Students with a strong background in a variety of basic subjects may be able to exempt courses and receive credit hours for courses based on their scores on Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), German Abitur, College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Cambridge International Exams, Excelsior College Examinations (ECE) and UExcel, Defense Activity for Nontraditional Educational Support (DANTES), DSST exams, Defense Language Proficiency Tests (DLPT), or by successfully passing a course challenge examination prepared at USC Upstate. Students may also seek credit for military schooling or training offered by certain non-collegiate organizations and for portfolio-based demonstrations of college-level learning achieved through prior work and other experiential learning, such as volunteer service or community leadership.

Normally, a maximum of 45 semester hours earned in any combination of prior learning is accepted as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the baccalaureate.  Exceptions to this 45-hour rule may be made at the discretion of the dean of the appropriate college or school.  Students planning to pursue work at other institutions or planning to take off-campus extension classes must complete this work before attaining senior classification (see academic residency requirements).

Credits earned for prior learning do not enter into calculation of students' GPA.  USC Upstate accepts many, but not all, AP, IB, Cambridge International, CLEP, ECE and UExcel, DANTES, DLPT, and DSST subjects. Transfer students with AP, IB, CLEP, ECE and UExcel, or DANTES credits in subjects not listed below must submit those credits to the dean of the appropriate school for review.  Students are not allowed to earn CLEP, ECE and UExcel, DANTES and/or USC Upstate institutional credit by examination for courses in which they have earned credit through coursework at USC Upstate or a transfer institution. 

Advanced Placement (AP)

All Advanced Placement courses and tests are administered by high schools and should be completed successfully before entering USC Upstate. An entering student who has passed 30 hours of AP credit may be granted sophomore standing upon enrollment. In order to receive credit for courses, students must have an original AP score report sent directly to the USC Upstate Records Office. The Advanced Placement courses accepted by USC Upstate are:

African American Studies
Three credits for AFAM U201 Introduction to African American Studies with a minimum score of 3.

Art History
Three credits for ARTH U101 Introduction to Art with a minimum score of 3.

Biology
Eight credits for BIOL U101 Introductory Biology I and BIOL U102 Introductory Biology II, including laboratory credit, with a minimum score of 3.

Calculus AB and Calculus AB Subscore
Four credits for MATH U141 Calculus I with a score of at least 3.

Calculus BC
Eight credits for MATH U141 Calculus I and MATH U142 Calculus II with a score of at least 3.

Chemistry
Four credits for CHEM U111 General Chemistry with a score of 3; eight credits for CHEM U111 General Chemistry and CHEM U112 General Chemistry and Qualitative Analysis with a score of 4 or 5.

Chinese Lang. & Culture or Japanese Lang. & Culture
Four hours of university credit with a score of 3. Eight hours of university credit with a score of 4 or 5.

Computer Science A
Three credits in CSCI U200 Computer Science I with a minimum score of 3.

Computer Science Principles
Equivalent to CSCI U138 Introduction to Computer Technology or CSCI U150 Introduction to Computer Science with a score of 3 or higher.

English Language and Composition and English Literature and Composition

AP Exam

AP Exam	Score 3 Credit	Score 4 Credit	Score 5 Credit
English Language and Composition	ENGL U101 (3)	ENGL U101 (3)	ENGL U101 & ENGL U102 (6)
English Literature and Composition	ENGL U101 (3)	ENGL U101 (3)	ENGL U101 & ENGL U102 (6)
Both Language and Composition and Literature and Composition	ENGL U101 & ENGL U102 (6)	ENGL U101 & ENGL U102 (6)	ENGL U101 & ENGL U102 (6)

Environmental Science
Four credits for BIOL U270 Environmental Science with a score of 3 or better.

European History
Three credits selected for HIST U101 Introduction to World History I with a score of 3.

French, German, Italian and Spanish Language
Six credits for U101 and U102 level courses with a score of 3 or 4. Nine credits for U101, U102 and U201 with a score of 5.

