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Colleges and universities around the country are offering students opportunities to earn college credit for previous experience. Nocti Business Solutions’ Prior Learning Assessments (PLAs) enable students to earn college credit for their technical skills, saving time and money as they pursue a degree.

Your Students Can Earn Credit for Technical Skills

Turning professional experience and technical skills into college credit is a huge advantage for students pursuing a degree. Especially if those students are earning their degree later in life, working full time, taking care of families, or returning from military service. The experience they gained working as a maintenance technician, cook, or cosmetologist can translate to college credit for a fraction of the cost.

Here’s how NBS Prior Learning Assessments work.

  • A student contacts their academic advisor or registrar to make sure their institution will grant credit for an NBS technical assessment. Assessment blueprints are available on the NBS website for alignment with a course.
  • An NBS representative helps the student order the test and set up a remote proctoring session. Prior learning assessments are $150, which includes the proctoring fee. (If the school proctors the test, NBS will credit the proctoring fee to the school.)
  • The student must meet or exceed the 70% passing score on the assessment to be eligible for the College Credit Recommendation Report.
  • NBS emails the student’s score report directly to the registrar who will review it and assign credit.

NBS Prior Learning Assessments Are Approved for College Credit

Nocti Business Solutions has collaborated with the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS) to evaluate our assessments. Experienced industry experts and professors evaluated each assessment and translated the content into college credit equivalencies. NCCRS reviews assessments regularly to make sure they meet quality standards.

The NCCRS recommends most NBS assessments for three semester hours. These include tests in the construction, culinary, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing industries. Students should always talk with their registrar to ensure their school will grant credit for a technical assessment and where it will fit in their degree plan. Most fit general education or elective requirements. A full list of technical assessments and their college credit equivalences is available on the NCCRS website.

At Liberty University, Students Save Time and Money with Technical Assessments

NBS technical assessments are part of the Experience Plus program at Liberty University. This program enables students to earn college credit for life experiences. “Technical assessments from NBS have been a great way to round out our credit-by-exam options,” says Sharon Cohick, the Experience Plus Coordinator at Liberty University. “Students with technical training appreciate the opportunity to have their technical skills count toward their degree. Someone with experience in construction or even cosmetology can earn credit for what they already know, which saves time and money and also helps them focus on their core area of study.”

Ask About Our Prior Learning Assessments

Do your degree programs allow students to translate technical skills into college credit? Studies have shown that students coming into a degree program with some credits are more likely to complete their degree and at a quicker pace. Your students will love the option to save time and money while pursuing their degree. The NBS team will even help coordinate the logistics. Let us know if you have questions about our technical assessments or how to get started with prior learning assessments.