Prior learning assessment: CLEP, DSST and military credit

Prior learning assessment (PLA) turns what you already know into college credit. A College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exam costs $97 in 2026, plus a test center or $30 remote proctoring fee, and most passing scores carry a 3-credit recommendation. Source · College Board: Register for a CLEP exam

The proof can also be military training on your Joint Services Transcript, a professional course evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE) or the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS), or a portfolio a faculty member reviews.

Five ways to earn credit for what you know

Each path has its own cost and its own proof. Your school decides which ones it accepts and how many credits each is worth.

Path	What you show	Cost to you
CLEP (College Board)	A score of 50 or higher on one of 34 exams	$97 plus test center or $30 remote fee
DSST	A passing score; over 1,500 colleges award credit	$100 plus any test site fee
Joint Services Transcript	Military training and jobs with ACE credit recommendations	No charge to order
ACE or NCCRS evaluated training	Workplace or professional courses already evaluated for credit	Varies by provider
Portfolio assessment	Evidence from work matched to a course, reviewed by faculty	Set by each school

Path CLEP (College Board)

What you show A score of 50 or higher on one of 34 exams

Cost to you $97 plus test center or $30 remote fee

Path DSST

What you show A passing score; over 1,500 colleges award credit

Cost to you $100 plus any test site fee

Path Joint Services Transcript

What you show Military training and jobs with ACE credit recommendations

Cost to you No charge to order

Path ACE or NCCRS evaluated training

What you show Workplace or professional courses already evaluated for credit

Cost to you Varies by provider

Path Portfolio assessment

What you show Evidence from work matched to a course, reviewed by faculty

Cost to you Set by each school

DSST lists its fee and college count on its own site. The Joint Services Transcript is free to order through the Department of Defense. Source · DSST: About the program

Most passing CLEP scores are worth 3 credits

ACE recommends a credit amount for each CLEPCLEP, College-Level Examination Program. College Board exams that can earn you college credit for what you already know, if your school accepts them. exam. Most are worth 3 semester hours. A few are worth more.

CLEP exam	Score	Semester hours
College Composition	50	6
English Literature	50	6
Social Sciences and History	50	6
Biology	50	6
Chemistry	50	6
Natural Sciences	50	6
Calculus	50	4
Spanish Language, Level 1	50	6
Spanish Language, Level 2	63	9
Spanish with Writing, Level 2	65	12

CLEP exam College Composition

Score 50

Semester hours 6

CLEP exam English Literature

Score 50

Semester hours 6

CLEP exam Social Sciences and History

Score 50

Semester hours 6

CLEP exam Biology

Score 50

Semester hours 6

CLEP exam Chemistry

Score 50

Semester hours 6

CLEP exam Natural Sciences

Score 50

Semester hours 6

CLEP exam Calculus

Score 50

Semester hours 4

CLEP exam Spanish Language, Level 1

Score 50

Semester hours 6

CLEP exam Spanish Language, Level 2

Score 63

Semester hours 9

CLEP exam Spanish with Writing, Level 2

Score 65

Semester hours 12

Here is a hypothetical cost breakdown for five 3-credit CLEP exams taken with remote proctoring. It assumes your school accepts all five at full credit.

Item	Amount
Exam fees (5 × $97)	$485
Remote proctoring (5 × $30)	$150
Total	$635
Credits if all five pass and transfer	15

Item Exam fees (5 × $97)

Amount $485

Item Remote proctoring (5 × $30)

Amount $150

Item Total

Amount $635

Item Credits if all five pass and transfer

Amount 15

Compare that total with your school’s price for the same 15 credits. The difference is what the exams could save you. Source · College Board: Remote proctoring

Military transcripts are free, and DANTES can pay exam fees

If you served, start with the transcripts you already have. They cost nothing to order.