Government & Politics: Comparative
Three credits for POLI U320 Comparative Politics with a minimum score of 3.

Government & Politics: United States
Three credits for POLI U101 American National Government with a minimum score of 3.

Human Geography
Three hours of GEOG U103 Introduction to Geography with a minimum score of 3.

Latin-Vergil
Four hours of university credit with a minimum score of 3. Seven hours of university credit with a score of 4 or 5.

Macroeconomics
Three credits for ECON U221 Principles of Macroeconomics with a minimum score of 3.

Microeconomics
Three credits for ECON U222 Principles of Microeconomics with a minimum score of 3.

Music Listening & Literature
3 credits for MUSC U110 Introduction to Music with a score of 3 or better.

Music Theory
Three hours of university credit with a minimum score of 3.

Physics 1
Four credits for PHYS U201 General Physics I with a minimum score of 3

Physics 2
Four credits for PHYS U202 General Physics II with a minimum score of 3.

Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
Four credits for PHYS U212 Essentials of Physics II with a minimum score of 3.

Physics C: Mechanical
Four credits for PHYS U211 Essentials of Physics I with a minimum score of 3.

Precalculus
Three credits for MATH U126 Precalculus I with a minimum score of 3. Six credits for MATH U126 Precalculus I and MATH U127 Precalculus II with a score of 4 or 5.

Psychology
Three credits for PSYC U101 Introduction to Psychology with a minimum score of 3.

Spanish Literature
Six credits for SPAN U101 Introductory Spanish I and SPAN U102 Introductory Spanish II with a score of 3. Twelve credits for SPAN U102 Introductory Spanish II, SPAN U201 Intermediate Spanish, SPAN U202 Intermediate Spanish, and SPAN U301 Introduction to Hispanic Literature with a score of 4 or 5.

Statistics
Three credits for ECON U291 Probability and Statistics, MATH U102 Elementary Statistics or SOCY U201 Introduction to Statistics for the Social Sciences with a minimum score of 3.

Studio Art: Drawing
Three credits for ARTS U110 Drawing I with a minimum score of 3.

Studio Art: 2-D Design
Three credits for ARTS U103 Fundamentals of Two Dimensional Design with a minimum score of 3.

Studio Art: 3-D Design
Three credits for ARTS U104 Fundamentals of Three Dimensional Design with a minimum score of 3.

United States History
Three credits for HIST U105 History of the United States to 1877 with a score of 3 or 4; six credits (three for HIST U105 History of the United States to 1877 and three for HIST U106 History of the United States from 1865) with a score of 5.

World History
Three credits for HIST U102 Introduction to World History II with a score of 3 or 4; six credits (three for HIST U101 Introduction to World History I and three for HIST U102 Introduction to World History II with a score of 5).

International Baccalaureate (IB)

USC Upstate recognizes the academic rigor of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program.  Students may be awarded college credit for completion of higher-level IB examinations, as determined by the appropriate academic schools or divisions. All International Baccalaureate (IB) courses and examinations are administered by high schools and should be completed successfully before entering USC Upstate. In order to receive credit for higher-level IB examination scores, students must ask that official IB examination results be sent directly to the USC Upstate Admissions Office.  Minimum scores for awarding credit for IB examinations are determined by academic units responsible for course content.

German Abitur

Students may be awarded college credit for examination scores of 10 or higher (15-point scale) on the individual subject exams of The German Abitur. Credit will be based on an evaluation of examination scores on the individual subjects by academic units responsible for course content.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Credit for subjects in which students are knowledgeable, but have no class standing, can be gained through successful completion of the CLEP tests.

Credit earned in CLEP may be applied to any program where the course normally would be accepted as earned credit. CLEP credit is not granted for courses that have been failed previously, nor does CLEP credit raise a grade earned previously in any course. Repeat examinations are not allowed. USC Upstate does not give credit for the CLEP general examination.

