Accelerated Credit Mechanisms
Life-Experience Acceleration Path (LEAP)
Eastern Florida recognizes that valid learning can take place in non-traditional and non-collegiate environments. The Life-Experience Accelerated Path (LEAP) program serves to assist students with previous work experience, prior education, military training, industry certifications, volunteering activities, etc., to accelerate their education by utilizing various Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) mechanisms, such as the ones listed below. For more information, complete the Earn College Credit for Prior Life or Work Experience form or email.
Eastern Florida defines accelerated credit mechanisms as standardized ways to earn credit outside a traditional academic environment.
Prior Learning Assessment Credit Evaluation Guidelines
A maximum of 45 semester hours of combined accelerated credit in any combination of correspondence and extension, credit by examination (national standardized exams such as IB, CLEP, DSST, AP, AICE, etc.), credit for military training and experience, credit for professional training (ACE), credit for licensure, certifications or third party training, DANTES, or other non-traditional means of earning credit may be applied toward an Associate's degree of 60 hours.
Students must complete at least 25 percent of institutional credits of their degree through courses taken at EFSC. For example, 15 institutional credits for a 60 credit degree and 30 institutional credits for degrees with 120 credits which include the B.A.S. and B.S. degrees.
Eastern Florida reserves the right to evaluate credit from accelerated means other than those listed above. Students are welcome to submit documentation and official records for consideration. Examination scores must be submitted on an official score report from the organization administering the examination. Approved accelerated credit is posted to the academic record along with the source of the credit.
Students transferring to another institution after being awarded accelerated credit should review the transfer guidelines maintained by the receiving institution. Acceptance of credit awarded through any accelerated mechanism is dependent upon the policies of the other colleges and universities, even if the credit appears on a transcript from Eastern Florida. The decision to accept transfer credit is made by the receiving institution.
Eastern Florida follows the Florida Department of Education guidelines in acceptance of credit for nationally standardized accelerated mechanisms, allowing students to proceed toward their educational goals as rapidly as possible. Credit is awarded in accordance with recommendations established by the statewide Articulation Coordinating Committee (ACC). Section 1007.27(2) Florida Statutes requires the ACC to establish passing scores, course and credit equivalents for the following:
Advanced Placement (AP)
Advanced Placement exams are taken after students complete the corresponding AP course in high school. Credit toward an Eastern Florida degree is offered to those high school students who earn AP test scores of three (3) or higher. The amount of credit awarded depends on the score received. AP, including descriptions of courses and sample questions are available here.
Advanced International Certificate of Education (Cambridge AICE)
The AICE program is an international, advanced secondary curriculum and assessment program equivalent to the British system of “A-Levels.” Credit is awarded based on passing scores as recommended by the statewide Articulation Coordinating Committee (ACC). Information about the program, including course syllabi, can be found online.
Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE)
The Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) provides certification of the academic, vocational, and technical achievement of students in the Caribbean who, having completed a minimum of five years of secondary education, wish to further their studies. Minimum satisfactory scores for accelerated credit are set by the State Board of Education and are subject to change. The State of Florida maintains an approved list of equivalencies and information for various kinds of accelerated opportunities. It can be found on the FloridaShines website.
College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
CLEP exams test mastery of college-level material acquired in a variety of ways - through general academic instructions, significant independent study or extracurricular work. CLEP exam-takers include adults just entering or returning to school, military service members and traditional college students. More information about CLEP, including recent test information guides and how to order a transcript, can be found online at the CLEP website.
Credit by Institutional Exam (CBIE)
Eligible students may earn college credit at Eastern Florida through successful completion of a Credit by Institutional Exam (CBIE) also known as a Course Challenge Exam. This is a comprehensive course final exam created by EFSC faculty. This option is not available for credit in courses for which CLEP or other national exam mechanisms exist, or for a course that has not been identified as eligible for CBIE. Credits received through CBIE do not apply toward the 25% residency requirement for Eastern Florida degrees and/or certificates.
A grade of “S” is given for each successfully completed exam and will not calculate into student’s GPA.
Eligibility for students to take a CBIE Exam
- Student may only request an exam based upon the bank of exams that are currently available.
- Student must be currently enrolled and in good academic standing at Eastern Florida.
