Credit for Prior Experiential Learning

Prior experiential learning is learning acquired outside of a formal academic setting. It provides knowledge, understanding, or intellectual skills expected of students who pursue a baccalaureate degree at a liberal arts and sciences college and takes place prior to admission. Prior experiential learning usually results from independent reading or study from employment, from serving an internship or from some other related activity. To obtain credit for prior experiential learning, students must be able to articulate in some acceptable way what they have learned and must be able to demonstrate that it is equivalent to the academic work done by college students. Credit will only be granted for experiences occurring after the completion of high school.

Students who have been accepted for admission and wish to receive credit for prior experiential learning must submit an application (available in the Office of the Registrar) to the appropriate department chair if the credit is for a major. For elective or general education credit, the application should be submitted directly to the Registrar.

The department chair (or relevant academic department/faculty committee) or Registrar will evaluate the application, including a personal interview and any necessary demonstrations, to determine if academic credit should be awarded. If approved, the application is processed by the Office of the Registrar for final approval and processing. The Office of Student Accounts will then collect the Experiential Credit award fee. Approved experiential credits will be recorded on the student’s record with a grade of ‘CR’.

No more than 30 credits for prior experiential learning may be included in credits required for graduation. No more than 90 credits earned through the combination of transfer credit, equivalency examinations and prior experiential learning may be applied toward a Hartwick degree.