Your Knowledge and Experience Have Value - Earn Undergraduate or Graduate Credit and Reach Your Degree Sooner.
GVSU recognizes that your learning extends beyond the classroom. Whether that's work experience, military service, professional learning, technical training or knowledge you've learned through volunteer and service work, we value your diverse perspectives and want to help you earn credit for what you know. Explore all your options to earn credit below.
For additional questions, please connect with our Prior Learning Specialist: [email protected]
Transfer credit may be awarded for credits/hours earned at another College or University. If you attended other institutions in the past, submit all your official transcripts to the Registrar's office at [email protected] to be evaluated for potential transfer credit. Review our course equivalency guide to see how your classes might transfer to Grand Valley.
Grand Valley reviews and accepts test results that are developed and administered by nationally recognized boards. GVSU also administers challenge exams, developed and assessed by faculty, that allow you to demonstrate how your knowledge and learning fulfills the learning outcomes of a specific course. The cost varies; Math and Language tests are free, Engineering charges between $50 - $100.
If you have work experience, a professional license or certificate, have completed workplace training programs, or have other learning or experiences that correspond to college-level learning, then you should consider submitting a portfolio to demonstrate that knowledge. GVSU can determine if your previous experience and learning can be awarded credit through a portfolio assessment. The cost is $150 for each portfolio submission. For questions related to the Portfolio Assessment process, please contact our Prior Learning Specialist at [email protected].
Experiential credit may be awarded for non-college professional learning or licensure acquired in business, industry, government, as well as military training.
At the graduate level, professional learning credit can be earned through the following methods:
- Challenge Exam: A graduate program may offer oral, practical, and/or written challenge exams approved by their department curriculum committees to assess students' mastery and application of graduate level knowledge and skills.
- Individualized Assessment: This type of assessment may include portfolio review, performance-based assessment, and demonstration of mastery and application of graduate level knowledge and skills.
- Cost is $250 for each assessment.