Assessing Your Learning

How do I know if I have college/university-level learning?

Academic credit is not granted for experience alone. Credit is granted to a student for verifiable college/university-level learning acquired through life or work experience, not for the experience itself.

Example: a student who has worked as an office manager for ten years will not be awarded credit for having ten years of office experience, but might earn credit for the ability to demonstrate learning about office administration, supervision and office technology.

The student who has owned and operated an antique shop for the last five years would not receive credit for five years of business experience, but might for the knowledge demonstrated about retailing, early American furniture and/or small business management.

You will need to develop an understanding of what college/university-level learning you have already acquired.

The learning can come from many sources, including:

  • courses at colleges and universities
  • work experience
  • volunteer work
  • training programs or in-service courses
  • military service
  • community activities
  • independent reading and study.

Defining college/university-level learning involves many factors. It represents your ability to take your knowledge and relate it within a particular context and to other contexts within and across your field.

College/university-level learning involves:

  • acquiring new knowledge
  • engaging critical inquiry
  • analyzing, synthesizing and integrating information
  • situating knowledge into a broader context
  • applying knowledge.

There are many ways to evaluate learning. If you have military experience or professional training, licenses or certificates, your learning may already be evaluated.

You can go through an individualized learning assessment if your learning is not listed through one of the pre-evaluated learning options.

This website explains how you can develop an ePortfolio of your learning to be evaluated for college/university level credits.

Contact an Advisor

To speak to a SUNY Empire State College advisor about your ePortfolio or to ask questions about the process or the Global Learning Qualifications Framework, email SUNYREAL@esc.edu.

Include your name and phone number with your question.

An advisor will contact you within two business days.