Prior Learning Assessment

A student may challenge a course for which that student believes prior training and/or study is adequate to meet the instructor’s course requirements. All Guaranteed Transfer courses (courses found in the Aims Catalog with an attribute in brackets) and some CTE courses may be challenged. This credit will be allowed based on the following conditions and procedures:

• You must be currently enrolled at Aims Community College.
• You may not use a course challenge for a course in which you are currently enrolled.
• Submit the Course Challenge form to the academic department offering the course. The department may request additional documentation. 
• Upon approval by the faculty advisor or program chair and the division authority, you will be offered the opportunity to complete the requirements for the course challenge.
• Upon successfully completing the requirements for the course challenge, you will be awarded full credit for the course. A grade of “S” (Satisfactory) will be recorded when the approved form is submitted to the Registration & Records Office by the division authority.
• The credit will not affect your GPA, will meet Aims residency requirements, but will not contribute to eligibility requirements for financial aid or veteran’s benefits.

Credit for business and industry training is based on recommendations contained in the American Council on Education (ACE) National Guide to College Credit for Workforce Training, and the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS). To apply for credit, submit an official transcript to the Student Enrollment & Records Office.

Credit for learning gained in the U.S. Military is based on the American Council on Education (ACE) Military Guide credit recommendations found on a Joint Services Transcript (JST), or a Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) report for current or former Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps or Navy personnel or on a Community College of the Air Force Transcript (CCAF) for Air Force personnel. Service members or veterans can request a copy of their JST on the JST site and, if needed, can request updates or corrections to their JST with service-specific support. The JST eliminates the need for the DD Form 295.

For consideration of transfer credit, have official transcripts or other documentation of military training and occupations sent to Aims.

Military learning experiences must be applicable to the student’s declared degree or certificate program for credit to be awarded. Aims offers credit for achievement and knowledge gained outside the traditional classroom through standardized tests such as: 

Many courses have a national, standardized test that you can take and transfer to Aims. If a standardized test is not available for a course, you may be able to challenge a course or submit a portfolio at Aims to earn credit for prior learning.

Credits will not be awarded simply for years of experience. Rather, students will be required to document and/or demonstrate what content relevant knowledge, skills or competencies they attained as a result of those experiences. 

Please note that because of state licensing or program requirements, there may be some courses for which a challenge is not available.

How It Works

In order to be awarded college credit, a student’s learning must meet certain criteria as outlined below:

• The learning must be publicly verifiable. The student must be able to demonstrate to an expert in the field what learning occurred, and such an expert will be able to objectively measure and evaluate the learning.
• The learning must be equivalent to college-level work in terms of quality and must be equivalent to an approved Aims Community College course, based on the most current Aims Catalog. 
• The learning must have a general applicability outside of the specific situation in which it was acquired. For example, credit will not be awarded for knowing the specific procedures for processing personnel applications that apply to only one company. Students must be able to generalize the learning to many situations, as it relates to the actual course for which credit is sought.

Please check with department to find out what courses are eligible for prior learning credit.