Enhancing Accessibility and Inclusion: The 2024 Landscape of Credit for Prior Learning in U.S. and Canadian Higher Education

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Transfer

The challenges and successes in implementing CPL within educational institutions are explored in this report.

The challenges and successes in implementing CPL within educational institutions are explored in this report. Issues related to institutional policies, mechanisms for assessing and awarding credit for prior learning, staffing, technology and learner awareness are examined. These are valuable insights for those in the education sector, from policymakers to educators and administrators, who work toward a more adaptable, reflective educational system.

Data Highlights

Survey results offer important data for higher education. These results include the following:

82% of the responding institutions offer one or more CPL pathways to learners
among those with at least 3 years of data:

46% report an increase in the CPL pathways offered over the 3-year period
48% observed an increase in the evaluation of learning for prior credit and/or number of credits awarded through CPL pathways

54% will not accept CPL in transfer, independent of whether CPL is offered at the institution
67% charge a fee for one or more types of CPL; few offer financial assistance to offset any fees
71% of institutions require a learner to be admitted to the institution before CPL can be evaluated for credit; 13% do not and the remaining 16% report, “maybe, it depends on a number of factors”
85% set a limit on the amount of credit awarded through CPL that may be applied to a credential
institutions offering CPL have found outcomes that include enhanced degree completion, learner progression and a reduction in the overall cost of education for learners
institutional challenges revolve around resource intensity, staffing constraints and little systemization in evaluation, policy and practice, faculty buy in and institutional awareness of CPL

Unless otherwise noted in a specific report, the AACRAO member institution size, type and control categories are based on the following definitions and sources:

The enrollment value used to delineate the institution's size category is defined as full-time enrollment plus 1/3 of part-time enrollment and is based on the enrollment reported by the institution to the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).