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The Daily Insight

What does CLEP credit mean

Author

Robert Spencer

Published Apr 07, 2026

Key Takeaways. CLEP stands for the College Level Examination Program, a program that enables students to earn college credit for introductory-level courses by achieving satisfactory scores on subject-specific tests.

How many credits are CLEP exams worth?

How many credits are CLEP tests worth? This is ultimately up to the university you transfer them to, but a passing score on a CLEP exam is generally worth between 3 and 6 credit hours.

How do you get credits for CLEP?

To earn credits, CLEP sends (or transfers) the scores of completed exams to schools at a student’s request. Using their credit-granting policies, schools determine if the scores meet their minimum passing score requirements then grant credits that may be used toward a degree at their institution.

What is CLEP and how does it work?

Put simply, CLEP exams allow degree seekers with prior knowledge of introductory college topics the opportunity to take an exam demonstrating their mastery rather than taking the class itself. The overall purpose of CLEP exams is to reward existing knowledge and make it easier for students to earn college credit.

What is college credit for?

College credit is the standard measurement of a student’s academic competency. Essentially, it represents how much effort you, the student, put into a single course over a semester (15 weeks). This effort is most often represented by hours of work.

How hard is it to get a 50 on CLEP?

Generally, only 50 out of 80 is needed to pass a CLEP exam, which comes out to a grade of 63%.

Is CLEP free for military?

The Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) provides free College Level Examination Program (CLEP) examinations to eligible military service members, spouses and civil service employees.

Do CLEP exams affect GPA?

CLEP exams are pass or fail so they never affect your GPA.

What college accepts the most CLEP credits?

  • Purdue University – unlimited credits can be transferred as long as students take at least 32 credits at this university.
  • University of Massachusetts – 75 credits can transfer.
  • University of Arizona – 60 units can transfer.
When should I take CLEP exams?

You can take a CLEP exam all year round. Test centers will often offer CLEP exams several times a month. There is no age minimum on taking a CLEP exam and you do not have to be enrolled in college to take the tests.

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Do medical schools accept CLEP credit?

It is our understanding that most medical schools will not accept CLEP credit for required coursework, largely because CLEP is not based on formal education.

Does Harvard accept CLEP credit?

We accept a maximum of 16 credits, combined, for coursework completed by an examination, such as the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), or professional training approved by the American Council on Education (ACE). … Harvard Extension School does not accept all ACE-approved credit.

How many credits do u need to graduate college?

Typically, in order to graduate with a degree, universities expect students to complete: 120-130 credit hours for a Bachelor’s degree. 30-64 credit hours for a Master’s degree.

How do I send my CLEP scores to university?

Request a transcript to send scores to more than one college. You can also request a transcript if you want to send scores to multiple institutions. You must complete a transcript request for each institution and pay the $20 fee for each transcript ordered by logging into My Account.

How can I get college credits?

  1. Take AP Courses and Exams. …
  2. Take CLEP Exams. …
  3. Participate in the IB Program. …
  4. Take College Classes While in High School.

How many college credits is full time?

Since the federal government defines full-time enrollment as 12 credits per semester for financial aid purposes, students often mistake their “full-time” status with a guarantee for on-time graduation.

How many college credits is an AP class?

Many colleges offer credit for AP scores. Suppose you earn a 4 on your AP Biology Exam, and your college grants you 8 credits for that score. That means you walk into your college with 8 credits under your belt—before you even take your first class there.

Does the military accept CLEP credits?

To help military service members as well as eligible spouses and civil service employees reach their education goals, the U.S. government fully funds CLEP exams and administration fees so you can save money toward your degree.

What is the difference between CLEP and Dantes?

Testing Agencies – DSST exams are offered by Pro- metric while CLEP exams are offered by the College Board. DANTES contracts with each testing agency to provide the exams at National Test Centers (NTCs) at no cost to Service members.

How do you pay for CLEP?

You may pay the CLEP exam fee with a debit or credit card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover, or JCB) when you register for your exam online at My Account. Other forms of payment are not accepted.

Are CLEP exams multiple choice?

Most CLEP exams are designed to correspond to one-semester courses, although some tests correspond to full-year or two-year courses. The format of most questions is multiple choice.

Which CLEP math is easiest?

CLEP ExamYearPass RateCollege Mathematics201866%College Algebra201823%College Mathematics201776%College Algebra201752%

What is the highest CLEP score possible?

Your raw score is then converted into a “scaled score” that ranges from 20, the lowest, to 80, the highest. This scaled score is the score that appears on your score report.

Can I get a bachelor's degree in 1 year?

Students can do Degree in one year who failed in 1st Year, 2nd year or 3rd year of Degree. … Students who got Govt. job in their early age can also do Degree in one year degree Program and get Single Sitting Degree.

Does NYU accept CLEP?

At this time, we do not accept ACE or CLEP coursework.

Does UCLA accept CLEP credit?

In other words, the University of California does not currently accept CLEP exams for credit, so it is not as worthwhile for students on track to UCLA to take the exam as it could be for a student on track to another college. Search for colleges on your list with the Search Engine on the College Board Website.

Do you get a letter grade for CLEP?

No, CLEP exams are almost always considered pass or fail. Because they don’t receive letter grades, they aren’t factored into your GPA. On your transcript, they will be indicated with either a “P” (pass) or “F” (fail), or less commonly, “CR” (credit) or “NC” (no credit).

Can you cheat on a CLEP test?

Penalties for Cheating on the CLEP* Test At the very least, you will fail the exam and will not be able to take it again for 6 months, if at all. … If nothing else, it will go on your academic record, and any further cheating will be punished severely.

What happens if I fail a CLEP test?

If you fail, the College Board will keep your failed score until you retake the test. The next time you attempt the test, they will replace your old score with your new score. After that, the College Board won’t have any trace of your first failed score. So that’s how the College Board handles the failed scores.

Are CLEP exams open book?

All CLEP exams are closed book.

How many questions are on CLEP exams?

Each test includes 120 questions divided into two listening sections and one reading section.