Not all learning happens within university walls. Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is a process used to evaluate and provide college credit for the knowledge you have obtained through areas outside of the academic setting.
Many official trainings and certifications are automatically approved for PLA credit at no cost to you. Simply upload your official documents during your application process, and once evaluated by the GSU PLA coordinator and/or appropriate faculty member, our admissions counselors will add the transferable credits to your degree plan.
Your credit may qualify as a course requirement, but if it does not, it may count as an elective toward your degree.
Steps:
- Inquire about PLA through a GSU representative (your admissions advisor, academic advisor, faculty member, other staff, or PLA coordinator). All students are permitted to submit documentation for evaluation.
- Forward official copies of your certificate(s) or transcript(s) to the PLA coordinator for evaluation. Since processing times may vary, the PLA coordinator advises on a timeframe to complete the evaluation. Original documentation is required.
- The PLA coordinator will utilize several resources to complete the evaluation. These include, but are not limited to, the American Council on Education’s (ACE) College Credit Recommendation Service, credit recommendations made by regionally-accredited colleges and universities, issuing organizations or institutions with documented credit recommendations, and recommendations made by GSU faculty.
- If credit is awarded, your credits will be applied to your degree plan. If a course equivalency can be made, credits will be transcribed accordingly. If there is no course equivalency, then credits will be entered as pseudo-elective credit.
- Finally, results of the evaluation are shared with you and/or your initial referrer. In the case that your credit award is denied, you may consult with the PLA coordinator for alternative options.