Get College Credit for What You Already Know
Your life experience is valuable. That’s why Maricopa Community Colleges offers a way to earn college credit for what you’ve learned outside the classroom.
Whether your experience comes from work, industry or corporate training, credentials, exams, military service, or other approved sources, we have options to help you prove what you already know, save time and tuition, and move closer to completing a certificate or degree.
Types of Prior Learning
Prior learning may be reviewed through several ways, and each route may have different requirements. Explore the options below to learn what may count and what documentation you may need.
If you do not see your experience listed or are unsure which pathway applies to you, connect with an academic advisor or contact your college's Admissions and Records Department to ask what options may be available.
Maricopa has established college-credit equivalencies for a range of industry-recognized credentials across many fields—from barbering to manufacturing, IT, and more.
Visit the Industry-Recognized Credentials page to learn how credentials are evaluated, verified, and processed.
Use the search tool to see whether your credential has an established credit match and begin the process of requesting credit. If you do not find your credential, you may still have other options. Contact an academic advisor or your college’s Admissions and Records Department for assistance.
The American Council on Education (ACE) evaluates some training programs offered by businesses, industry, and government and publishes credit recommendations in The National Guide.
If you completed training, coursework, or exams that appear in The National Guide with credit recommendations, you may request an evaluation for possible college credit.
Please contact your college's Admissions and Records Department to obtain additional information.
If you completed coursework at another U.S. college or university, your credits may be evaluated for transfer to Maricopa Community Colleges.
What May Be Evaluated
Coursework may be considered for transfer credit if it was completed at an institution that was accredited by a recognized accreditor at the time the coursework was completed. Maricopa defines “recognized” as an accreditor reviewed by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), or both, and meets the respective organizations’ quality standards.
Some transfer equivalencies are already used across Maricopa colleges and can be viewed in the Transfer Evaluation System (TES). If you cannot find a specific course equivalency or have questions about how transfer credit may apply to your program, speak with an academic advisor.
How the Evaluation Works
Maricopa has two processes for evaluating institutional transfer credit, depending on the organization that your institution was accredited by at the time you completed the coursework.
If your institution was accredited by one of the following institutional accrediting organizations, the evaluation will be coordinated by the evaluator at your college once an official transcript has been received:
- Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC)
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
For institutions accredited by national career-related, national faith-related, programmatic, or other institutional accrediting organizations, the evaluation will be coordinated by your college evaluator and Maricopa’s Transfer Credit and Articulation Services Department. These evaluations may also be performed by subject-specific Instructional Councils.
Evaluation turnaround time is typically six weeks from the time an evaluation is requested.
What You Need to Do
To request an evaluation, complete the evaluation request form for the Maricopa college you plan to attend (listed below) and have your official transcript sent directly from your previous institution to that college’s Admissions and Records or Enrollment Services Department.
After your evaluation is complete, meet with an academic advisor to discuss how your transfer credit may apply to your certificate, degree, or transfer goals.
Evaluation Process and Request Forms by College
Postsecondary coursework completed outside the United States may be evaluated for possible transfer credit if the institution was accredited by the country’s Ministry of Education and a course-by-course evaluation has been completed by a foreign evaluator service company.
In order to be considered for transfer credit, an official transcript of the evaluation performed must be sent directly from the foreign credential evaluation agency to your college's Admissions and Records Department. Please contact your college’s Admissions and Records Department to obtain additional information.
Maricopa Community Colleges may award credit for seven national standardized examination programs. You can review score requirements and course equivalencies here.
Before credit is awarded, scores must be sent directly to your college’s Admissions and Records Department from the corresponding testing organization.
A limited number of our campuses offer one or more of the exams on-site. Please contact them directly for further information.
Military training and educational experiences listed on a Joint Services Transcript may be evaluated for possible college credit. Maricopa awards credit based on recommendations from the American Council on Education (ACE), which are posted in the ACE Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services.
Please note that the number of credits recommended by ACE are recommendations only. A college is not required to grant a specific amount of credit.
To be awarded, military training must parallel a discipline area offered through Maricopa Community Colleges. The credit must also meet a program requirement or be usable as elective credit. Refer to our Transfer Credit Policy to view additional information and the conditions of transfer credit.
