Prior Credit

Advanced Placement

Advanced Standing

CLEP (College Level Examination Program)

Credit by Examination

Credit for Prior Learning

EDGE (Earn a Degree Graduate Early)

Military Training

Portfolio Process

Transfer Credit

Transfer List of Core Coursework

Annual Notification: All career and technical education courses and programs are offered at Pierpont regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, or disability.

Advanced Placement

Pierpont Community & Technical College recognizes certain examinations of the College Board Advanced Placement Program. Students who participate in AP the program and wish to have their scores evaluated for credit should have their scores sent from the College Board to Pierpont Community & Technical College. The AP examinations are prepared by the College Board, and the papers are graded by readers of the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ 08540. Students cannot receive credit for a score below 3 on any exam. Students who do receive credit will be assigned the grade of CR, which is not calculated into the GPA.

Advanced Placement Credit Guide (2022-2023)  

Advanced Standing

Based on the high school record and performance on the ACT or SAT, the Registrar will determine eligibility for advanced standing and credit in English and foreign language as follows:

• English: Students may receive three hours of college credit in ENGL 1104 and may enroll in ENGL 1108 if they present four units of high school English with no semester grade of less than a ‘B’ and a standard score of 25 or higher on the English section of the ACT or 640 on the evidence based reading and writing (EBRW) section of the redesigned SAT.
• Foreign Language: Students who present one or more units of high school Spanish may enroll SPN 1102. 

CLEP (College Level Examination Program)

The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate college-level achievement through a program of exams in undergraduate college courses. Students can reduce their costs in and time and money by successfully completing CLEP tests for credit. The CLEP exams are prepared by the College Board® and administered by Pierpont Community & Technical College. Students must receive a minimum score of 50 to receive college credit. Students who receive credit will be assigned a grade of CR. For additional information contact the Center for Workforce Education at (304) 367-4920 or (304)368-7254. CLEP examinations accepted by Pierpont Community & Technical College:

Credit by Examination

• Students must be currently enrolled at Pierpont Community & Technical College.
• Students must first schedule an interview with the program coordinator where the course is housed, or an examiner designated by that School Dean or the Vice President of Academic Affairs, who will evaluate the student’s background, experience, and qualifications to establish eligibility and give permission to take the examination.
• Application forms for “Credit by Examination” must be completed with the School Dean’s approval and required fees must be paid prior to the exam being given. Applicants must pay a fee of $22.00 per semester credit hour for each examination and a receipt for the payment of the fee must be obtained from the Student Service Center. No money will be refunded if an examination is failed, and no examination may be repeated.
• Once a student obtains permission to test and makes the payment, he/she makes arrangements with the Exam Administrator/Coordinator/Instructor for completing the exam, and takes the completed “Credit by Examination” form with proof of payment to the Exam Administrator/Coordinator/Instructor.
• In order to gain college credit by special examination, students must demonstrate better than average established proficiency on the examination, as determined by the examiner.
• Examinations will not be given for college courses in which students have previously received a letter grade, “CR”, “NC”, “NCX”, “W”, or “I”, on their transcript or are currently enrolled in.
• Once the test is completed the Exam Administrator/Coordinator/Instructor sends the completed “Credit by Examination” form, and completed exam to be filed in the Office of Academic Affairs.
• The Office of Academic Affairs then sends the “Credit by Examination” form and a copy of the completed exam to the Registrar for scanning into the permanent record of the student.
• Students successfully passing an exam will be assigned the grade of CR, which is not calculated into the GPA.

Credit for Prior Learning

Pierpont grants credit for prior learning through a variety of methods including military training, advanced placement exams, advanced standing, articulation, CLEP exams, credit by examination and portfolio examination. No more than fifty percent of a degree can be earned through prior learn credit, except for the WV state Board of Governors Associate of Applied Science degree.

EDGE (Earn a Degree Graduate Early)

Transitional Education Specialist
(304) 367-4907

Complete a career pathways program at your high school or technical center and you could earn EDGE credit through Pierpont Community & Technical College.  In fact, all WV Career & Technical Centers provide classes that could allow you to earn free college credits. 

Will EDGE help me? 

If you earn EDGE credits and continue on the same pathway, then the classes you took in high school will count towards both high school and college! Many students are able to graduate college early and save money because of the courses they took in high school. 

How do I transfer my credits?

After completing a CTE program at your high school, follow these steps to receive college credit for your classes:

• Request an EDGE transcript at https://www.pierpont.edu/academics/special-programs/edge
• Send your complete high school transcript to Pierpont

Utilize the EDGE Scholarship:

• Fill out an application for the EDGE scholarship at https://www.pierpont.edu/academics/special-programs/edge
• Deadline for the scholarship is April 1st

Current EDGE pathways include:

• Drafting
• Law and Public Safety
• Allied Health Science
• Pro-Start Restaurant Management
• Computer Systems Repair Technology
• Careers in Education
• Graphic Design

Military Training

Students who have completed basic training may be granted credit of four semester hours which may be granted a maximum of four (4) semester hours of credit which may be used to satisfy a physical education and/or elective requirement. It is the responsibility of the student to request this credit and verify military experience.

Portfolio Process

A portfolio may not be submitted for a course in which there is a CLEP or other standardized award credit or for which an institutional test-out exists. A portfolio must align with the student learning outcomes of a specific course offered at Pierpont or at another WV higher education institution. A portfolio will be reviewed and recommended for college credit by a faculty expert(s) in that content area. Students may receive fewer credits than requested. Students are expected to pay portfolio review fee before the portfolio is sent out for review, and payment of portfolio fees does not guarantee that credits will be granted. If credit is granted, the grade of CR will be given.

A PLA coordinator will assist the student in deciding whether or not a portfolio submission is recommended. Cost of the portfolio evaluation is $300 and a $10 credit posting fee per credit earned. The fees are not financial aid eligible.

Transfer Credit

Pierpont follows the guidelines in WVCTCS Series 17, “Transferability of Credits and Grades at the Undergraduate Level”. The Series establishes guidelines for the transferability of credits and grades for West Virginia public and private post-secondary colleges and universities.  Any applicant for admission who has attended another accredited institution of higher education as a degree-seeking student is classified as a transfer student.

All transfer work completed by an applicant is required upon admission.  Pierpont will accept credit earned at institutions accredited by organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education.  Credit earned at those accredited institutions shall be transferable to Pierpont. 

• All transfer credit is brought in as letter grades (i.e. A, B, C, etc).
• Failing grades, grades of “No Credit,” excluded grades, withdrawal grades (“W” or equivalent), and developmental courses with no GPA-bearing grade are not articulated and cannot be used toward institutional credit. 
• If no equivalent course is offered at Pierpont, credit earned is articulated as “Free Elective” credit.
• Students seeking to challenge the credit articulated by Pierpont may appeal to the Registrar.
• In the instance an institution loses accreditation, either temporarily or permanently, only credit earned while the institution is accredited by an accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education will be accepted by Pierpont.
• Readmitted students who were previously a transfer student will have their transfer institutional transcripts reevaluated.

Students that transfer from one state college or university may also transfer “Core Coursework” that will count toward the fulfillment of general studies requirements at the receiving institutions. Under the terms of the agreement, the student may transfer up to thirty-five credit hours of undergraduate coursework in the areas of English composition, communications and literature, fine arts appreciation, mathematics, natural science and social science as general studies credits.

Transfer List of Core Coursework

General Studies and Course Equivalency Transfer Agreement (2022-2023)