Get College Credit for What You Already Know
Your life experience is valuable. That’s why Maricopa Community Colleges offers Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), a way to earn college credit for what you’ve learned outside the classroom.
Whether your experience comes from work, industry or corporate training, credentials, exams, military service, or other approved sources, PLA can help you prove what you already know, save time and tuition, and move closer to completing a certificate or degree.
How PLA Works
There is no single process for earning credit through PLA. The process depends on the type of prior learning and the documentation available.
In general, PLA credit is awarded to certificate- or degree-seeking students who plan to enroll and are admitted to the Maricopa college awarding the credit.
Maricopa has established college-credit equivalencies for a range of industry-recognized credentials across many fields, from barbering to manufacturing, IT, and more. Use the PLA Search Tool to see whether your credential is listed and begin the process of requesting credit.
If you do not find a match in the tool, you may still have other options.
Types of Prior Learning
Prior learning may be reviewed through several pathways, and each pathway may have different requirements. Explore the options below to learn what may count and what documentation may be needed.
If you do not see your experience listed here, or in the PLA Search Tool, contact an academic advisor or your college’s Admissions and Records Department to ask what options may be available.
The American Council on Education (ACE) evaluates some training programs offered by businesses, industry, and government and publishes credit recommendations in The National Guide.
If you completed training, coursework, or exams that appear in The National Guide with credit recommendations, you may request an evaluation for possible college credit.
If you completed coursework at another U.S. college or university, your credits may be evaluated for transfer to Maricopa Community Colleges. [H4] What May Be Evaluated [body] Coursework may be considered for transfer credit if it was completed at an institution that was accredited by a recognized accreditor at the time the coursework was completed. Maricopa defines “recognized” as an accreditor reviewed by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), or both, and meets the respective organizations’ quality standards. Some transfer equivalencies are already used across Maricopa colleges and can be viewed in the Transfer Evaluation System (TES). If you cannot find a specific course equivalency or have questions about how transfer credit may apply to your program, speak with an academic advisor. [H4] How the Evaluation Works [body] Maricopa has two processes for evaluating institutional transfer credit, depending on the organization that your institution was accredited by at the time you completed the coursework. If your institution was accredited by one of the following institutional accrediting organizations, the evaluation will be coordinated by the evaluator at your college once an official transcript has been received: Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC) Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) For institutions accredited by national career-related, national faith-related, programmatic, or other institutional accrediting organizations, the evaluation will be coordinated by your college evaluator and Maricopa’s Transfer Credit and Articulation Services Department. These evaluations may also be performed by subject-specific Instructional Councils. Evaluation turnaround time is typically six weeks from the time an evaluation is requested. [H4] What You Need to Do [body] To request an evaluation, complete the evaluation request form for the Maricopa college you plan to attend (listed below) and have your official transcript sent directly from your previous institution to that college’s Admissions and Records or Enrollment Services Department. After your evaluation is complete, meet with an academic advisor to discuss how your transfer credit may apply to your certificate, degree, or transfer goals. [H4] Evaluation Process and Request Forms by College [body] Chandler-Gilbert Community College Estrella Mountain Community College GateWay Community College Glendale Community College Mesa Community College Phoenix College Paradise Valley Community College Rio Salado College Scottsdale Community College South Mountain Community College