Nine College Policies, With the Exam Details Explained
01University of Maryland Global Campus
Online General Studies, Business, and Other Bachelor’s Routes
College Algebra: score 50, MATH 107, three lower-level credits.
Writing credit has additional limits; the degree plan determines where an exam applies.
UMGC is the first place to compare because its public CLEP chart identifies an exam, required score, course equivalent, and credit value in one place. College Algebra maps to MATH 107 for three credits at a score of 50. That is an actionable starting point for an advisor discussion.
The same chart shows why acceptance is not a complete plan. UMGC limits writing credit earned by examination and requires additional writing coursework. A student who has already completed a higher writing course may also face a duplication restriction.
Bring the exact exam name and your completed transcript to the advisor. Ask which remaining requirement the credit would fill in your online bachelor’s and whether another math course is needed for the major. A general-studies plan may use an exam differently from a technical degree.
Official policy review: September 17, 2026.
02Franklin University
Online Bachelor’s Transfer Routes
College Algebra: MATH 160, four credits in Franklin’s published testing information.
Compare exam credit with the course your specific major requires.
Franklin offers a useful contrast to UMGC: its College Algebra CLEP equivalency carries four credits. The difference matters when an adult learner is completing a remaining math requirement and comparing evaluations across colleges. More credits do not necessarily mean fewer courses in every degree.
The proficiency-testing materials identify a minimum score of 50 for that algebra example. Use the current advisor evaluation to confirm the posted table applies to your catalog and intended major before paying for the exam. The published testing PDF should be checked alongside the current testing page.
Franklin’s online bachelor’s options include business, IT, and psychology. Pick the program first, then ask whether MATH 160 fills the actual mathematics requirement or counts elsewhere. Keep the written equivalency with your degree audit so the decision remains traceable.
Official policy review: September 17, 2026.
03Charter Oak State College
Online General Studies and Other Bachelor’s Routes
College Algebra: score 50, three lower-level credits.
Institutional coursework and the selected concentration remain separate requirements.
Charter Oak’s examination-credit table provides the score, credit level, and general-education category for accepted tests. Its College Algebra entry is a score of 50 for three lower-level credits. This makes the school useful for adults assembling a degree from several documented sources of learning.
Start with a concentration plan and identify upper-level requirements before accumulating more lower-level exams. CLEP commonly addresses introductory coursework; it does not make all concentration, cornerstone, or capstone requirements disappear.
Ask the college to check every proposed exam for duplication with transferred classes. A credit already present as an equivalent course may add nothing to the degree. Use the college’s current-catalog exam table and official score-delivery instructions, not an old discussion-board degree plan.
Official policy review: September 17, 2026.
04Excelsior University
Online Bachelor’s Completion and Transfer Routes
CLEP and DSST acceptance is not limited by a separate blanket exam-credit cap.
Degree requirements and duplicate-content rules still govern applied credit.
Excelsior’s transfer policy is useful for students with a substantial examination record: it states that acceptance of CLEP and DSST credit is not limited. That language should be read with the actual degree requirements, rather than interpreted as permission to earn any bachelor’s entirely through exams.
Its credit-application policy treats significant content overlap as duplication and assigns accepted evaluated credit a pass grade. The next question is therefore how much of your record fills distinct requirements, including the major and required institutional coursework.
Send official score records as well as college transcripts. If another college already recorded an exam on its transcript, ask whether Excelsior also needs the original testing-agency record. The useful result is an itemized remaining-course plan, not a large accepted-credit total.
Official policy review: September 17, 2026.
05Thomas Edison State University
Online Liberal Studies and Other Adult Bachelor’s Routes
CLEP is an accepted external examination method.
CLEP, TESU’s TECEP exams, and portfolio assessment are different credit routes.
TESU deserves consideration when your existing education includes coursework, examinations, professional training, and independently learned material. The university explicitly includes CLEP among its accepted examination programs and explains several separate ways to demonstrate college-level learning.