- Student must be an active degree-seeking student. If exam is requested to satisfy a prerequisite for admission to a limited access program, the program must be listed as a minor on the student’s record.
- Students may be provided the opportunity for CBIE for those courses where accelerated mechanisms have been identified in the course plans and/or otherwise approved by the appropriate cluster chair.
- Student must have completed the residency requirement of 25% of credits for the applicable Eastern Florida degree or certificate.
- Student must be otherwise eligible for enrollment in the course (i.e. has met placement and prerequisite standards, be within the allowable number of course attempts, etc.)
- Student must not be currently enrolled in the course.
- Student must not previously have received a grade of “C” or higher in the course.
- Student must not previously have attempted CBIE for the course.
- Student must have completed the appropriate request form, obtained the appropriate approvals, and paid the appropriate fee.
- Student may attempt the same subject exam only once.
Procedure for student to request CBIE
- Student will contact the office of the Coordinator of Accelerated Learning to obtain the Credit by Institutional Exam form to petition for CBIE. Student completes the student section of the form and submits it to Coordinator for review.
- Coordinator will review the request to include:
- The eligibility of student for CBIE.
- The eligibility of course for acceleration method.
- The availability of exam in current inventory.
- If the course and student meet eligibility requirements and a test for that course is not in the CBIE inventory, an exam may be requested from faculty. If an exam is in current inventory, the Coordinator, will verify with the faculty, Department Chair or Cluster Chair, the validity of the exam form matching current course content, prior to administration. If test form is made available and/or is current to administer, the CBIE process may continue.
- Coordinator will complete the Credit by Institutional Exam form indicating approval for the process to administer the CBIE exam.
- Student will contact the office of the Director of College-wide Testing to:
- Schedule the exam and to have the fee assessed to the student account (per the College Fee Schedule/Testing Fees).
- At the scheduled appointment, student must provide photo Identification and approved form with proof of fee payment.
Email for additional information.
Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT)
As part of the Army Training and Doctrine Command, the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center provides resident instruction at the Presidio of Monterey in two dozen languages, five days a week, seven hours per day, with two to three hours of homework each night. Per AAC recommendation, credit may be awarded for Arabic, Chinese Mandarin, Japanese, Portuguese, or Russian.
Defense Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)
The Defense Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) Examination Program (formerly DANTES Subject Standardized Tests) measures earned achievement in specific college courses and in calculated credit hours. More information about DSST exams, including descriptions of test content and sample examination questions, is available here.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
The International Baccalaureate program is a challenging curriculum offered in high schools around the world. It is designed to prepare students for advanced work in many countries’ postsecondary systems. Because it is international, the curriculum is not always as closely aligned with courses in American colleges and universities as are Advanced Placement courses. Eastern Florida will award IB diploma students college credit based upon IB exam scores. Students must request that official IB exam scores and high school transcript be sent to Eastern Florida for evaluation and the awarding of credit per State Board Rule 6A – 10.024(8). To request transcripts or for more information visit IB program.
General Guidelines
- Scores must be submitted on an official score report from the organization administering the examination.
- Students may earn a maximum of 45 credits for an associate level degree and 90 semester hours toward a bachelor’s level degree through a combination of accelerated mechanisms and transfer work.
- Duplicate credit cannot be awarded, i.e. if student has already received a grade of “C” or higher for a course, student will not be awarded credit for the course again. This includes elective credit, i.e. if a student has credit for ENC 1101 Composition 1, and submits transfer credit for ENC 1101 Composition 1, elective credit will not be awarded.
- Courses may be used for grade forgiveness purposes if student did not previously pass the course.
- The grade of “S” is given for each course and will not calculate into student’s GPA.
- Students must be cognizant of initial testing and retake policies for each exam. Some exams require students to wait a specific amount of time before they can retake the exam.
- For graduation purposes, exams must be taken and successfully passed prior to the last date of the month in which graduation is sought.
American Council on Education – ACE
Professional Training/Experience
The American Council on Education’s National Guide to College Credit for Workforce Training contains transfer credit recommendations for formal courses or examinations offered by various organizations, from businesses and unions to the government and military.
