Some students starting college already have a wealth of experience, whether it’s from serving in the military or law enforcement, getting on-the-job training or apprenticeships, or learning from volunteer activities.
Palomar College’s Credit for Prior Learning program recognizes the knowledge those students have gained and enables them to receive college credit for validated college-level skills and knowledge gained outside the classroom.
“Many students bring a great deal of experience with them as they re-enter college after working or pursuing other training. This program enables them to achieve their goals more efficiently,” said Candace Rose, Credit for Prior Learning coordinator and Media Studies faculty.
Students might have gained college-level skills and knowledge in a variety of ways, such as:
- Military training
- Industry training
- State or federal government training
- Apprenticeships, internships, work-based learning, or other industry-based training
- Volunteer and civic activities such as the Peace Corps
Anthony Guerra, who had served as a law enforcement officer, discovered Palomar College’s Credit for Prior Learning program when he was searching for a way to waive the college requirements he needed to become intermediate POST-certified, which would credit him with more experience when he looked for a law enforcement job.
Guerra, who had served 3 ½ years for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and three years as a San Diego police officer, received credit for 10 classes in Palomar College’s Administration of Justice program. Although he’s now running his own business, he said he’s considering applying for a federal law enforcement job knowing that he has a better chance with his new certification.
He said the Credit for Prior Learning program was “incredible. I highly recommended it to a lot of people.”
Palomar College began offering Credit for Prior Learning in 2019 and was the first community college in California to institutionalize the process of certifying credit. The California Community College Chancellor’s Office mandated that other colleges in the state align with the process that Palomar created.
Members of the military in the rank of sergeant or above can earn college credit for their experience through Palomar College’s military leadership program. Rose said more than 2,000 students have earned credit through the military program since 2021.
Outside of the military, about 40 students a semester earn credit for 50 to 60 classes, she said.
Students can earn college credit in several ways – by taking an exam, creating a portfolio, or having an industry certificate or military transcript. Students are encouraged to develop an education plan so that the classes they have received credit for fit into their path toward their education goals, said Tina Barlolong, a veterans counselor who is the lead Credit for Prior Learning counselor.
Rose said that studies show that students who have earned credit for prior learning are more likely to continue their education and complete their degree.
“Credit for prior learning saves them time and money on their educational pathway,” she said. “It also validates their prior learning.”