Office of the Registrar

You may be able to reduce the amount of time ordinarily required to earn a bachelor's degree by achieving high scores on the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), the Advanced Placement Program (AP) and/or the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program (see below).

Credits earned through non-traditional sources are transcripted as credits earned and not computed in the grade point average (GPA). Nontraditional courses do not replace grades for traditional courses in computing GPA.

St. Ambrose University permits a maximum of 60 equivalency credits for non-classroom learning to be applied to a degree or the equivalent of 90 semester credits for a combination of classroom and non-classroom learning done elsewhere.

Veterans may receive credit for a physical education credit upon receipt of their DD Form 214.

Additional credit may be granted from military training based on departmental review and following recommendation guidelines established by the American Council on Education. A military transcript should be sent to the Office of the Registrar to determine the academic credit.

For more information, contact Natalie Woodhurst, Coordinator of Veterans Recruitment and Services.

St. Ambrose has an established system for assessing and crediting prior experiential learning for students bringing practical knowledge and life experience to their studies.

Students demonstrating college-level learning through experience may be able to obtain equivalency credits applicable to a degree. The process involves the evaluation and assessment of an individual's work and life experiences to determine if the learning outcomes match an SAU University course(s). Methods of demonstrating prior experiential learning typically include portfolio development or special examination by department. These credits may or may not be transferable to other colleges.

Prior Experiential Learning Assessment Process

The first step for students who wish to earn college credit from their prior experience is to contact the Associate Dean of the College of Business at pla@sau.edu with a completed application form supported by their documented prior experience. In this application, students should provide details of the length of the experience, their role description, job title(s) held if applicable, who the applicant reported to if applicable and specific significant projects that the applicant completed. The application must accompany the applicant's resume.

Upon receiving the application, the Associate Dean of the College of Business will consult faculty members or the associate deans of the other colleges and the registrar to determine the appropriate assessment method for evaluating the applicant's prior experience for potential credit. Such methods may be portfolio evaluation, special examination, or other means. The applicant will be informed of the method of assessment and the applicable fees for the assessment. The maximum number of credits that an applicant can earn through experiential learning assessment is 25% of the total degree (typically 30 out of 120 credits). There is an assessment fee ($180 per 3 credit course) for assessment of prior experiential learning and an additional $30 per credit transcripting fee.

Once the student pays the assessment fee, the application will be assessed. The student will be informed of the number of approved credits and the courses towards which credit will be given. Upon payment of the transcripting fee, the registrar will post the grade for these courses.

PEL Application Form

Point of Contact

Questions regarding prior learning assessment should be directed to the Associate Dean, College of Business at pla@sau.edu.

Fees

The Office of the Registrar will assess a transcripting fee and a non-refundable assessment fee for conducting the assessment of the student's prior experiential learning.

St. Ambrose University recognizes most of the subject examinations of the AP Examination Program of the College Board. Students who have participated in an Advanced Placement program while in high school may be eligible to receive credit based on performance in the AP exams.

St. Ambrose will not grant AP credit for coursework without the AP exam. Students should request the College Board to send their AP score to the SAU Office of the Registrar.

In order to receive credit, students must achieve an AP score of 3 unless otherwise noted.

CLEP provides a reliable and effective means for SAU to grant credit by examination to registered students. The fee is $20 per credit awarded.

In order to receive credits, students must score at least 50 on the CLEP exam.

Preparation materials are available online. Additional information can be found on the CLEP website.

¹ If total score is 50, credit is awarded for Level I (6 hrs. 1, 2). If total score is 62 or better, credit is awarded for Level II (12 hrs. 1, 2 + 6 add. elective credits).
² If total score is 50, credit is awarded for Level I (6 hrs. 1, 2). If total score is 63 or better, credit is awarded for Level II (12 hrs. 1, 2 + 6 add. elective credits).
³ If total score is 50, credit is awarded for Level 1 (6 hrs. 101,102). If total score is 66 or better, credit is awarded for Level II (12 hrs. 101, 102, 201, 202).

St. Ambrose University recognizes the Seal of Biliteracy from approved states – currently Iowa and Illinois – as demonstration of a level of language learning that is consistent with college level language study.

In order to receive credit, students must provide their final high school transcript indicating a Seal of Biliteracy to the Office of the Registrar.

LOMA is an international association committed to partnership with its members in the insurance and financial services industry to improve their management and operations through quality employee development, research, and information sharing.

One of the primary activities of the association is to conduct research on various company operations, including financial planning and control, human resources administration, and insurance operations and systems.

The association also sponsors forums, seminars and correspondence/independent study courses in areas such as management development, financial planning and control, systems, human resources and communications. Through its Education Division, LOMA administers the world's largest university-level insurance education program, the Fellow Life Management Institute (FLMI) Insurance Education Program.

Some of these courses equate to credits at St. Ambrose. All courses are 3 credits unless otherwise noted.

St. Ambrose University recognizes several of the subject examinations of the IB Examination Program. St. Ambrose offers credit for the Higher Level examinations. Students must score a 5 on IB tests to receive credit.

Students should work with their high school IB coordinator to submit a request for the IB exam scores to be sent to the SAU Office of the Registrar.

Dan Zeimet, Registrar

Isabella Foral, Assistant Registrar

Lisa Harrington, Records Support Analyst

Jonathan Weeks, Evaluation Coordinator