Eastern Florida considers equivalency course guidelines for the American Council of Education (ACE) but the College reserves the right to exercise its own judgment when evaluating the credit-granting recommendations of ACE. To request evaluation for credit, the student must provide an official transcript from ACE. For information on ordering an ACE transcript, please visit the American Council on Education (ACE) website.
Military Training/Experience
In recognition of the advanced academic and technical content of many military educational experiences, Eastern Florida may grant appropriate credits for military training that is evaluated by the American Council of Education (ACE) as suitable for postsecondary credit.
It is at the discretion of the College to award this credit; recommendations in the ACE Guide are advisory only and not binding on the College. Eastern Florida does not accept certificates or other training documents for evaluation.
Credits will appear on the student’s transcript as earned credit with an "S" grade only. No duplicate credit may be earned. A maximum of 45 semester hours of combined credit from accelerated mechanisms and/or prior learning assessment can be applied toward an associate level degree and 90 semester hours toward a bachelor's level degree.
Students who wish to receive transfer credit for military service in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard must provide an official Joint Services Transcript (JST). Order transcripts online at Joint Services Transcript.
Students who wish to receive transfer credit for service in the Air Force must provide an official transcript from the Air University. Order transcripts online at Air University.
Credit for Licensure, Certification or Third Party Training through Articulated Agreements
Students who possess current industry certifications, licensures, specified training, Career & Technical Certificates (CTC) and/or Applied Technology Diplomas (ATD) may be eligible to receive free college credit in various Associate in Science (AS) programs. You also can learn more about statewide articulation agreements at the Florida Department of Education website.
High School Articulated Credit/Advance Standing Credit
Students who have recently completed approved Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at Brevard Public Schools may be eligible to receive Eastern Florida credit at no cost. Agreements exist in areas such as Drafting, Graphic Design, Criminal Justice, and TV Production. Students who are working toward the related Associate in Science degree, a College Credit Certificate or a Postsecondary Adult Vocational Certificate can save time and money by following this career pathway and receive college credit at no cost. View the EFSC website for more information.
Industry Certifications
Credit may be awarded when a credential or a license is broadly recognized in the industry or in the career area and the student has demonstrated experience in the field. Competency-based credit pertains to specific national, or state credentials or licenses as reviewed and agreed upon by college faculty and administration. Students who hold current industry certifications may be eligible to receive college credit in the related career program. Specific industry certification agreements identify the equivalent college credit.
Career & Technical Certificates (CTC) Certificates & Applied Technology Diplomas (ATD)
Career & Technical Certificates (CTC) and Applied Technology Diploma (ATD) programs consist of a series of courses that prepare students for entry level employment in specific career fields. Students who have earned a CTC or an ATD and are continuing their education in a related AS degree program, may be eligible to earn college credit via state mandated articulated agreements.
Third Party Agreements, Industry Exams & Licensure
EFSC may award credit for industry training or licensure provided by external agencies for designated programs. Agreements have been created between external agencies and the College. These agreements include in-house training by local employers with the equivalent college credit identified.
Evaluation of Transcripts from Other Postsecondary Institutions
Eastern Florida accepts college credit earned at other institutions as transfer credit if the institution is regionally accredited, or the institution is accredited by an accrediting body approved by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) in accordance with specific policies. The mode of delivery (online, open-entry/open-exit, or hybrid) or the term design (compressed, fast track, traditional 15-16 weeks) does not factor into credit transferability. (Per F.S. 1004.09 and Rule 6A- 14.0304.)
Eastern Florida will consider each transcript and analyze credit for transfer in terms of level, content, quality, comparability and degree program relevance. Credit accepted must represent collegiate course work appropriate to the degree, with content and level of instruction resulting in student competencies at least equivalent to those of students enrolled in Eastern Florida’s degree programs. Contact the EFSC Registrar's Office for assistance.
Emails are sent to the student’s EFSC email account the evening that a transcript evaluation is completed. Students can also view the applicability of transfer work to the degree through the myGPS degree audit.
A minimum of 25 percent of the credits within a program must be taken through institutional coursework at EFSC. Credits awarded through any transfer mechanism, either traditional or accelerated credit, do not count toward the 25 percent residency requirement.
For more information, refer to the Transfer Credit Guidelines found on the EFSC website.