Standard decisions are recorded in our Transfer Evaluation System (TES) under “American Council on Education.” View our current equivalencies on the TES Public View.
Please contact your college's Admissions and Records Department or Veterans Department to obtain additional information.
Note: Coursework from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) is listed in TES under “Community College of the Air Force.”
Some courses may allow students to earn credit through Departmental Credit by Examination.
To apply, students must get the appropriate form from their college’s Admissions and Records Department, pay the required fee, and complete the exam and any other college requirements.
Students may not:
- Request to challenge the same course more than once
- Challenge a course while currently enrolled in the course
- Establish credit for a course they have already completed
- Establish credit for a lower-level course after receiving credit for a higher-level course
For additional information, refer to our Transfer Credit Policy (A.R. 2.2.4).
Maricopa Community Colleges Skill Centers
GateWay Community College offers clock hour career and technical training through Maricopa Community Colleges Skill Centers. These programs are designed to help students quickly build workforce skills.
Courses successfully completed at the Skill Centers may apply to an associate degree at one of the Maricopa Community Colleges. Standard equivalencies for this coursework can be viewed in the Transfer Evaluation System (TES) under “GateWay Community College” (Phoenix location).
Contact an academic advisor to discuss whether Skill Center coursework may apply to your certificate, degree, or transfer goals.
Explore GateWay trade and technical training programs.
Programs Outside Maricopa Community Colleges
Clock hour programs completed outside Maricopa Community Colleges may also be evaluated for credit on a case-by-case basis. Evaluations are typically reviewed by faculty or program directors associated with the degree or program you want to apply the coursework to.
Contact your college's Admissions and Records Department for additional information about the process.
Some prior learning may be reviewed through Credit by Evaluation or individualized assessment. This may include industry-recognized credentials, industry or corporate training, non-credit coursework, individualized portfolio assessment, or journeyman card evaluation.
These options may require documentation, third-party verification, faculty or department review, or additional college requirements.
For industry-recognized credentials, use the PLA Search Tool or review the Industry-Recognized Credentials page. For portfolio assessment, journeyman card evaluation, or other individualized options, contact your college's Admissions and Records Department for further assistance.
Portfolios and other individualized assessments consist of documentation and corresponding narrative submitted for credit that demonstrates comprehensive proficiency of course competencies.
Individual portfolios and other individualized documentation are assessed using current MCCCD standards. If an approved standardized or challenge exam exists, MCCCD may choose not to offer a portfolio option.
Some academic departments may have additional requirements that must be met before credit may be granted through Credit By Evaluation. When credit is granted a notation of "other credits," and the type of training, number of credits, and a grade of pass "P" will appear on the student's transcript.
These credits are not used in computing the grade point average. Credit By Evaluation is transferable within the Maricopa Community Colleges, but is not necessarily transferable to other colleges and universities.
Students may not request:
- To challenge a course a second time;
- To challenge a course while currently enrolled in the course, unless that course allows repeats for credit as indicated in the course catalog;
- To establish credit in a previously completed course, unless that course allows repeats for credit as indicated in the course catalog; and
- To establish credit for a lower level of a course in which credit has been received.
To apply, students must get the appropriate form from their college’s Admissions and Records Department, pay the required fee, and provide the individualized assessment documentation and any other college requirements.
If you have earned a journeyworker card from a registered apprenticeship, you may be eligible to receive college credit through a new credit for prior learning program.
Credit for prior learning allows applicants to use industry credentials and expertise they already have toward a degree.
For more information about using your journeyworker experience toward college credit, email gwc.apprenticeships@gatewaycc.edu.
You can also learn more at GateWay's Journeyworker site.
Prior Learning Assessment Fees
While Maricopa Community Colleges does not charge a fee for many types of prior learning, some options do have fees. A $40 fee applies for Departmental Challenge Exam requests, a $150 fee applies for Individualized Portfolio Evaluation requests, and a $500 fee applies for Journeyworker Card Evaluation requests.
Outside testing organizations, credential evaluation agencies, or other providers may charge separate fees.
Questions about fees? Contact your college’s Admissions and Records Department for help understanding which fees may apply.