Learn what credit for prior learning is, how to find out if your prior experience qualifies at UVU, and the benefit to your wallet and speed to graduation.
Not all paths to a higher education credential look the same. But thanks to the Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) program at Utah Valley University, those paths might become a little smoother.
CPL is a way to receive official UVU credit for college-level learning gained outside of a traditional academic environment. Enrolled UVU students who qualify can earn up to 50 credits toward a bachelor’s degree, 30 credits toward an associate degree, or 10 credits toward a certificate.
“Credit for prior learning is about recognizing college-level learning, wherever it happened, through rigorous faculty assessment, so students can spend less time repeating what they already know and more time learning what's next,” said Colleen Sorenson, director of the CPL program at UVU.
In the 2023-24 academic year at UVU, more than 7,500 students earned a total of more than 60,000 credits through the CPL program. More than 6,000 of those credits came from industry certifications, more than any other university in Utah.
At UVU, 84% of academic departments accept some form of CPL. Sorensen said a few departments that have been CPL “champions” include technology management, strategic management and operations, information management, computer science, and emergency services.
For many adult learners (students age 25 or older), their life path did not lead directly to a college degree. If a student started college but had to drop out, or entered the workforce before completing their degree, the prospect of starting from scratch can be intimidating.
On top of that, recent research shows that it’s more common than ever for adults in the United States to change careers — as many as eight times in some cases. CPL helps make the process of returning to school, applying learning obtained in the professional world, and completing degrees easier for adult learners. And that can lead to fewer tuition payments and higher career earning potential.
“Today's students don't all follow the same path,” Sorensen said. “Some come to UVU with years of professional experience, and CPL can recognize that learning has value while also maintaining academic rigor. We want to help students save time, reduce their educational costs, and complete degrees sooner without lowering our standards.”
The first step is to visit the CPL website and go through the self-assessment checklist there. This helps students determine whether CPL is a good option.
After that, you can fill out a questionnaire on the CPL website that will start the official process. You must be a currently enrolled student at UVU to qualify.
From there, the CPL team will reach out with additional information. You’ll work with your advisor and academic program representatives to determine if the learning you possess is college-level and appropriate to the degree plan you are developing, as well as how best to demonstrate your learning.
Sorensen called this “the concierge approach” — an individually tailored guide to finding the best ways to get the most applicable CPL credit for each student.
It’s important to start that approach early, because once a student enrolls in a course and it shows up on their transcript, they become ineligible for CPL consideration for that course. So if you think you might be eligible, beginning the CPL process is crucial.
The key to CPL is the word “learning.” Because CPL involves receiving credit for full academic courses, all of which are subject to accreditation standards, it’s important to assess that students know more than just how to do a job.
“University courses teach theory: the ‘why’ behind the ‘what,’” Sorensen said. “Someone could have five years of bookkeeping experience and still not know why they follow the procedures they do; they simply do what they were trained to do. CPL is designed to recognize learning that goes deeper than that — genuine, demonstrable college-level understanding, not just repetition of a task.”
To make that determination, UVU professors administer challenge exams, conduct interviews, or evaluate student portfolios, along with official certification or licensure tests in some cases. The approach depends on the individual student and the academic program where the credit is being sought.
While the CPL program is designed to recognize and reward college-level learning students already possess, Sorensen said it’s important for students to check back frequently to see if additional academic options have been added, especially as adult learners who are also working full time add professional skills in the workplace.
“The answer might be no today, but it might be yes in six months to a year because we're constantly evolving,” Sorensen said. “If you have a pocket of knowledge you’d really like credit for, or any time you change a major, check back and see. It never hurts to inquire.”