Transfer Credit Award
- Credit is awarded provided the credit earned is in an appropriate area, at an appropriate level, and student earned a final grade of “C” or higher.
- Transfer credits are awarded with a “grade” of TA, TB, or TC, will count as attempts and satisfy prerequisites but will not calculate into the student’s grade point average at Eastern Florida. Courses with grades below a “C” will not normally be transferred. Students may request a course with a grade of "D" be transferred, if it will satisfy a requirement. If transferred at the written request of the student, the earned grade (e.g. a “D”) will transfer at face value and will calculate into the student’s cumulative GPA. Under no circumstances will a grade of "F" be transferred.
- Courses taken by Eastern Florida students as “transient” at another institution will transfer back with the earned grade and will calculate into the student’s cumulative GPA.
- Credits earned at Eastern Florida are based on semester hours; therefore, all transfer work is converted to equivalent semester hours, i.e. quarter hours will be multiplied by .66 to obtain equivalent semester hours.
- Transfer work awarded prior to January 2013 and courses without a “T” in front of the grade contribute to the cumulative GPA of the student's Eastern Florida record.
- Credits earned at regionally accredited institutions and non-public institutions that participate in the Florida Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS) , and for which there are comparable courses or requirements at EFSC are posted to the student's academic record as defined by the SCNS.
- EFSC will consider and evaluate credits from a non-regionally accredited institution on a course-by-course basis.
- Credits at the upper-division college level are not generally accepted for transfer for associate degree programs. Upper-division courses are accepted for transfer toward associate degrees only if the course meets a specific lower-division requirement by program manager approval or is equivalent per the Florida Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS).
- Credits awarded for online courses are evaluated in the same manner as face-to-face courses and the same policies for transfer apply. In addition, review credit awarded for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC).
- Developmental courses in English, reading and math are not transferred. If the course was taken at a Florida College System (FCS) institution, the student’s record will be annotated so that the student can take the next level course. Out-of-state or private college developmental credit does not qualify for transfer or placement purposes. Students who transfer without a college-level English or math course must take the placement exam unless otherwise exempt.
- Transcripts from international institutions, including those in the English language, require an official evaluation (at the expense of the student) from an external agency recommended by Eastern Florida. Students should only utilize qualified agencies. See the “International Students” section for more information.
All credit that is transferred to Eastern Florida will become part of the student's permanent academic record and will appear on the transcript. Credits will be applied in the most appropriate manner to the student's program of study in the areas of general electives, general education, program courses, and other academic requirements. In some cases, credit may contribute to excess hours on the student record.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC)
In compliance with F.S. 1004.0961 and Rule 6A-14.0304 - Online Courses, the College offers the following guidelines regarding online courses taken prior to Eastern Florida enrollment. Eastern Florida recognizes the value of a massive open online course (MOOC) as an alternative mode of learning, especially for developing skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. However, MOOCs cannot be directly transferred to the College for credit-granting purposes. Students seeking credit for a MOOC must contact the institution offering the course to complete the credit requirements at that institution. The credit would then be awarded on that institution's transcript as credit and transferred to Eastern Florida for credit-transfer consideration.
Other ways MOOCS can produce college credit are through the American Council on Education (ACE) recommendation for credit, or the MOOC may contribute to prior learning assessment credit as one of the components considered for accelerated education.
Student Responsibilities for Transfer Credit Evaluations
- Student must be active and degree seeking. See the EFSC Transfer student application steps.
- It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all transcripts from other colleges are sent to the Office of the Registrar to complete the admissions requirement. Final, official transcripts may be sent electronically or by paper, and must be sent directly from the institution to Eastern Florida. Consideration for transfer credit will be made only from a final official transcript.
- Students are advised to submit transcripts at least six weeks before the beginning of the semester.
- Financial aid will not be awarded until all required transcripts are on file.
Students play an active role in collecting required data for evaluation and may be asked to provide documentation from the sending institution about course content, faculty credentials, textbooks or other criteria used in the evaluation process.
Students may appeal a transfer decision by contacting the Office of the Registrar. Students are advised to provide thorough and complete documentation with the appeal. The request will be reviewed by members of the Office of the Registrar and appropriate faculty when necessary.