How to Get Started
Students should begin by consulting with the Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) Coordinator and Advisor to determine whether CPL would be appropriate or helpful for their academic and career goals. (See contact information at the bottom of the page.)
CPL is done on a case by case basis and varies by course and department. Procedures for many courses are already established at MCC while others need to be developed. Where procedures exist, the CPL Coordinator assigns students to a course evaluator and then the general process is as follows below. Where procedures or precedent do not exist at MCC, the CPL Coordinator will investigate possibilities and get back to the student.
General Procedures
- Contact the assigned CPL evaluator to have an initial conversation about earning credit
for the specific course(s) to make sure that this is the process you want to follow
and if it is feasible for you to proceed. Fees are nonrefundable once paid.
- Obtain the CPL Course Guidelines for the course that you will doing from the CPL Coordinator
or the CPL evaluator. This form will include student guidelines about the content
and competencies that you are responsible for, what you may need to prepare in advance,
and a list of required documentation.
- When you have made the decision to be evaluated, complete this CPL application form
and bring it with you to the Student Accounts office on the Lowell or Bedford campus
and pay the non-refundable $150 fee per course ($50 for license/certification review).
The Student Accounts office needs to make a copy of the application for their records. - Arrange to meet with the assigned evaluator for the evaluation to take place at his
or her office. Bring the completed application form and payment receipt you will receive
from the Student Accounts office and leave with the evaluator.
- The evaluator will complete the evaluation and send all paperwork to the CPL Coordinator.
- The CPL Coordinator sends you a letter confirming the results and notifies the Registrar
to process the credits if approved. This process can take one to two weeks.
- CPL credits are ungraded and entered on your transcript as TR (for transfer) in a section for Credit for PriorLearning
Limitations of the CPL Process and Credit
- Nonrefundable fees apply of $50-150 per course for an evaluation. (There is no fee for consultation with the program advisor.)
- Credit for Prior Learning is generally not transferable to another college unless the course is part of a completed MassTransfer program that matches the same program at a state college or university, e.g the Business program at MCC transferring to the Business program at UMass Lowell.
- General Education courses in areas such as science, math, humanities, and social sciences are generally not eligible for credit for prior learning assessment except through national exams such as CLEP.
- Several programs have external accreditation organizations that expressly forbid the awarding for credit for prior learning. These include, but are not limited to, Criminal Justice, Paralegal Studies, and some health careers.
- MCC is not able to evaluate subject areas where the college has no matching courses or subject areas offered. However, LearningCounts.org is a national organization that can assist in these other areas and MCC accepts their recommendations.
For further questions or assistance, contact:
Rob Kaulfuss, Credit for Prior Learning Coordinator and Advisor
781-280-3852 / kaulfussr@middlesex.mass.edu / Henderson Hall, Room 117
Middlesex Community College, 591 Springs Rd., Bedford, MA 01730