The ACE Credit and Other Prior Learning Opportunities

American InterContinental University recognizes that collegiate-level learning can take place outside of the college classroom and remain relevant to AIU degree programs. We will evaluate and award college transfer credit, military transfer credit, advanced placement/standardized examinations, experiential learning, and professional training/certification credit.

What is Experiential Learning?

AIU may award undergraduate credit for experiential learning that has been acquired through professional employment or employment-related career experiences in keeping with recommendations from the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). Students who are interested in pursuing experiential learning options should reach out to the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) team at PriorLearningAssessment@aiuniv.edu to determine eligibility. Once eligibility is determined, the PLA advisor will explain what the portfolio entails, discuss the potential credit award range, and provide resources and basic steps to get started. Once the student has completed the experiential learning portfolio, the PLA advisor can provide specific steps on how and where to submit, the portfolio for assessment. The portfolio will be reviewed, and, if approved by Academic Subject Matter Experts, the proficiency credit award (designated by a grade of "PR") is applied to the student's degree plan and posted by the PLA advisor. The PLA department is a continual resource for students during the portfolio creation process.

How can I receive college credit for my Qualifying Professional and Military Training and Certifications?

Students that have acquired formal training outside traditional credit granting institutions (including certificate training with officially documented clock hours or CEUs, or other company training) may be eligible for proficiency credit awards. If the training in question is documented, verifiable, and meets specified AIU course objectives, it may meet the requirements for an award of proficiency credit (designated by a grade of "PR"). Other clock hour or CEU programs and courses listed on an official institutional transcript may have a credit award based on appropriate credit conversions through the same internal review process. If a student has already completed professional training/certification, they should submit copies of their trainings/certificates to the Prior Learning Assessment team at PriorLearningAssessment@aiuniv.edu, who can tell them if they possess the appropriate documentation and/or if they may be eligible for a proficiency credit award.

Are my Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations still valid?

Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations provide students in degree programs the opportunity to complete college level coursework while in high school. Students scoring a 3 or higher on the AP Exam who would like their scores considered for a proficiency credit award (designated by a grade of "PR") must submit an official AP score report to AIU's Student Records team. The Prior Learning Assessment team will evaluate the score report for a credit award based on recommendations from the American Council on Education (ACE).

What is an ACE military college credit transfer recommendation?

Through a thorough ACE Review process, college-level equivalency of your workforce training, military training or occupations, and other outside-the-college-classroom learning, like national exams and certifications is examined.

Subject matter experts—current faculty members at universities and community colleges—decide if your learning experience has similar outcomes to a college course. The review process identifies and describes the course subject and level of learning.

What is an ACE transcript and how is it used?

ACE provides an official transcript, through its Registry and Transcript Service, to participants who successfully complete a course, examination or certification with an ACE credit recommendation. It verifies the following:

• Successful completion of non-military or corporate training with ACE credit recommendations.

What does an ACE transcript include?

It contains the full list of training and examinations you've taken for which you earned ACE credit recommendations. It will not include any workplace training or professional certification or license examinations that have not been evaluated by ACE credit.

How can you find training programs with ACE military college credit recommendations?

There are over 35,000 courses, examinations, and certifications offered by more than 600 organizations that ACE has reviewed and for which it provides credit recommendations¹. You can see the full list of organizations on file with ACE here. Click on an organization link to find an organization overview and a listing of courses or examinations with ACE credit recommendations. Click any item to see its description and the ACE credit recommendation.

How do colleges, like AIU, make decisions about the transfer of ACE military college credit recommendations?

Taking into account how the training compares to their course offerings and the fit to the student's degree program, decisions about a college's or university's transfer policies are made by academic deans, department chairs and provosts. Standards of regional or professional accrediting bodies may also determine an institution's transfer policies.

If you've already earned a certification or taken a course or examination, contact our Prior Learning Assessment team at PriorLearningAssessment@aiuniv.edu to find out if credit is available.

How do you find out which colleges accept ACE military credit recommendations?

Over 2,300 institutions and military branches have agreed to consider ACE credit recommendations ². Each reviews the recommendations and determines if they meet the requirements of the degree programs in which you are enrolled. They are not required to award credit and some may choose to waive a particular course based on the recommendations instead of granting credit hours for your prior learning. Each institution (and even individual academic departments) sets its own policies for granting credit.

1. Source: https://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/College-Credit-Recommendation-Service-CREDIT.aspx

2. Source: https://www.acenet.edu/Programs-Services/Pages/Credit-Transcripts/Request-Transcripts.aspx (Date last visited 2/23/18)