Do colleges usually print their CLEP policy?

[Lindagerr]

I never before had to look for what exams or how many credits a college accepts. I went through TESC and got all my answers here.

Recently I am trying to help my nephew make some choices and I am having trouble finding policy from Horry Georgetown Technical College in Myrtle Beach SC area. Is this normal?

The other college he is looking at is Coastal Carolina University they have a very weird CLEP policy they only give 3 credits for A & I Lit but they give 8 credits including lab credit for Biology and Chemistry. They also do not give credit for the other 6 credit exams like Humanities, SS & History, or Natural Science. It also looks like they wouldn't take these credits as transfer credits. Are these normal rules at most B & M colleges?

If anyone is from that area and has any suggestions for a school that would take more CLEP or other exam credits (neither of these schools even mention DSST) I would appreciate the feedback.

[sanantone]

Most of the time, I can find something on a school's CLEP policy even if it's vague. More colleges accept CLEP than DSST. The people at ACCD are so stupid. The lady in testing didn't even know what DSST was and they offer the test even though they only accept one exam. She was like, "Oh! DANTES?" And she said in a tone that was meant to correct me. DANTES is not the name of the test; it was the developer.

I've come across a lot of CCs that give lab credit for biology and chemistry which is awesome! Some even give 4-8 credits for the calculus exam. They tend to only accept the generic, general education type of exams and some of the basic business exams. If they don't offer a course, then they most likely won't accept the exam. For example, many colleges don't offer a generic humanities or social science course.

[BGSU_Alum_86]

One suggestion that I can make is to do the traditional college search using either the one from the College Board website or on College Confidential. I believe both offer a search option for colleges that accept AP and/or CLEP credit. Of course this means those colleges must have had a rep fill out that information. Once you get pass that hurdle, then you can either see if those colleges have indicated anything on the CLEP website, though I would not trust the information listed as being completely accurate. That is when I do further digging on the individual college's website. Good luck!

[cookderosa]

Linda, you might have to email or call an advisor. They WILL have a written CLEP policy, it's not up to discretion. You might have to ask more than 1 person. TRUE STORY - on Monday I emailed an old CC and asked for their CLEP policy through their regular email request. I got an email back from someone telling me that "equivalencies change frequently" and that that information "isn't available." LOL I wrote back and said that I had a copy of their written equivalency policy but had misplaced it, so I know it exists. He sent me to another person who "might" be able to help me. THREE people later, on Wednesday, a neatly scanned equivalency policy was sitting in my inbox. For fun, I forwarded it back to everyone who told me it didn't exist so they can be helpful to the next person who asks. You're welcome.

Also, you might get a lot of confusing looks regarding DSST/DANTES credit, sometimes you'll find a policy blurb in the catalog about "military credit" or such. If they accept CLEP, you can almost be sure they accept DSST/DANTES, again, you just have to know that the average college student doesn't know about CLEP or use it. They may get asked about CLEP a handful of times each year if that. I advised all degree seeking students in our department for 4 years and never knew what CLEP was. I'd never heard of it, it wasn't in any of the material we used. I had students drop out because they couldn't find time to attend one or more of the 5 gen eds required for their AAS degree. Students would get to the end, after all culinary courses were complete, then leave. Just like that, after 3 years, with no degree. See, our program required students to hold full time jobs as part of their apprenticeship, and so that was all fine and dandy until we told them they had to attend English, which, by the way, meets 4 days per week. Oh, and math, and sociology, and intro to business.....in other words- quit your job for a semester. Guess what they all said? They all said no. For every 10 students who were finished with their culinary classes, only 1-2 would ever complete their gen eds and graduate. CLEP was an option, I carry a lot of guilt from those experiences. I've tried to teach the dept head who replaced me, he and I are still friendly, but he's uninterested. I retell that whole long story because I know people assume that everyone working at the college knows what's going on - and YOU the student have to take charge because there is a high likelihood that the person answering your question was selling fro-yo last year at the mall.

[Lindagerr]

One suggestion that I can make is to do the traditional college search using either the one from the College Board website or on College Confidential. I believe both offer a search option for colleges that accept AP and/or CLEP credit. Of course this means those colleges must have had a rep fill out that information. Once you get pass that hurdle, then you can either see if those colleges have indicated anything on the CLEP website, though I would not trust the information listed as being completely accurate. That is when I do further digging on the individual college's website. Good luck!

