Credit for Prior Learning

Both prior learning credit and certification to credit offer opportunities to accelerate your degree, reduce redundancy in learning and save on tuition costs.

Prior learning credit

Prior learning credits recognize your knowledge and skills gained outside the traditional classroom setting. This includes work, training and military service.

Please be aware that earning prior learning credits is not guaranteed. The process is thorough and may require a substantial effort on your part. We are here to support you throughout this journey.

How to earn prior learning credit

1. Consult with your advisor: Determine if your program accepts prior learning credit and what credits can be transferred based on your prior learning experience. Eligible graduate programs may accept up to 12 credits.
2. Résumé and initial review: Submit your résumé for our team to determine eligibility for prior learning credit. CMU offers an easy-reference credit guide for determining the number of potential credits that you may be eligible for.
3. Submit your portfolio: Build your prior learning credit portfolio showcasing your experience. Once your portfolio is complete, you will submit it for evaluation, and the $125 one-time evaluation fee will be charged to your student account.
4. Portfolio review: Graduate faculty members of the prior learning assessment team will then evaluate your portfolio to determine if your written assessment of your experience qualifies for credits.
5. Awarded credits: Once credits are awarded, your advisor will accept them and the $125 per credit hour fee will be charged to your student account.

Creating a graduate prior learning credit portfolio

These are documents that make up a graduate portfolio. Some documents are fillable forms. The order of the documents listed here is the order of items that need to be in a submitted portfolio. The documents listed that are not fillable forms are documents that you will also need to include in your portfolio.

• Cover letter - Your cover letter is an optional section that can be used for specific information regarding your portfolio that you want to point out.
• Personal and educational information - For sections one and two you will outline your personal and educational information with the provided form.
• Academic history - Include your academic history which is available in your student account portal.
• Table of contents - There are separate forms for work, training and life experience which all make up the table of contents.
• Work experience - The work experience section consists of four parts (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4) and you will complete all four parts for each job or position. 
• Training experience - The training experience section consists of four parts and you will complete all four parts for each course or training experience.
• Life experiences - The life experience section is an opportunity to highlight your volunteer experiences.
• Signature - Sign the signature block.
• Portfolio Checklist - Use the portfolio checklist provided to help organize and ensure that you have completed each section before you submit your prior learning credit portfolio to PriorLearning@cmich.edu.

Military prior learning credits

If you’re serving in the military, find out how your experience can boost your academic journey with credits for prior learning. CMU offers prior learning credit for active-duty military students.

You can also connect with CMU Innovation and Online to explore additional opportunities for flexible learning and credit options. CMU’s online programs offer a convenient and flexible way to achieve your goals.