Assessment and Testing Services
Credit by Demonstrated Competence

The College of DuPage Credit by Demonstrated Competence program offers you the opportunity to demonstrate your achievement outside the classroom and gain college credit for it. You may complete 42 of the 64 credits needed toward an associate’s degree through this program.

Credit by Proficiency
This method offers an opportunity to gain credit for knowledge you’ve acquired in an occupation or educational environment outside of college, or through other life experience, related to specific College of DuPage courses. Through this process, students who demonstrate knowledge needed to complete a C.O.D. course can gain college credit without taking the course. Each faculty member has the prerogative to decide if a specific course lends itself to this method of gaining credit, and the means by which you must demonstrate your knowledge. The Assessment and Testing office assists students with identifying faculty who are available for credit by proficiency.

•Credit Through an Instructor
To gain credit in a specific course taught at College of DuPage, you must:
• Contact a faculty member teaching the course and obtain permission to gain credit through proficiency.
• Complete the student portion of a Credit by Demonstrated Competence form obtained from the Assessment and Testing office.
• Pay a service fee for each course.
• Take the completed form and fee receipt to the course instructor. After the proficiency evaluation, the instructor will complete the Credit by Demonstrated Competence form, obtain the dean’s approval and send the form to the Records office.
• You must complete at least one credit course at College of DuPage to establish a transcript record before the Records office can record any credit earned from the Credit by Demonstrated Competence program.

•Credit Through Established Examinations
To gain credit in a specific course taught at College of DuPage, you must:
• Contact the Assessment and Testing office for a complete list of established C.O.D. examinations.
• Complete the student portion of a Credit by Demonstrated Competence form obtained from the Assessment and Testing office.
• Pay a service fee for each course.
• Take the completed form and fee receipt to the Assessment and Testing Lab, Berg Instructional Center (IC), Room 100. Along with the form, bring a photo ID. After you have completed the examination, an instructor will grade it. Upon successful completion of the examination, the Credit by Demonstrated Competence form will be signed by an instructor, then by the dean of the department, and sent to the Records office.
• You must complete at least one credit course at College of DuPage to establish a transcript record before the Records office can record any credit earned from the Credit by Demonstrated Competence program.

Credit by National Examination
This method offers you an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge in a particular subject area by submitting scores from the nationally recognized Advanced Placement Program (AP) or the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP).

•Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement Program (AP) offers college courses to high school students in cooperation with the College Board of Princeton, NJ. College of DuPage accepts credit for course areas in which a student has completed an Advanced Placement Program course examination with an acceptable score. The amount of credit accepted for each Advanced Placement Program course examination is determined by its College of DuPage equivalent. Students who have previously taken the Advanced Placement Examinations should forward official score reports to the Assessment and Testing office. For more information regarding AP credit, contact the Assessment and Testing office.

AP Credit accepted at College of DuPage

•College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
College of DuPage is a national test center for the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP). This national program is established by the Educational Testing Service and provides college-level, content-specific tests given to determine competency. CLEP examinations compare an individual’s knowledge of a subject or subject area with that of regularly enrolled students who have completed the college course in the subject area. In order to receive credit at College of DuPage, students who have previously taken CLEP examinations should forward official score reports to the Assessment and Testing office. Each college sets its own policy about CLEP scores and credit by examination. Check with the college you will be transferring to about its policy.

All CLEP tests are computer-based. Exams are 90 minutes long. There is also a 30-minute tutorial. Students will receive their results upon completion of the exam. All CLEP exams are administered by appointment, but not all exams are accepted for credit at College of DuPage. The fee for taking each CLEP Examination is determined by the College Board. Registration materials and C.O.D. fee information are available from the Assessment and Testing office.

CLEP Examinations accepted for credit at College of DuPage

•DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)
The DSST program provides the opportunity for people to earn college credit for what they have learned outside the traditional classroom. Accepted and/or administered at more than 1,900 colleges and universities nationwide and approved by ACE (American Council on Education), the DSST program enables people to use their knowledge acquired outside the classroom to accomplish their educational and professional goals.
 
All DANTES tests are paper-based and are administered by appointment. Exams must be ordered in advance. These exams are not timed and score results will be mailed. Currently, College of DuPage is only a test site for DSST. We do not accept these tests for credit. The fee for taking a DANTES test is determined by Thomson Prometric. An administrative fee is also charged. For more information about DSST, visit www.getcollegecredit.com, or contact the Assessment and Testing office.

Articulated Credit
In this program, students earn credit at College of DuPage for courses taken at high schools within Community College District 502 with, usually, a course grade of “A” or “B.” Articulated credit course work is generally in the career and technical education areas.To qualify for articulated credit, complete the following within two years of high school graduation:
• Submit a completed Application for Articulated Credit to the Records office, Student Resource Center (SRC), Room 2015.
• Request an official transcript be sent from your high school to the Records office at College of DuPage.
• You must complete at least one credit course at College of DuPage to establish a transcript record before the Records office can record any credit earned from the Credit by Demonstrated Competence program.

Information about which specific courses carry articulated credit is available from the Records Office (630) 942-3838.

Independent Study/Special Projects
This self-directed program allows students the possibility of pursuing a topic of special interest by designing a study project, which is supervised by a faculty member. Students may design and complete unique courses of study. Students are required to thoroughly plan and document their project. This is done by completing a learning agreement form jointly with the supervising faculty member. For more information, students can call the Independent Study/Special Projects counselor at (630) 942-2271. This program is administered through the Center for Independent Learning on campus in Glen Ellyn in the Berg Instructional Center (IC), Room 200.