Those choices need a single degree plan. An external CLEP score should be mapped to a requirement before you add a TESU exam or a portfolio covering similar content. Ask which credit is lower level, which applies to the area of study, and which institutional requirements remain.
Request the current residency and tuition arrangement for your intended program as part of the same evaluation. Do not reuse an older fee-waiver strategy from another student. The strongest TESU comparison is the cost and coursework remaining after the university reviews your actual record.
Official policy review: September 17, 2026.
06Southern New Hampshire University
Online Bachelor’s Transfer Routes
Up to 90 total transfer credits toward a bachelor’s, including eligible prior learning.
The 90-credit maximum is not a separate promise of 90 CLEP credits.
SNHU identifies CLEP as one of its credit-for-prior-learning routes and publishes a bachelor’s transfer ceiling of 90 credits. It is useful for adults who want to combine exams with transcripts from previous colleges in a conventional online course format.
The ceiling describes the total amount that can transfer, subject to program fit. It is not an exam equivalency table or a guarantee that every CLEP subject satisfies general education. Ask for the exam-to-course mapping and the remaining institutional credits for your major.
This option may suit a student who wants regular eight-week classes after using exams to address specific gaps. Compare the resulting completion schedule against competency-based programs rather than assuming all online formats work the same way.
Official policy review: September 17, 2026.
07Colorado State University Global
Online Bachelor’s Transfer Routes
Approved CLEP exams follow the published transfer and minimum-score rules.
Use the current accepted-exam transfer sheet and a program-specific evaluation.
CSU Global publishes a dedicated credit-by-exam route with CLEP transfer sheets and score requirements. This gives an adult student a concrete document to use alongside a degree audit instead of relying on a general promise to recognize prior learning.
The appropriate exam depends on the remaining requirement. Ask whether the proposed score creates a direct course equivalent, general-education credit, or an elective, and whether it duplicates another source. Keep a copy of the version used in the evaluation.
The university’s asynchronous online bachelor’s programs still have course requirements and deadlines after accepted exam credit is applied. Compare the plan for those remaining courses with work and family commitments; the exam policy is only one part of the completion route.
Official policy review: September 17, 2026.
08University of Massachusetts Global
Online Bachelor’s and MyPath Routes
College Algebra CLEP is explicitly not approved in the current table.
Several other CLEP subjects have course equivalencies; verify the exact exam.
UMass Global illustrates why “accepts CLEP” is not enough. Its credit-by-examination page lists accepted subjects and also identifies exams that are not approved, including College Algebra. A student choosing between colleges around that one remaining math requirement should notice the difference immediately.
The page also distinguishes CLEP from DSST and other testing programs. Similar exam titles do not establish the same equivalency. Use the table under the correct testing program, the required score, and the degree’s current general-education rules.
UMass Global offers standard online study and competency-based MyPath programs. Ask which credit rules and institutional requirements apply to the exact format you choose. Do not assume a test plan approved for one program automatically carries over when you change the degree or learning format.
Official policy review: September 17, 2026.
09University of Massachusetts Amherst
University Without Walls Degree Completion
College Algebra: score 50, three credits, MATH 102/R1 in the registrar table.
Returning UMass students should verify general-education treatment with their advisor.
UMass Amherst’s University Without Walls route is a dedicated adult degree-completion option, distinct from UMass Global. Its advising resources explicitly discuss CLEP and the algebra-related exams that can meet the R1 requirement. The registrar’s table maps College Algebra to three credits at a score of 50.
The UWW guidance calls for an advisor check when a student previously attended UMass Amherst. That is a useful reminder that a published equivalency and the catalog rules on an individual record are related but different questions.
Use this option when the broader UWW degree plan fits your prior credits and intended concentration. Ask the advisor to identify remaining residency and academic requirements, then decide whether CLEP addresses a real gap. Do not select the college solely because one exam has a convenient equivalent.
Official policy review: September 17, 2026.