The CLEP examinations accepted by USC Upstate are:

American Government / Three credits for POLI U101 American National Government with a satisfactory essay and minimum score of 65 on the objective section.

American Literature / Three credits for ENGL U279 Survey of American Literature I or ENGL U280 Survey of American Literature II with satisfactory completion of the essay section and a minimum score of 55 on the objective section.

Analyzing and Interpreting Literature / Three credits for ENGL U102 Composition II with a satisfactory essay and a minimum score of 59. Credit is given after completion of ENGL U101 Composition I with a C or higher. If CLEP examinations for both Composition and Literature are successfully completed, six hours of credit for ENGL U101 Composition I and ENGL U102 Composition II are awarded upon passing any 300 or higher level English with a grade of C or better.

Biology / Eight credits for BIOL U101 Introductory Biology I and BIOL U102 Introductory Biology II, including laboratory credit with a minimum score of 63.

Introductory Business Law / Three credits for ACCT U247 Legal Environment of Business with a minimum score of 57.

Calculus / Four credits for MATH U141 Calculus I with a minimum score of 60.

Chemistry / Four credits for CHEM U111 General Chemistry with a minimum score of 63.

College Algebra / Three credits for MATH U126 Precalculus I with a minimum score of 63.

Financial Accounting / Three credits for ACCT U225 Financial Accounting with a minimum score of 50; 6 credits for ACCT U225 Financial Accounting and ACCT U226 Managerial Accounting with a minimum score of 55.

Freshman College Composition / Three credits for ENGL U101 Composition I with a satisfactory essay and a minimum score of 59 on the objective section. Credit is awarded after completion of ENGL U102 Composition II with a grade of C of better.

Principles of Management / Three credits for MGMT U371 Principles of Organizational Management with a minimum score of 56.

Principles of Marketing / Three credits for MKTG U350 Principles of Marketing with a minimum score of 55.

Introductory Sociology / Three credits for SOCY U101 Introduction to Sociology with a minimum score of 56.

Principles of Macroeconomics / Three credits for ECON U221 Principles of Macroeconomics with successful completion of the essay section and a minimum score of 54 on the objective section.

Principles of Microeconomics / Three credits for ECON U222 Principles of Microeconomics with successful completion of the essay section and a minimum score of 54 on the objective section.

Introductory Psychology / Three credits for PSYC U101 Introduction to Psychology with a minimum score of 54.

Excelsior College Examinations and UExcel Credit-by-Exam Programs

Credit for subjects in which students are knowledgeable, but have no college credit, can be gained through successful completion of the Excelsior College's exclusive series of examinations. USC Upstate students may earn up to 30 semester hours via ECE and UExcel exams. Students wishing to take these tests should contact their chair or dean to determine if the test is acceptable.

Defense Activity for Nontraditional Education Support (DANTES)

Veteran students may receive credit toward graduation for training received under many of the armed forces college training programs. University credit also may be given for specialized and technical training done under the auspices of the armed forces and for courses taken through the United States Armed Forces Institute/DANTES. This training may be accepted by the University for credit only if it is at the college level, if it is approved by the University, and if it is appropriate to the particular University course of study in which the student enrolls. Armed forces training will not be evaluated until the applicant has been accepted for admission; however, credentials should be submitted with the admission application. No credit is given for high-school or college-level GED tests.

Institutional Credit by Examination

Students enrolled in the University may obtain credit by examination for courses in which they have not earned credit through coursework at USC Upstate or a transfer institution.  However, permission must be obtained from the department chair or associate dean of the college or school involved.  Students who are denied permission may appeal to the dean of the college.  A grade of not less than C on the examination is necessary to receive credit for the course.  Before the examination, applicants must obtain departmental approval, then take the exam, which is evaluated by a qualified instructor.  The dean/chair reports the results of the examination to the Records Office and students pay a fee of $25 per semester hour for processing examination credits on their transcripts.  Credits earned by institutional examination are recorded as hours earned and do not enter into calculation of students' GPA.

