PLA if you have extensive work, volunteer or military experience, current certifications, licenses or industry credentials or have completed professional training programs.

You should consider CPL/PLA early in your educational planning to prevent taking classes on material you already know. 

CPL/PLA may be awarded after you meet the following requirements: 

• Apply for admission and be accepted
• Declare a program of study 
• Pay the required PLA fees
• Complete steps outlined for PLA method(s)
• Receive evaluation that knowledge/skills are college-level

To apply as a degree-seeking student, go to apply.fgcu.edu and create an Eagle account, then complete the online application. All official transcripts from previous colleges and high schools must be sent to Undergraduate Admissions directly from previous institutions. To apply as a non-degree-seeking student for up to 15 credit hours, create a Future Eagle account at the same web address and select “Non-Degree” on the online application. There is a one-time, non-refundable application fee of $30. Students receive decisions on their applications within a couple of weeks, and those admitted as degree-seeking students will be directed to connect with an FGCU Complete navigator.
RETURNING TO THE NEST
Former FGCU students should check details for readmission online at fgcu.edu/readmission.

Five-minute quiz developed by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) to assist Returning Students in determining the best fit for pursuing credit through CPL/PLA and to learn more about CPL/PLA.

Yes. Consult with an FGCU Complete Navigator and/or Faculty Assessor, who can help you decide if CPL/PLA is right for you and which courses you may challenge.

A designated staff member to work with returning students to interpret credit predictor quiz results and determine eligibility in consultation with CAEL certified faculty.  

A faculty member selected in collaboration with the program administrator to assess student outcomes and Prior Learning experiences. Faculty Assessors are experts in their discipline.

Within an undergraduate degree program, a maximum of forty-five (45) semester hours earned through traditional Accelerated Mechanisms, as outlined in FGCU Regulation 2.001, Undergraduate Admissions, can be applied toward a degree. FGCU includes CPL/PLA in this maximum. Within the 45-Credit Hour limit, FGCU allows individual programs to determine how many Credit Hours may be earned toward the upper-level requirements of the major.

Yes. Consult with an FGCU Complete Navigator, who can help you decide the CPL/PLA method(s) right for the courses you will challenge.

The process to earn CPL/PLA varies depending on the type. A portfolio assessment can take up to a maximum of 16 weeks, depending on your work, compared to a challenge exam, which could take 1-2 weeks. 

The Learning Contract is an agreement document that all parties will sign to outline what you and FGCU are responsible for completing in order to earn credit.  

Candidates for CPL/PLA should be able to demonstrate mastery of at least eighty percent (80%) of the course-level student learning outcomes documented on the course syllabi that have been developed by teaching faculty. Individual programs or departments may require mastery at a higher percentage or through achievement of specific outcomes. 

CPL/PLA is not guaranteed. Fees paid for assessment are non-refundable. 

No.

No.

CPL/PLA may transfer. Students who plan to transfer to another college or university should check with that school to be sure the PLA will transfer. Credits awarded will be designated as “Pass” for courses where CPL/PLA credit hour(s) are awarded. 

A Credit Hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes, and verified by evidence of student achievement, that is an institutionally established equivalency.

No. CPL/PLA hours do not count as hours of enrollment for the purposes of financial aid.

No.