Purchase College permits students to apply for knowledge and competencies gained through professional or workforce experience to be awarded credit equivalent to a specific comparable course offered at Purchase College. Students do so by working with faculty to assemble a portfolio demonstrating the acquisition of such knowledge and competences. The awarding of credit is at the discretion of the faculty member, as with any credited learning experience offered at Purchase College.

• Purchase College courses for which prior learning assessment is offered as equivalent earned credit may fulfill various requirements, including but not limited to major courses, SUNY General Education, Transfer Path courses, and approved applied learning experiences. However, the availability of credit awarded through portfolio review is limited to specific courses and disciplines offered at the college at the discretion of faculty and is subject to change. The current availability of credit through portfolio review will be communicated to interested students through various channels, including the Office of the Provost, the Office of Admissions, the Advising Center, and the college website and catalog. 

• Evaluation of student learning for academic credit is conducted and awarded by Purchase College faculty members who serve as subject experts and assist interested students in the assembly of relevant materials into a portfolio that demonstrates that the student has attained knowledge and competencies comparable to those required to receive a passing grade in a specific course offered at Purchase College. 

• Courses that have been designated by Purchase faculty as fulfilling SUNY General Education requirements may be eligible to be offered by the college for prior learning assessment through portfolio review. However, in such cases the portfolio must also demonstrate that the student currently possesses knowledge and competencies sufficient to satisfy both the student learning outcomes of the equivalent Purchase College course, and the student learning outcomes of the relevant SUNY general education categories.  

• Purchase College does not award credit through portfolio review for any course for which there exists an equivalent CLEP exam.

• Credits awarded through portfolio review are normally equivalent to the number of credits awarded through the equivalent course offered at Purchase College. In cases where the Purchase College course for which the student is seeking credit through portfolio review is offered for a range of credits (e.g. in the case of Practicums, Internships, or Applied Learning), the number of credits awarded through portfolio review will be at the discretion of the advising faculty member. 

• Credits earned through portfolio review are awarded on a Pass/Fail basis. 

•  Application for credit through portfolio review may be requested at any point after a student has formally received and accepted an Offer of Admission to Purchase College, SUNY.

• Students may be awarded a maximum of 9 credits through portfolio review while matriculating at Purchase College. 

• Students are not permitted to apply for credit through portfolio review for any equivalent Purchase College course in which they have previously been enrolled and received a grade. 

•  Students requesting a formal assessment of credit applicability will pay  a  non-refundable  fee of $75.00 per credit requested through the formal portfolio review process. The student will  be assigned to work with an appropriate faculty member who will advise the student in assembling relevant portfolio materials and subsequently assess the student’s portfolio for potential  awarding of credit equivalent to that of the Purchase College course in question. 

• Students working with a faculty member in assessing prior learning will be provided guidance with assembling their portfolio and provided with the rubric  used to assess the achievement of relevant learning outcomes. The faculty member in question will also confirm the number of credits that the student will be able to receive through the assessment. 

• Application for  awarding of credit through portfolio review does not guarantee  the awarding of credit by the Purchase College faculty member advising in portfolio assembly. The student application fee of $75.00 per credit requested is non-refundable. 

• Appeals for the awarding of credit based on faculty portfolio review will be automatically forwarded to the academic Director of the relevant School or Conservatory for further consideration. In cases where the awarding of credit is in dispute, the Director will advise the Provost, who will make the final determination in the matter.