Prior Learning Assessment
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) provides a pathway for non-traditional students to expedite completion of an academic-degree program. PLA acknowledges and honors the college-level learning that these students have accrued outside the confines of the regular classroom.
PLA is based on college-level knowledge and skills that satisfy the learning outcomes of an academic course. The college-level knowledge and skills that a non-traditional student may possess could have been obtained in the context of:
- Corporate training
- Business ownership
- Professional work
- Volunteer work
PLA is beneficial to non-traditional students in several ways:
- Emphasis on practical competence via certifications, licenses, and credentials
- Elimination of redundancies in mastered material
- Savings in time and money spent on degree completion
Eligibility
In order to qualify for Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) as a non-traditional student, at least one of the following criteria must be met by the student:
- Been out of high school for 4+ years at the time of initial registration into an undergraduate program
- Had at least a 2-year interruption in higher education
- Been forced to enroll in less than 12 credits each semester due to significant, non-academic commitments
To earn academic credit via PLA, a non-traditional student must comply with the following steps:
- Submit Felician’s undergraduate/graduate application (along with all relevant materials)
- Submit a PLA Interest Form
- Submit a PLA Portfolio
- If applicable, submit the transfer-credit application
- If applicable, maintain the minimum grade point average (GPA) for courses taken to date within a Felician, academic program/school