Credits from Military Service

Following admission, a student may obtain credit for exper­iences in the armed services. In order to receive credit the student must submit their Joint Services (JS) Transcript to the USC Upstate Admissions Office.  Students who feel they qualify should contact the Records Office, Veteran's Affairs coordinator, or their advisor.

Credits will be awarded from the JS Transcript based on the recommendations made in the American Council on Education (ACE) Military Guide.  Credits from the Air University Transcript will be awarded for satisfactorily completed courses and/or degrees as outlined in Transfer Credit.

Credit for Non-Collegiate Programs

USC Upstate will consider credit awarded for non-collegiate educational programs as recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE) or by the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS).  Send records/transcripts of certifications to the USC Upstate Admissions Office following the guidelines in the ACE Registry and Transcript Service or NCCRS.

In order to streamline credit evaluation and establish consistent credit equivalencies for trainings and credentials of particular relevance to the USC Upstate student population and/or the workforce of the Upstate region, colleges may also conduct their own formal learning evaluations of trainings and credentials that have not been evaluated by ACE or NCCRS.  A panel of qualified instructors will conduct a thorough review of such programs' curriculum, materials, and outcomes as consistent with principles and standards of learning evaluation and assessing prior learning established by ACE nad the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL).

For other certificates, follow the guidelines under Portfolio Assessment of Prior Learning.  Final determination is made by a qualified instructor in the college or program for which credit is sought with approval of the academic chair or associate dean.  Students who are denied permission may appeal to the dean of the college.

Portfolio Assessment of Prior Learning (PAPL)

Credit for subjects in which students have knowledge but have not earned course credit may be gained through the Portfolio Assessment of Prior Learning (PAPL) process. Active degree-seeking students at USC Upstate can request evaluation of prior experience for credit as documented in a portfolio. Students wishing to pursue this option should first contact the chair or associate dean of the program in which credit is sought to determine if portfolio credit is appropriate. Students who are denied permission may appeal to the dean of the college.

Evidence of learning through work or life experiences is aligned to USC Upstate course learning outcomes, not typical course assessments, to determine appropriate course credit in accordance with the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Ten Quality Standards for Assessing Prior Learning.

To pursue this option, students must complete a Request for Portfolio Credit form. If this form is approved, students must complete the Prior Learning Porfolio Development online learning module and compile the required components of the portfolio.  A faculty member in the unit will evaluate the content of the portfolio for the awarding of credit. The portfolio will be approved by the department chair and/or associate dean of the college. Once evaluation is completed, students pay a fee of $25 per semester hour for processing examination credits on their transcripts.  Credits earned by portfolio are recorded as hours earned and do not enter into calculations of students' GPA.  Credit awarded by portfolio will be part of the maximum 45 hours that may be earned in any combination of programs in the current "Credit by examination, military credit, and credit for non-collegiate programs."

Exemption Credits From a Technical College

The Advanced Manufacturing Management (AMM) major and the Engineering Technology Management (ETM) major at USC Upstate will accept exemption credits for technical courses awarded by any regionally accredited two-year technical college. The total of all technical transfer credits, including exemptions, may not exceed the technical transfer credit maximum allowed for the ETM or AMM degrees. The exemption credits will only apply toward the AMM and ETM degrees and may not be transferred to another major.

Seal of Biliteracy

Students who have achieved a state Seal of Biliteracy will receive world language credit appropriate to their level of fluency.

• Bronze Seal of Biliteracy: 6 credits (World Language 101 and 102)
• Silver Seal of Biliteracy: 9 credits (World Language 101, 102, and 201)
• Gold Seal of Biliteracy: 12 credits (World Language 101, 102, 201 and 202)

Students with a state Seal of Biliteracy may also take challenge exams in French, German, Spanish, or American Sign Language for additional credit (maximum of 15 hours combined through challenge exams and credit for prior learning).  Students who have earned a state Seal of Biliteracy should send their scores through Parchment to the Admissions Office