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Great Bay Community College may award credit for students who have potentially acquired learning outside of the traditional academic learning environment.
This learning may include industry certifications, work experience, employer training programs, independent study, non-credit courses, volunteer or community service, or non-college courses or seminars.
The Credit for Prior Learning Assessment funnel illustrates how Credit for Prior Learning will be assessed from the top level (Level 1) to the bottom (Level 3).
Students must exhaust all options starting at Level 1 before moving on to the next level.
A student must be enrolled at GBCC to be eligible for Credit for Prior Learning.
Level 1
Transfer Credit
Credits for college courses taken at another accredited institution or System College and earned a “C” or higher. Courses successfully completed before admission will be considered for transfer.
Prospective students wondering how their credit will transfer into GBCC can contact [email protected] with their college transcripts, and the program they are interested in for an unofficial credit transfer evaluation.
Accepted students who have sent their official college transcripts in will have a transfer credit evaluation completed before their initial student advising appointment by a GBCC Academic Advisor.
Level 2 (A)
More information is available in our College Catalog. Select the option that is most relevant to your experience:
College credit may be granted to students with military training, experience or coursework recognized by the American Council on Education (ACE) based on the program they are entering.
The College recognizes the College Board Advanced Placement Examination Program to evaluate student eligibility for advanced placement. Matriculated students who have participated in the AP Program and been admitted to the College should have official AP grade reports forwarded directly to the College Admissions Office. Upon receipt of students’ AP reports, the advising center will assess the grades and evaluate them for transfer credit. The minimum score to receive credit varies from 3 to 5. No credit is awarded on any AP exam score of less than 3.
| AP Exam | Min. AP Score | GBCC Course | GBCC Course Name | GBCC Credits |
| Studio Art: Drawing | 3+ | ARTS123G | Drawing I | 3.00 |
| Chemistry | 3 | CHEM115G | General Chemistry I | 4.00 |
| Chemistry | 4+ | CHEM115G and CHEM116G | General Chemistry I AND General Chemistry II | 8.00 |
| Comp Sci A | 4+ | CIS112G | Intro to Object-Oriented Programming | 3.00 |
| Macroeconomics | 3+ | ECO234G | Macroeconomics | 3.00 |
| Microeconomics | 3+ | ECON235G | Microeconomics | 3.00 |
| English | 3+ | ENGL110G | College Composition I | 4.00 |
| World History | 3+ | HIST130G | Western Civ II | 3.00 |
| US History | 3 or 4 | HISTXXXG | History Elective or Social Science Elective | 3.00 |
| US History | 5 | HIST202G AND HIST204G | US History through 1870 AND through Present | 6.00 |
| History of Art | 3+ | HUMA117G | Art History I | 3.00 |
| Biology | 4+ | LSCIXXXG | Lab Sci Elective | 4.00 |
| Statistics | 4+ | MATH225G | Probability & Statistics | 4.00 |
| Calculus AB | 3+ | MATH230G | Calculus I | 4.00 |
| Calculus BC | 4+ | MATH230G AND MATH250G | Calculus I AND Calculus II | 8.00 |
| Environmental Science | 3+ | NATR100G | Natural Resources Stewardship | 4.00 |
| Studio Art: 2-D or 3-D Design | 3+ | ARTSXXXG | Fine Arts Elective or Humanities Elective | 3.00 |
| Physics I | 3+ | PHYS135G | College Physics I | 4.00 |
| Physics 2 | 3+ | PHYS136G | College Physics II | 4.00 |
| Physics C (Mechanics) | 3+ | PHYS290G | University Physics I | 4.00 |
| Physics C (Elec & Magnetism) | 3+ | PHYS295G | University Physics II | 4.00 |
| Government & Politics: US | 4+ | POLS110G | American Govt | 3.00 |
| Government & Politics: Comparative | 4+ | POLS210G | Intro to Political Science | 3.00 |
| Psychology | 4+ | PSYC110G | Intro to Psychology | 3.00 |
Students may challenge a course by requesting and completing an examination or evaluation that covers the instructional material of the course. If successful, the appropriate credits earned are applied to the students’ programs but may not be transferable to another college. Not all programs provide the CBE option. A fee of $25.00 per credit, plus all direct costs associated with providing a laboratory portion of an exam, will be charged to a student wishing to receive credit by examination.
