Earn Credit by Exam
An opportunity for you
Utilize your life experience toward your educational goal.
The Credit by Exam (CbyE) Program invites you to work with a faculty member to complete exams and assignments to demonstrate that you have mastered the content of a course. This allows you to earn Cabrillo credit for an approved CbyE course in lieu of completing the course in a traditional classroom setting. This program is for students who do not have transcripts from another college showing completion of this course. Before formally starting the CbyE process, you are encouraged to meet with an Academic Counselor to see if this is right for you and to map out the best path of courses to reach your academic goal.
Required Next Steps to start the process:
Request the Credit by Exam Form from the BELA Division Office, Building 300.
Complete steps 1 and 2 on the Credit by Exam Form
Submit the completed Credit by Exam Form to the BELA Division Office or via email
Agree to pay the registration fees ($46 per unit) in writing. The fees will be added to your account.
We will verify that you meet the requirements and let you know your next steps:
Pay the registration fees - the fees are non-refundable: find out what you'll need to do before starting the process and paying for the course
Meet faculty designee for the coarse to arrange the details of assignments, exams, dates and deadlines
Complete the exams and assignments by the established deadlines
Once you complete the exam|assignments,everything will be graded and you will be notified:
You have the right to accept or decline the grade
The grade will posted and you will see it on your transcript
Credit by Exam Timeline
- Before you requestMeet with an Academic Counselor
The fees are non-refundable, meeting with an Academic Counselor will help you decide if it's the right path for you before you pay the fees.
- Notify the Division Office of intent to request Credit by ExamAnytime prior to the semseter
Request in person, Bldg 300 or via email
- Start the Credit by Exam processStarting in the 3rd Week of the Semester
You can request anyime through the 10th week of the semester. Students who request before the 3rd week will be added to an email list and be notified that the Petition is open. The email will include additional information and the Petition Form; follow the instructions to start the process.
- Deadline to petition for Credit by Exam10th week of the semester
- Deadline to meet with the InstructorEnd of the 11th week of the semester
You must meet with the Instructor to make arragements to take the exam|submit assignments. If you want P/NP you must request it before taking exams (if available for the course).
- Deadline to complete the exams|assigmentsEnd of the semseter - last day of instruction
- Review grade and accept or declineEnd of Finals Week
Here are the approved CbyE courses:
These are the only courses approved for CbyE. More courses coming soon.
Business, English and Language Arts Division:
American Sign Language 1
American Sign Language 2
English 1A
French 1
French 2
German 1
German 2
Italian 1
Italian 2
Japanese 1
Japanese 2
Library 10
Spanish 1
Spanish 2
ProTip: If you are taking CbyE for a language, you cannot be enrolled in any level of that language for that semester.
CbyE is different from clearing a prerequisite
Earning Credit by Exam
You will be registered in a course but the units do not count in your semester load.
Registration fees are added to your account and you are billed (non-refundable)
Cabrillo units will be earned
May satisfy a degree or GE degree requirement
New work and exams will be evaluated according to course rubrics
A letter grade will be assigned, unless you request P/NP grading before your grade has been returned (if that option is available for the course). In either case, you can choose to decline the grade.
Units and grade will be transcripted and will appear on your Cabrillo transcript
Clearing a prerequisite
- Free of charge
- Evaluation of coursework previously completed
- No units earned toward your degree
- Only allows you to register in the course with the prerequisite
- Notated as an "EQ" in your Student Planning Timeline
- Not transcripted: meaning the cleared pre-requisite will not appear on your Cabrillo transcript
I'm ready to start!
What can I expect?
What can I expect?
Taking Exams
After your Credit for Prior Learning Form has been approved, it is your responsibility to initiate and complete the process by:
paying the registration fees
meeting with the department chair or faculty designee for instructions about the exam(s) and to set an exam schedule.
completing the exam(s) by the established deadlines. If the course is part of a sequence, the exam will be given at the highest level chosen by the student. Credit will not be awarded for lower levels.
Once the exam(s) is completed, the department chair or faculty designee determines whether the your exam submission demonstrates sufficient mastery of the course content and assigns a grade for the petition based on the course exam results. The instructor will assign P/NP if the student chooses this option before taking the exam.
Completing Assignments
After your Credit for Prior Learning Form has been approved, it is the your responsibility to initiate and complete the process by:
paying the registration fees
meeting with the department chair or faculty designee for further instructions to complete assignments and set a deadline for submission.
submitting the assignments by the deadline
Once submitted, the department chair or faculty designee determines whether or not your assignments demonstrate sufficient mastery of the course content and assigns a grade for the petition based on the course rubric. The instructor will assign P/NP if the student chooses this option before taking the exam.