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Prior Learning Credit

Prior Learning Credit

Prior Learning Credit is used to reference various methods of earning college credit for previous experiences that are not automatically transferred to a students record at their point of Admission. This includes military experience, approved equivalency via certifications, and coursework taken at non-regionally accredited institutions.

Coursework of this type must be requested via this page to be articulated to your record. In addition to the approval of an advisor and Dean's Office, students must have the corresponding documentation on record with the WVU Office of Admissions. Approved coursework will be translated as listed within the transfer credit database, and with a grade of CR.

Military Experience Credit

West Virginia University has an established a database for the ACE (American Council on Education) approved postings on the JST (Joint Service Transcript). Veteran students must submit their JST to the WVU Office of Admissions in order for any coursework to be posted. Student may utilize this page, and subsequent processes, to request the experiences be articulated as credit to their record.

Please see our subsequent page for more information on Military Credit.

Credit via Certification

Students with professional level certifications may request to have approved equivalents for these experiences articulated to their record. Such certifications must first be reviewed and approved by the department awarding the credit. If deemed to be college level and worthy of articulation, equivalent WVU coursework or elective credit may be awarded.

To have your certifications added to your record, please forward a copy of your certification to transfer@mail.wvu.edu.

Non-Regionally Accredited Transfer Credits

West Virginia University's acceptance standard is to automatically transfer credits and grades from any college level coursework from regionally accredited institutions. Students with coursework from institutions that lack regional accreditation must request approval to have such coursework articulated. In order for any such coursework to be articulated, an official transcript from the institution must be submitted to the WVU Office of Admissions.

Except for credit for military service, students are limited to articulating a total of 18 hours of Credit for Prior Learning to their record. No more than 9 hours may be major requirements. Special exception beyond that limit must be approved by the Dean of your college.

Certain West Virginia University colleges and programs may have increased limitations on the acceptance and/or use of Prior Learning Credit.

To confirm WVU has evaluated your Prior Learning Credit, you and your advisor can access the transfer credit database to determine how the course(s) will translate to your record (downloading and installing the launcher is required).

If you wish to articulate Prior Learning Credit that is not listed, you must request that it be added to the database via the Transfer Equivalency Review Request (TERR). Coursework taken at a non-regionally accredited institution will require a syllabus. Credit earned via certification or military experience will need to utilize the specialized form in lieu of a syllabus. In most cases, the review process takes 5 to 10 business days.

Request Prior Learning Credit Articulation to apply coursework under this umbrella to your record. You will need to download the PDF, complete and save it, and then email it to your advisor for review and submission to the Dean's Office for approval.

Information for advisors

Once a student has emailed you a Prior Credit form, you can verify and submit the request using the Prior Credit Approval Process