Credit by Exam

A student may be granted advanced placement or college credit on the basis of examination. Amount of credit and level of placement are determined by the undergraduate academic committee. Credit for advanced standing can be acquired by the following means:

1. Advanced Placement Program of the College Board with scores of 3¹, 4, or 5. Students who intend to enter the university under this program should arrange to have their Advanced Placement examination records sent to the Office of Admissions.
2. College Level Examination Program (CLEP) with scores at or above 50.
3. Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) with scores meeting or exceeding the minimum score recommendation provided by the American Council on Education.
4. A student may be awarded college credit on the basis of International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations. The amount of credit and level of placement are approved by the Cornerstone Education Policy Committee. IB Higher Learning (HL) exams will be accepted with scores of 5, 6, or 7. Letter grades are not given in any course for which credit is granted. These credits may be used to satisfy degree requirements, but do not apply to the residency requirement and are treated as transfer credit. Students must provide an official IB transcript to the university admissions office at the point of admission.

Credit awarded for examination (Advanced Placement, CLEP, or DANTES) will not be permitted for courses previously waived (on the basis of ACT scores or by instructor permission) to permit enrollment in an advanced course.

Students are encouraged to verify the course equivalent prior to taking an exam. A maximum of 30 credit hours earned by CLEP, Advanced Placement, DANTES and/or IB may be applied toward a degree program. No charge will be assessed for the processing of these examinations.

¹

Some exceptions for a score of 3 are noted on the CU website.