Non-Traditional Credit

Students with wide varieties of educational experience can convert this experience into college credit. Credit for prior learning can be awarded only after the assessment of prior learning experiences and only for documented learning that demonstrates achievement of all terminal objectives for a specific course or courses. Students must be currently enrolled at Black Hawk College in order to have prior learning credits recorded on their academic transcript.

Departmental Proficiency

This method offers students an opportunity to demonstrate on an individual basis their knowledge of a course and, if successful, to be awarded credit. The student must demonstrate mastery of a course through examination.

Students who would like to take a departmental proficiency evaluation should first contact Enrollment Services registrar@bhc.edu, to request an Application for Proficiency Credit. In all cases, decisions concerning the methods used and the decisions regarding awarding of credit on the basis of proficiency belong to the academic department. The student may earn no more than 50% of proficiency credit in the curriculum leading to a degree.

Fees for proficiency courses at Black Hawk College include a $10 per credit hour tuition charge which is non-refundable and a $1 per course recording fee. Special fees will be assessed for certain courses requiring additional evaluative materials.

Portfolios

Students may attempt to earn credit for college level life-long or experiential learning through the writing and submission of a Prior Learning Portfolio (PLP). To use this option, a student must complete LIB 240. A student may only submit a PLP for courses approved by departments. A current list of courses is maintained in the Academic Advising Center and with the ALS degree advisor(s). A maximum of nine credit hours may be earned toward any degree.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a national testing service that provides students an opportunity to demonstrate college-level learning from experiences outside the classroom. Black Hawk College participates by awarding credit based upon CLEP scores according to the established College policies given below.

Black Hawk College grants institutional credit based upon CLEP scores only to students who are currently enrolled at the College. Transferability of CLEP credit is subject to the policies of the transfer school. All CLEP examinations are in addition to, not a replacement of, other forms of proficiency examinations, including departmental proficiency examinations. No grades are assigned for credit received through CLEP.

Students who would like to complete Black Hawk College credit on the basis of CLEP scores should contact Enrollment Services for specific details and equivalencies.

Advanced Placement Program

This program and associated tests are offered only in high schools. Students who have participated in the high school Advanced Placement (AP) program may be eligible to receive credit and advanced placement. Scores of 3, 4, and 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement examinations shall be accepted for credit to satisfy degree requirements. Certain scores will be granted credit for general education requirements, whereas others may be granted for electives.

Students who completed AP tests should request the College Entrance Examination Board to send their AP scored examinations to the Enrollment Services Office. Upon notification, students may then have any credit which was awarded placed on their transcript. A transcript recording fee of $10 per course transferred will be assessed. Black Hawk College grants credit according to the following Advanced Placement Transfer Credit chart.

Advanced Placement Transfer Credit

Armed Service Experience

Health and Physical Education Credit. To receive this credit, applicants must submit to the Registrar their DD Form 214 (Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge). Veterans are eligible to receive credit for Health 102 (3 credit hours) and for physical education (4 credit hours) provided that the military service was of more than one year’s duration. There is no charge for recording this credit on the transcript.

DSST and USAFI. Guidelines for the acceptance of DANTES Subject Standardized Test (DSST), previously known as just DANTES and United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI), are available from the Enrollment Services Office.

Military Training School. Military training school experiences will be evaluated by personnel in the appropriate department, and credit will be awarded only if there are existing College courses which parallel the military training received, otherwise elective credits will be awarded toward an associate’s degree as long as credits are college level. Evaluation will be based upon the American Council on Education’s (ACE) “The Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services” as listed on an official Joint Services Transcript.

Students with military training experience should first contact the Enrollment Services Office and request an official Joint Services Transcript be sent to Black Hawk College. There is no charge for evaluating transfer credit from a Joint Services Transcript.

High School Articulation

Agreements with area high schools enable students who have completed particular high school courses to receive credit for specified college courses at Black Hawk College. Students must complete the high school course with a grade of B or higher to request articulated credit. A student must request articulated credit upon enrollment at BHC and no later than 18 months following the date of high school graduation. An exception for this timeline may be made for time served in the armed services if the student served immediately after high school graduation. The student must be enrolled in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program at the College. For information about CTE courses and requirements for articulated credit, contact a Dual Credit Coordinator at 309-796-5464. There is no cost to the student to have high school articulated credit recorded on their Black Hawk College transcript.

The State Seal of Biliteracy, codified in Illinois Public Act 099-0600, provides recognition to high school students who have demonstrated proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in one or more languages in addition to English. Upon request from enrolled students with a State Seal of Biliteracy on their official/final high school transcript, Black Hawk College will award college credit equal to two years of foreign language credit in courses that are offered at the College.

Child Development Associate Credential

Black Hawk College provides six hours of credit toward the Assistant Teacher Certificate, Early Childhood Educator Certificate and AAS in Early Childhood degree for students who can demonstrate they have earned the Child Development Associate credential (CDA). The CDA will provide credit for ECE 100  and ECE 299 .

International Baccalaureate (IB)

Beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year, subject scores of 4 or higher for International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme subjects shall be accepted for credit to satisfy degree requirements. Credit will be granted toward electives and students may work with the appropriate academic department to determine whether or not an IB assessment may transfer as credit toward a specific Black Hawk College course.

Other Learning Experiences

Students with education, professional or training experiences that do not appear on a transcript from a regionally accredited institution and have not been evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE), will be evaluated by the appropriate academic department at Black Hawk College. This includes coursework from organizations such as Straighterline, Sophia Learning, or any similar company providing low-cost, online coursework. In order to be reviewed for college credit, students must submit an official transcript from the organization, along with the specific course syllabus to registrar@bhc.edu. BHC does not guarantee that college credit will be awarded and any credit awarded will be transcripted on the student record as proficiency credit, not as institutional transfer credit. Students will need to check with their transfer institution to verify whether or not proficiency credit of any type may be transferred in as college credit.