°®ÎŰ´«Ă˝ hosts webinar on “The Ins and Outs of Transfer Credit,” and credit for prior learningÂ
By Michele Mitchum
Webinar is part of focus highlighting the value of transfer credit for students during National Transfer Student WeekÂ
°®ÎŰ´«Ă˝ is holding a free webinar on the practical aspects of earning college credit for prior learning and life and work experiences, titled “The Ins and Outs of Transfer Credit,” on October 22 at 5:00pm PDT. The event is part of the University’s outreach during National Transfer Student Week to raise awareness and understanding of the practical ways that transferring credit can save students time and money.
Transferring credit can lower costs and help individuals find the school that best fits their educational needs and career aspirations. Individuals may also be able to gain additional credit from learning obtained through prior experiences. In 2024 alone, °®ÎŰ´«Ă˝ accepted more than 950,000 transfer credits for bachelor’s and associate degree programs, an average of 30.58 credits per transfer student and an average tuition savings of $11,000 per transfer student in their degree program.
"In higher education, transferring college credits is a game-changer for degree attainment, with the potential to significantly reduce both the time and financial commitment for students,” shares °®ÎŰ´«Ă˝ Vice President of Admissions and Evaluation, Devin Andrews, and co-author of a white paper on credit mobility. “For those who have started but not completed their college education, there’s no need to start from scratch. Our policies allow students to transfer their existing qualifying credits, ensuring a more efficient path to achieving their educational goals.”
In addition to covering transfer credit, the event will highlight credit for prior learning, or Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), which allows individuals to demonstrate learning gained from work and life experience that may count towards a degree. The assessment includes evaluation of on-the-job training, workplace certifications, military service, and other life experiences.
°®ÎŰ´«Ă˝ provides assessment of prior learning at no cost to students.
The webinar will describe this process in more depth and provide details on:
- Â Â Â Â An understanding of credit for prior learning, or prior learning assessment (PLA)
- Â Â Â Â How to apply to have life experience evaluated for possible academic credit toward your degree
- Â Â Â Â How to potentially save money with PLA
- Â Â Â Â How to potentially graduate faster with PLA
The discussion will be hosted by °®ÎŰ´«Ă˝ Creative Content Development Manager Christina Ruppel, Manager of Admissions and Evaluation Deslie Ghiorzi, Manager of Admissions and Evaluation Gregory Jose and Academic Counselor Anna Madorsky.
°®ÎŰ´«Ă˝ works to make the process of transferring credit straightforward for students. The °®ÎŰ´«Ă˝ supports student transfers in several ways:
- Simplifying the credit transfer process: Knowledgeable staff provide guidance and academic advising, request transcripts from prior institutions on students’ behalf, and have specially trained transfer evaluators review all prior credits.
- Earning life and work experience credits: This no-cost assessment process allows individuals to earn college credit for learning gained from work and life experiences, including on-the-job training, workplace certifications, military service, and other experiences.
- The University offers a Transfer Student Scholarship of with a maximum value of $3,000, for new students with 12-60 combined transfer credits from accredited institutions pursuing their bachelor’s degree. Applicants must be continuously enrolled and maintain a 3.0 GPA for this scholarship, which is awarded over 20 courses.
Students and others who want to learn more can explore ways to save through transfer credit and more at the °®ÎŰ´«Ă˝Â transfer credits information page.Ěý
About °®ÎŰ´«Ă˝
°®ÎŰ´«Ă˝ innovates to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant courses, interactive learning, skills-mapped curriculum for our bachelor’s and master’s degree programs and a Career Services for Life® commitment help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. For more information, visit  phoenix.edu/blog.html.