Thank you that was a great idea. Of course it didn't answer all of my questions but it gave me a better idea of what colleges are worth pursuing for more info.

[ryoder]

They do list it because they accept AP credit for high school kids. To find it for my local university I just go to the site and type in "CLEP articulation". It has a web page with a drop down where you can select CLEP, DSST, AP, or IB courses and then get a listing.

[andrewtn]

Most of the time, I can find something on a school's CLEP policy even if it's vague. More colleges accept CLEP than DSST. The people at ACCD are so stupid. The lady in testing didn't even know what DSST was and they offer the test even though they only accept one exam. She was like, "Oh! DANTES?" And she said in a tone that was meant to correct me. DANTES is not the name of the test; it was the developer.

An adviser at Fort Hays State University told me that DSST is only available to military which isn't true. Also, DSST was formally called DANTES Subject Standardized Tests so although you would expect the testing center to know what DSST is at this point it is true that it was formally called DANTES. I've also seen it called DANTES at universities.

[sanantone]

An adviser at Fort Hays State University told me that DSST is only available to military which isn't true. Also, DSST was formally called DANTES Subject Standardized Tests so although you would expect the testing center to know what DSST is at this point it is true that it was formally called DANTES. I've also seen it called DANTES at universities.

Yes, DSST stands for DANTES Subject Standardized Tests. That is its whole name. It is not DANTES. DANTES stands for Defense Activity for Non-traditional Education Support.

[rebel100]

My Google Fu feels strong today, from the Horry Georgtown Handbook:

"
4
H
ORRY
-
GEORGETOWN TECHNICAL COLLEGE
POLICY
Number:
8.5.2
Title:
College
-
Level Examination Program (CLEP) Exemption Credit
Authority:
Title 59, Chapter 53, Sections 810
-
860 of the 1976 Code of Laws of South
Carolina, as Amended
Responsibility:
Assista
nt Vice President for Enrollment Development and Registration
Original Approval Date:
04
-
08
-
1993
Last Cabinet Review:
09
-
12
-
2007
Last Revision:
04
-
10
-
1997
_________________________________________________
Chairperson
Students can receive exemption
credit for some courses if the approved score or higher is
earned on the specified College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests. Students must present
documentation from the College Board to the Associate VP for Records, Registration and
Information Tec
hnology that requirements have been met. The transcript of record will show an
exemption for the course.
Credit will not be granted if a student has:
1.
an outstanding grade of Incomplete (I) in the course,
2.
previously audited the course, or
3.
failed the course.
The CLEP exemption cannot be used to replace a grade previously earned by a student in
the course. Exempted credit may not exceed 75 percent (75%) of required course work in an
academic program.
5
HORRY
-
GEORGETOWN TECHNICAL COLLE
GE
PROCEDURE
Number:
8.5.2.1
Related Policy:
8.5.2
Title:
CLEP Exemption Credit
Responsibility:
Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Development and Registration
Original Approval Date:
02
-
27
-
1997
Last Cabinet Review:
09
-
12
-
2007
Last Revision:
09
-
12
-
2007
_________________________________________________
President
Procedures followed in the awarding of CLEP Exemption Credit include the following:
1.
The official document containing the results of CLEP tests are reviewed by Associate
VP for R
ecords, Registration and Information Technology Office personnel to identify
subjects required in the student’s course of study.
2.
To receive credit, the nationally accepted score must have been earned in a subject
required in the student’s courses of st
udy.
3.
The
CLEP
credit is entered on the student’s record in the database."

http://www.hgtc.edu/documents/policys/Chapt8.pdf

SO it looks like they take CLEP, use the recommended scoring, and you can do up to 45 credits for the AA/AS......I wouldn't be a bit surprised if there are less than a handful of people at this school that know their own policy. I would shoot the registrar a note before you start and get some communication in writing back before expecting to use a of of clep at this school.

Info looks to be from 2007, beware of changes.

[Lindagerr]

Thank you That was extremely unclear to me but it probably makes sense to someone at the college. I called 3 times got transferred once to person who had no idea and didn't even know what CLEP was finally sent me to a voice mail. Second time I talked to 3 people who had no idea of the policy and tried to send me to a forth person but ended up disconnecting me. I finally got one very nice person who explained today was graduation day but she gave me some names and numbers to try tomorrow.

It looks like no CLEPS taken before enrolled and approved get any credit. To me that could be an expensive and frustrating waste of time. If he enrolls then finds out they won't take any or only take 15 credits it is a poor choice for him.