Credit from Nontraditional Sources

Randolph Community College awards credit from sources other than traditional classroom instruction. Credit for prior learning may be awarded from several sources including College administered proficiency examinations, the Advanced Placement Program, College Level Examination Program, military service, and experiential learning.

For consideration of the above mentioned credits the following apply:

1. Credit is awarded only to students who have enrolled in a Curriculum program at Randolph Community College. The same number of hours will be credited as would have been earned by taking the course in the traditional way.
2. The student is responsible for providing to the director of admissions/registrar the required official documentation. Students should obtain the Official Request for Credit Form from the Registrar’s Office. (In the case of credit by proficiency, guidelines for applying for credit are within that policy).
3. A minimum of 25 percent of the required semester hours must be earned credits (either classroom instruction or distance education) at Randolph Community College for a student to be eligible for a degree, diploma, or certificate.
4. Duplicate credit will not be awarded.
5. Randolph Community College reserves the right to accept or reject credits earned from nontraditional sources.

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• Credit by Proficiency

Credit by proficiency provides credit for a course based on a proficiency examination for the course. These are instructor developed examinations. A copy of each exam is kept on file in the office of the dean of curriculum programs.

A student may be eligible for credit by proficiency when the student’s occupational experience and/or educational background closely parallels those experiences and objectives required by a course. The instructor involved may evaluate the student’s performance in these academics or skills by appropriate proficiency examinations to determine waivers of such course(s).

The student must be accepted to the College and complete all placement testing prior to being considered for a proficiency examination. A proficiency examination may be attempted only once per course. Proficiency exams may not be taken for courses previously audited. Students must register and pay for the course to be challenged unless the exam is being taken to validate prior courses taken at Randolph Community College. A grade of “X” will be recorded on the transcript. Hours awarded will not count toward the GPA. A maximum of 25 percent of credit toward graduation will be allowed per student per curriculum in proficiency hours.

All proficiency examinations must be completed prior to the end of the add period for the semester in which the course would normally first be taken. RCC courses for which proficiency exams are available are denoted as such in the course description and are listed below. (Some departments may impose additional requirements upon successful completion of the proficiency examination.)

Students wishing to apply for credit by proficiency must complete the following steps:

• make an appointment with faculty advisor to discuss credit by proficiency;
• make an appointment with the instructor responsible for administering the proficiency examination to determine eligibility for the examination based on experience and educational background;
• obtain form from the instructor responsible for administering proficiency exam;
• return the completed form to the instructor with any required paperwork which the student provides to demonstrate possible proficiency in the course;
• schedule the proficiency exam;
• take the proficiency exam.

The instructor who administers the proficiency examination will determine whether or not proficiency is granted based on the student’s score on the exam. The minimal score for each proficiency exam will be printed on the test form. The instructor(s) who develop the exam will determine the score which must be attained to demonstrate proficiency in the course.

Once the instructor has made the determination as to whether proficiency is granted, the form will be forwarded to the department chair and then to the dean of curriculum programs for final approval. The form will then be sent to Student Services to be filed with the director of admissions/registrar for course credit. The form will be kept in the student’s permanent record. A copy of the form also will be given to the student.

Note: Some colleges do not accept transfer credit for courses if credit was gained through proficiency testing.
It is the responsibility of the student to determine whether another school will accept transfer credit for any course in which RCC grants credit by proficiency.

Credit hours granted by proficiency cannot be used for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Educational Assistance.

• Advanced Placement Program

The College may give credit for applicable courses in which College Entrance Examination Board Advanced Placement Examinations have been given provided the appropriate levels of competence have been demonstrated. If the student has taken Advanced Placement courses in high school and the respective examination with a grade of three or better, he/she may receive college credit. It is the student’s responsibility to provide documentation to the Registrar’s Office. A maximum of 25 percent of credit

toward graduation will be allowed for AP credit (see Enrollment Requirements for Graduation on page 43).

• College Level Examination Program

The College Level Examination Program is a national testing program of the College Entrance Examination Board through which a person may obtain college credit in a particular subject area by demonstrating proficiency on an examination. These exams are administered by area colleges and public libraries. Credit for a CLEP exam will be considered upon the director of admissions/registrar’s receipt of an official score report. The student is responsible for providing documentation of test results to the Registrar’s Office. Recommendations of the American Council on Education will be considered for individual subject exam scores. A maximum of 25 percent of credit toward graduation will be allowed for CLEP credit (see Enrollment Requirements for Graduation on page 43).

• Defense Activity for Nontraditional Educational Support

The DANTES program is a testing service conducted by the Educational Testing Service to enable military personnel to obtain college credit for knowledge and skills acquired through nontraditional educational experiences in the armed forces. The College considers applicable credit following the guidelines set by the American Council on Education. It is the student’s responsibility to provide documentation of test results to the Registrar’s Office. A maximum of 25 percent of credit toward graduation will be allowed for DANTES (see Enrollment Requirements for Graduation on page 43).

• Experiential Learning

The College recognizes that college-level learning occurs in settings other than the traditional classroom. Learning from experiences in job-related training and other life experiences may be considered for credit if the learning experience corresponds to the student’s curriculum. While experiential learning credit may be possible, there is no guarantee that credit will be awarded. Credit is awarded only for documented learning that is equivalent to that in subjects in the Randolph Community College curriculum and that is considered sufficient in content and length to warrant consideration for credit. It is the student’s responsibility to provide proper documentation of experiences to be considered for credit to the Registrar’s Office. A maximum of 25 percent of credit toward graduation will be allowed for experiential learning (see Enrollment Requirements for Graduation on page 43). Forms for requesting experiential learning may be obtained in the registrar’s office.