Learn about options for earning college credits that fall outside a traditional classroom, that are not part of the Academic Credit for Prior Learning process.
For assistance, please contact the Registration Office located in the Admissions Center, or call (360) 442-2370 or email registration@lowercolumbia.edu during regular business hours.
Alternative Options Include
Advanced Placement (AP)
Earn credit by completing the College Board's Advanced Placement Examination.
Lower Columbia College grants credit for completion of the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) examinations. AP is a cooperative educational endeavor between secondary schools and colleges and universities. The program provides motivated high school students the opportunity to take college-level courses in a high school setting. AP courses are taught by high school teachers, following course guidelines developed and published by the College Board. Students who participate in the program gain college-level skills and may also earn college credit. Students interested in transferring to a four-year university should check the requirements of their target school to determine the best way to use their AP exam credits.
Washington state community and technical colleges will grant a minimum of unrestricted elective credit for an Advanced Placement (AP) score of 3 or higher. Credit will be awarded on the basis of official AP results, not transcript notation.
- For policies on granting placement or credit please see Advanced Placement.
Cambridge (CI)
Lower Columbia College will award unrestricted elective credit for a Cambridge (CI) score of E(e) on A and AS level exams. Credit will be awarded on the basis of official CI results, not transcript notation.
- For more information, please see the Cambridge International (CI) Test Score Equivalencies.
College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
Receive college credit for what you already know by earning qualifying scores on any one or more of 35 CLEP examinations.
Credit will be granted for College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests with a minimum score equivalent to the 35th percentile for General and Subject examinations. Subject examination credits will be granted as equivalent to credits earned in courses at LCC. Credit for Subject examination will not be granted when students have earned credit in equivalent courses. Subject and general examination credits may count toward satisfying distribution requirements for any Associate in Arts-Direct Transfer Agreement or Associate in Sciences-Transfer degree but do not satisfy lab requirements. Students must submit an official copy of CLEP scores to the Registration office and a CLEP evaluation request form. Upon evaluation of those scores, the student will be notified of acceptable credits.
- For more information, please see CLEP Acceptance Policy and Exam Scores.
Foreign Transcript Credits
Academic credits earned at institutions outside of the United States.
Lower Columbia College recognizes academic credits earned at institutions outside of the United States that are equivalent in academic level and nature to work offered at LCC. Upon evaluation of the foreign transcript, the student will be notified of the credit to be granted. The Registrar makes the final determination on credits to be granted.
- For instructions on how to request a foreign transcript evaluation, please see Foreign Transcript Evaluation.
International Baccalaureate Credit (IB)
Rigorous, pre-college course of study for high school students designed to prepare students for liberal arts education at the college level.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) program is a rigorous, pre-college course of study for high school students, designed to prepare students for liberal arts education at the college level. The term "international" reflects the availability of the program in several countries. The IB program is similar to the College Board Advanced Placement program. IB scores are based on rigorous coursework and a test score.
Washington state community and technical colleges will award unrestricted elective credit for an International Baccalaureate (IB) score of 4 on standard-level or higher-level IB exams. Credit will be awarded on the basis of official IB results, not transcript notation. Credits granted for general education or major requirements will be specified by the receiving institution’s IB credit policies; otherwise, elective credit will be granted.
Students must submit an official copy of IB scores to the Registration Office.
For policies on granting placement or credit, please see International Baccalaureate Credit (IB).
Military Service Course Equivalency
Credits for military school coursework and experiences.
Credits for military personnel's military school and experiences are granted according to the publications of the American Council on Education. Students should submit official copies of their Joint Service Transcript (JST) to the Registration Office along with a Transcript Evaluation Request form. Note: if you plan to use VA education benefits, you must submit official transcripts for a credit/transcript review.
Joint Services Transcripts (JST) are ordered online. Please see Veterans/How to Apply for Benefits/Step 3 for instructions. The credential evaluator will review the record and translate military training experience applicable to a student's degree or certificate into Lower Columbia College course numbers and credit values. Final determination on credit granted for military service experience is at the discretion of the Registrar. Courses transferred in as electives will be considered restricted. A student is allowed up to 15 credits of restricted electives to be counted towards a transfer degree at LCC. Note: some four-year institutions will not accept military credits. Students with military experience may also explore the Academic Credit for Prior Learning process.
Students who change their program of study must request to have their transcripts re-evaluated to determine any applicable transfer credit for their new program of study.
- For information on JST military courses and the equivalent courses at LCC see Joint Services Military Course Equivalency
Seal of Biliteracy
Students who earn the Seal of Biliteracy at a Washington high school are eligible to receive 10 world language credits at Lower Columbia College.
To Receive Credit:
- Before requesting credit: Talk to your advisor about whether this is the best option for you. It may be better for you to complete other classes at LCC rather than requesting credit for your Seal of Biliteracy.
- Submit your high school transcript to the LCC Testing Center: Ensure your transcript has the WA State Seal of Biliteracy listed in the ADDITIONAL STATE REQUIREMENTS section of your transcript. If you have questions about your high school transcript, contact your high school for help.
- Submit the Seal of Biliteracy Credit Request Form. We will use the high school transcript you submitted to the Testing Center to process your request.
- You will receive a confirmation email within 30 days when your credit has been awarded.
Seal of Biliteracy Policy:
- Eligible Languages: You may receive credit for a Seal of Biliteracy in any language, including Classical languages, American Sign Language, and Tribal languages.
- No Cost: There is no cost to receive credit for earning the Seal of Biliteracy.
- Satisfying Graduation Requirements: World language credits can be applied to many LCC degree requirements. For most degrees, 5 credits apply toward the Humanities distribution area (or electives), and the remaining 5 credits apply toward electives. Contact your advisor to find out whether world language credits can be used for your graduation requirements.
- Transfer Degree Students: If you transfer to another institution, you may need to request credit again according to your transfer institution's policies, which may be different than LCC’s.
- Credit is not automatically awarded. You must follow the steps above to request credit. Once the credit has been awarded, it cannot be removed.
Study Abroad
Lower Columbia College recognizes academic credit earned through approved study abroad programs when it is equivalent in academic level and nature to courses offered at LCC. Study abroad equivalencies will be determined by the registrar and chair of the academic program. The registrar makes the final determination on credits to be granted.
NOTE: Students who intend to transfer to a university should contact the admissions office of that university for information about the transferability of study abroad credit.
For more information, see Study Abroad.