When moving from one university to another or starting on the path to earning a new degree, transfer credit is something that’s always worth investigating. “Transfer credit” is a blanket term given to any pre-existing education, certifications, or experience that count toward earning a new degree.
Seems simple enough right? In some cases it is, but in others a little more effort is required to determine which of your past educational and work experiences will qualify for credits. We’ll help you understand why transfer credits matter and how you can use them to your advantage.
How Transfer Could Credit Help
Transfer credit makes an impact on your degree path in two ways:
- Transfer credit can save you time: By transferring applicable credits and turning them in to credit hours, it’s possible to shorten the time investment required to earn a degree. This is especially important for busy working professionals.
- Transfer credit can save you money: When you bring your own transfer credits and put them toward a degree, that’s fewer credit hours you need to earn. That can translate to a reduction in tuition.
In essence, transfer credit can simplify your higher education efforts. This is especially true if you’re seeking a new degree as an adult; transfer credits may take advantage of your previous educational, personal, and professional experience.
Leverage Your Experience
Transfer credit doesn’t have to come only from prior higher education experiences. Instead, there are a variety of ways to put what you know to use when earning a new degree. Available options can include:
- Leveraging your existing life experiences with an experience assessment, like CTU Fast Track™ tests
- Building an Experiential Learning Portfolio (ELP) that includes professional and personal experience relevant to a chosen degree program
- For active and former members of the military, special military credit transfer programs allow for the exchange of military experience for degree credit hours
- Obtaining a professional certification or other training; one example of this is a Registered Nurse earning transfer credit for their existing licensure
- Taking a standardized assessment, such as Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations, College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests, or DANTES Subject Standardization Tests (DSST)
It’s important to note that no two schools are the same when it comes to transfer credit. The only way to identify eligible credit opportunities is to work with an authority at the institution in question.
CTU offers prior learning assessments to help you determine which of your past experiences are eligible for credit hours toward a degree. Each assessment involves working with a member of CTU’s Prior Learning Assessment team in order to identify existing criteria that’s eligible for transfer credit, along with highlighting possible credit transfer opportunities.
Request Transfer Information Today
If you’re interested in talking to CTU’s PLA team to understand your transfer credit potential, request information today.
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