A nationally standardized exam known as CLEP (College Level Examination Program). Passing scores for CLEP are 50 and above unless otherwise specified. Successful completion of a CLEP exam is treated as a transfer credit.
| CLEP Exam | Min. Score | GBCC Course | GBCC Course Name | GBCC Credits |
| American Literature w/Essay | 50 | ENGL220G | American Literature after the Civil War | 3.00 |
| Analyzing and Interpreting Literature w/Essay | 50 | ENGL117G | Introduction to Literature | 3.00 |
| College Comp | 50 | ENGL110G | College Composition I | 4.00 |
| English Literature w/Essay | 50 | ENGLXXXG | English Elective | 3.00 |
| French Language Level I | 50 | HUMAXXXG | Humanities Elective | 4.00 |
| Spanish Language Level I | 50 | HUMAXXXG | Humanities Elective | 4.00 |
| American Government | 50 | POLS110G | American Government | 3.00 |
| History of the US I: Early Colonization to 1877 | 50 | HIST202G | US History through 1870 | 3.00 |
| History of the US II: 1865 to the Present | 50 | HIST204G | US History – 1870 to the Present | 3.00 |
| Human Growth and Development | 50 | PSYC210G | Human Growth & Development | 3.00 |
| Psychology, Introduction | 50 | PSYC110G | Introduction to Psychology | 3.00 |
| Sociology, Introduction | 50 | SOCI110G | Sociology | 3.00 |
| Humanities | 50 | HUMAXXXG | Humanities Elective | 3.00 |
| Macroeconomics, Principles of | 50 | ECON234G | Macroeconomics | 3.00 |
| Microeconomics, Principles of | 50 | ECON235G | Microeconomics3.00 | 3.00 |
| Western Civilization: Ancient Near East to 1648 | 50 | HIST120G | Western Civilization through 1500 | 3.00 |
| Western Civilization: Ancient Near East 1648 to present | 50 | HIST130G | Western Civilization 1500 to the Preset | 3.00 |
| Biology | 50 | SCIXXXG (No lab) | Science Elective | 3.00 |
| Chemistry | 50 | SCIXXXXG (No lab) | Science Elective | 3.00 |
| Natural Science | 50 | SCIXXXG (No lab) | Science Elective | 3.00 |
| Mathematics, College | 50 | MATH145G | Quantitative Reasoning | 4.00 |
| Algebra, College | 50 | MATH150G | College Algebra | 3.00 |
| Pre-Calculus | 50 | MATH210G | Pre-Calculus | 3.00 |
| Calculus | 50 | MATH230G | Calculus I | 4.00 |
| Financial Accounting | 65 | ACCT113G and ACCT123G | Accounting & Financial Reporting I and II | 6.00 |
| Management, Principles of | 50 | BUS114G | Management | 3.00 |
| Business Law | 50 | BIS211G | Business Law | 3.00 |
| Marketing, Principles of | 50 | MKTG101G | Principles of Marketing | 3.00 |
| Information Systems and Computer Applications | 50 | CIS111G | Computer Technologies | 3.00 |
Level 2 (B)
IRC (Industry Recognized Credential)
Industry Recognized Credential is an umbrella term for apprenticeships, badges, micro-credentials, certificates, certifications, degrees, diplomas, and licenses.
Level 3
Experiential Credit via Portfolio Review
Credit for prior learning allows students to demonstrate the knowledge they have gained through life experiences and apply it toward credit in some degree/certificate programs. To prepare for this option, students will develop a portfolio to be assessed by appropriate college personnel. A request for Experiential credit should be initiated with the chair or coordinator for the program in which the student wishes to receive course credit.
A student must matriculate at GBCC and exhaust all previous levels of CPL to be eligible to apply for experiential learning assessment credit.
