Credit for Prior Learning

Have you completed college-level coursework or taken exams for college credit? Have you gained valuable knowledge and skills through your job, military service, professional certifications, apprenticeships, or other learning experiences outside the classroom?
You may be eligible to earn academic credit for what you already know.

Earn Credit

Through Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), UNLV evaluates whether your prior learning is equivalent to the learning outcomes of a specific UNLV course. If you demonstrate college-level mastery of those outcomes, you may be awarded academic credit.

Earning CPL may help you save time and money, avoid repeating material you have already mastered, and make faster progress toward your degree.

Ways to Earn Credit for Prior Learning at UNLV

Credit by Exam

You may be able to earn academic credit for the equivalent UNLV course by meeting the required score on an approved standardized or departmental exam.

Explore credit opportunities through the following exams:

Some UNLV academic departments also offer exams for credit in select subjects. Students should contact the appropriate academic department for more information.

Military Education and Training

UNLV recognizes the valuable knowledge and skills gained through military service and training. You may be eligible to earn academic credit for approved military coursework, training experiences, or acceptable correspondence, extension, or U.S. Armed Forces Institute courses.

As a member of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges network, UNLV is committed to supporting military-connected students by recognizing applicable military training and learning, facilitating the transfer of relevant course credits, and providing flexible academic residency requirements.

Professional Experience and Certifications

If you have gained college-level knowledge through professional certifications, workplace training, or other learning experiences outside the classroom, you may be eligible to earn academic credit.

Approved industry or professional certifications can help demonstrate what you have already learned. To receive credit, you must provide documentation of a certification that has been evaluated and aligned with a specific UNLV course. Earning credit for professional experience or certifications may help you gain recognition for what you already know and avoid repeating coursework that covers material you have already mastered.

This page contains more information on professional certifications, workplace training, and other learning experiences that are currently articulated to specific UNLV courses.

Transfer Credit

If you have completed college coursework at another accredited institution, you may be able to transfer those credits to UNLV. Transfer credit can help you build on your previous academic work, save time and money, and make progress toward your degree.

Use Transferology to explore how your courses may transfer. This nationwide transfer network allows you to compare completed coursework and other eligible learning experiences with UNLV course equivalencies, helping you and your Academic Advisor better understand your transfer options before you enroll.