• Joint Services Transcript (JST). It covers Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard members, including reserve members and veterans. It lists your training and jobs with ACE credit recommendations.
• Community College of the Air Force (CCAF). Air Force and Space Force members with no training from another service use the CCAF transcript instead of the JST.
• DANTES exam funding. The Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) pays for the first attempt at any DSST exam for eligible service members. CLEP exams can also be funded through DANTES, which shows a $0.00 exam price when you qualify.

Source · Joint Services Transcript

DANTES funding rules depend on your status. Check eligibility on the DSST military page or with your education office before you register. Source · DSST: Active duty and veteran test takers For the courses credit doesn’t cover, our GI Bill guide shows what each chapter pays.

Schools cap prior learning credit differently

Credit limits vary widely, even among schools built for adult learners. These four publish their rules.

School	Published rule
Charter Oak State College	No limit on prior learning credit for undergraduates; graduate students up to 6 credits
SUNY Empire State University	No cap on transfer or prior learning credit, but 30 of the 120 bachelor's credits must be SUNY Empire courses
Thomas Edison State University	Up to 90 ACE and NCCRS credits toward a bachelor's degree, or 45 toward an associate
Excelsior University	BS in Liberal Arts accepts up to 113 transfer credits

School Charter Oak State College

Published rule No limit on prior learning credit for undergraduates; graduate students up to 6 credits

School SUNY Empire State University

Published rule No cap on transfer or prior learning credit, but 30 of the 120 bachelor's credits must be SUNY Empire courses

School Thomas Edison State University

Published rule Up to 90 ACE and NCCRS credits toward a bachelor's degree, or 45 toward an associate

School Excelsior University

Published rule BS in Liberal Arts accepts up to 113 transfer credits

Thomas Edison State says 57% of its students earn credit for prior learning. Its Professional Learning Review is free, and its portfolio option lets you pay for 3 credits and attempt up to 15. Source · TESU: Credit for prior learning (July 2026)

At SUNY Empire, assessed prior learning does not count toward the 30-credit residency rule, so no more than 90 of your 120 credits can come from prior learning and transfer. Source · SUNY Empire: Degree credit and residency policy

Once a school confirms what it accepts, the credits left decide your finish date.

Prior learning credit saved adults 9 to 14 months in one study

A 2020 study, The PLAPLA, Prior learning assessment. A school’s review of what you learned at work, in the military or on your own, which can count as college credit. Boost from WICHE and CAEL, drew on data from more than 230,000 adult students at 72 institutions. It reported these findings: Source · WICHE: The PLA Boost (2020)

• Earning PLA credit was linked to a 17% increase in completion rates when other factors were controlled.
• Students with 12 or more PLA credits saved an estimated 9 to 14 months.
• Estimated savings ran from $1,500 to $10,200, depending on the type of school.
• Only 11% of students in the sample earned PLA credit, and the rate was lower for Black students and students from low-income backgrounds.

Your background decides where to start

Interactive decision tree

Where to start with prior learning credit

Have you served in the U.S. military?

Yes No

Five steps before you pay for an exam

1. Pick the school first

   Credit limits, residency rules and which exams count all depend on the school. Narrow your list before you test.

2. Gather every transcript you already have

   Request your JST or CCAF transcript, prior college transcripts and any Advanced Placement (AP) score reports. Send them together so the school evaluates everything at once. If a course is years old, check whether old credits still count.

3. Get a written credit evaluation

   Ask the school to show which requirements your existing credit fills and which remain.

4. Match exams to the gaps

   Choose CLEP or DSST exams only for requirements still open on your degree plan.

5. Ask about portfolio review last

   Portfolios take the most work. Use them for courses exams don’t cover, such as courses in your major.

Your next step: a finish date with your credits

Prior learning credit works best when you plan it around one school’s rules. Once you know what transfers, the Time-to-Degree Calculator shows the month you’d finish at the hours you can give.

Degree Sources is not affiliated with any college, exam program or the Department of Defense. Fees, credit recommendations and school policies come from each organization’s own pages as of September 2026 and can change. Each school decides what credit it accepts, so confirm with the school before you schedule an exam or pay for an assessment.