Introduction

Hill College (HC) strives to provide students with opportunities to receive credit for prior learning while still maintaining the academic integrity of its academic programs. Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is the evaluation of an individual’s learning outside of the college classroom. PLA gives students an opportunity to earn college credits for college-level knowledge they have acquired through experience including military service and training, advanced high school courses, recognized exams and certifications, and others.

Students may petition course credit for experiential learning, non-credit course completion, professional development, licensure/certifications, and national exams. Course credit is awarded when content mastered through an experience is comparable to the student learning outcomes of a HC course. Participants benefit from recognized learning outside the traditional classroom, reduced program costs, and timely degree completion.

To accommodate this need, HC has developed the Prior Learning Assessment Guidelines and Procedures Manual. This manual is designed to provide information about the diverse ways in which students obtain academic credit for learned knowledge and skills outside a classroom setting. This academic college credit can be awarded through the following prior learning demonstrations:

• Military Training
• Professional Work Experience
• External Exams Credit
• Internal Credit by Exam
• Continuing Education Mirror Courses
• Licensure and Professional Certification

The offices of Instruction and Student Services work collaboratively to process assessment requests. The Office of the Vice President for Instruction ensures PLA adheres to institutional policies and regional accreditation standards, maintains academic integrity, and follows current business processes. The Vice President for Student Services provides support to PLA applicants through academic advising, application assistance, and credit posting. HC policies and procedures are consistent with Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) principles and with Hill College Board Policies EGA (Legal) and EGAA (Local).

Student Eligibility to Request Credit

To request PLA credit, students must meet the following requirements:

• Student must be admitted in an academic or career education credit program past census date of the current semester and be in good standing (GPA 2.0).
• Student must have successfully completed a minimum of 6 college credit hours of HC course work.
• Student must provide official documentation of prior learning (transcripts, licensures, certificates, work experience, etc.)

Guidelines for Awarding Credit