Alternative Credit

Advanced Placement (AP) Credit — Students who receive scores of three or higher on College Board Advanced Placement tests for which the college offers equivalent courses will be awarded the appropriate credit at Athens Technical College. This credit is designated as TR on academic transcripts, is included in students’ earned hours, and is not included in the calculation of semester, cumulative, and graduation grade point averages. Information on the courses for which the college awards AP credit is available on the college website. Applicants must have official test scores mailed directly from the College Board to Athens Technical College. Students should direct questions to registration@athenstech.edu about credit for AP courses.

College-Level (CLEP) Credit — College-Level Examination Program tests are nationally recognized exams developed by the College Board that allow students to receive credit in subject areas in which they have expertise from previous experiences or studies. Exam scores must be at the 50th percentile or higher in order to receive CLEP credit. This credit is designate as TR on academic transcripts, is included in students’ earned hours, and is not included in the calculation of semester, cumulative, and graduation grade point averages. Information on the courses for which the college awards CLEP credit is available on the college website. Students who wish to receive CLEP credit for these courses must register for the exams on the College Board website. They must have official test scores mailed directly from the College Board to Athens Technical College. Students should direct questions to registration@athenstech.edu about CLEP credits.

Credit-by-Examination — Credit-by-examination is a process that allows students who can demonstrate achievement of course competencies to receive credit for courses. Students interested in credit-by-examination should confer with their respective academic advisors and the Registration and Records Office to ensure that credit earned through the examination process will apply toward graduation requirements. In addition to the CLEP process described above, students who present evidence of prior knowledge of a particular subject for which CLEP exams do not exist may receive credit by passing course-specific examinations. Appropriate evidence may include, but is not limited to, work experience, non-credit coursework, equivalent coursework taken at non-accredited institutions, and courses offered by the military. Students may not take credit-by-examination tests for courses previously taken at Athens Technical College. This restriction applies to courses in which students earned grades of W, WP, WF, or AU. Students may not take the same test more than once. Students must obtain permission of the instructional program chairs or coordinators offering the courses before seeking credit-by-examination. The nonrefundable testing fee is 25 percent of the tuition normally charged for the courses.

Instructional departments are responsible for reporting results to the Registration and Records Office. Students who achieve letter grades of C or higher or numerical grades of 70 or higher on exams receive credit for the courses. This credit is designated as EXE on academic transcripts, is included in students' earned hours, and is not included in the calculation of semester, cumulative, and graduation grade point averages. Students should verify they received credit by checking their transcripts on BannerWeb.

To seek credit by examination, students must complete the following steps:

• Obtain Credit by Examination Request forms for each course they plan to seek credit-by-examination.
• Obtain signatures of the instructional program chairs offering the courses for which students seek credit through this examination process. Departments may ask for documentation of prior knowledge in certain subject areas before allowing students to seek credit by examination.
• Pay a nonrefundable testing fee to the cashier once program chairs and/or course coordinators approve students to take examinations.
• Give the exam proctor the Credit by Examination form, testing fee receipt, and photo identification to gain admission to the testing session.

Institutional credit-by-exam credits are generally not transferable outside of Athens Technical College. Students do not have the option of attempting to earn credit by exam for FSSE 1000—First, the college’s first-semester seminar course.

Essential Learning/Prior Learning Assessment — Athens Technical College recognizes that individuals can develop mastery of course competencies through non-traditional educational environments such as employment, training, professional certifications, non-credit courses, and other life experiences. The term prior learning is used to describe these methods of learning. The college awards credit for prior learning when the equivalency is validated by academically sound and rigorous assessment. Credit will be awarded only for demonstrable college-level learning, not for experience. Students must demonstrate mastery of course competencies through testing or appropriate documentation such as portfolios or certifications received from professional organizations. Students who believe they have the appropriate prior learning to request credit should make an appointment to speak with the dean responsible for the courses students are seeking prior learning credit.

Credit for High School Coursework — High school students are eligible to receive college credit for high school coursework by demonstrating mastery of competencies in appropriate college courses. Students who achieve minimum grades of 70 in related courses at the high-school level are eligible to earn exemption credit. This credit is designated as AC on academic transcripts, is included in students' earned hours, and is not included in the calculation of semester, cumulative, and graduation grade point averages. Students must pay a $10 fee for each course in which college credit is sought. The director of registration and records will award credit up to 24 months after students graduate from high school.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Credit — Students who have taken appropriate high school courses determined and achieved scores of three or higher on International Baccalaureate examinations will receive credit for equivalent courses offered by the college. IB Examinations are offered by the International Baccalaureate Examination Board. Applicants must have official test scores mailed directly to Athens Technical College. This credit is designated as TR on academic transcripts, is included in students’ earned hours, and is not included in the calculation of semester, cumulative, and graduation grade point averages. Students should direct questions to registration@athenstech.edu about IB credit.

Military Credit — Athens Technical College awards credit for courses completed at military service schools. The awarding of credit is based American Council of Education (ACE) recommendations as listed in A Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services.