FAQs—Prior Learning Assessment

As of September 2019, there is only a $99 fee if you are awarded credits at the end of the first evaluation. Once you have paid that flat fee, you do not have to pay it again. State taxes may apply based on the state you live in. You may request to be awarded a specific number of credits prior to your evaluation. You must send your request to plac@phoenix.edu at the time your application is submitted.

No. Once the credits have been awarded and applied to your degree program, the credits can not be removed or changed.

Before you submit your application, we recommend you contact your Academic Advisor with any questions.

It depends upon the number of submissions the Prior Learning Assessment department has received. The average is 5 to 8 weeks from submission to results email.

There is no limit on the number of times you can submit an application, and the flat $99 fee only has to be paid one-time. We suggest compiling as complete of a portfolio as possible to maximize your credit opportunities.

If you submit professional training that isn’t listed in the University of Phoenix Pre-Evaluated Prior Learning List or the Credit Recommendation Guide, it will be evaluated to see if it meets college-level learning.

You can submit official and verifiable documents that support your knowledge of the essay topic and subtopics, such as:

• Letters from employers, training providers, or human resource managers should be on official company letterhead with official title, signature and date of the person writing the letter. The letter must confirm your knowledge and experience in the essay topics.
• Birth or death certificates, marriage licenses or divorce decree (For Parenting, Bereavement and Loss, Death and Dying, Psychology of Divorce).
• Professional licenses and certificates that have not been submitted to the PLA and awarded credit.
• Letters from friends and relatives may be accepted, and must validate your knowledge and experience with the subtopic. Acceptance of personal reference letters is up to the discretion of the evaluator. These letters must also include name, contact information, and signature of the person writing the letter.
  

Contact the Department of Education in the school’s home state and request a transcript, course descriptions or course catalog.

• Students must submit all materials directly to Prior learning assessment ecampus.phoenix.edu to initiate a PLA evaluation.
• Students may submit as many professional training items, licenses, certifications, and/or journals as they wish in one application.
• Students must be admitted and officially evaluated into a UOPX degree program to be eligible to submit to PLA.
• Documentation must be official and verifiable to be used for credit awards. Documents should have one or more of the following URL, signature, seal or marking from the originator to be considered official.
• Students must provide all documentation needed to complete the evaluation.
• Typical evaluation timeframes are 6-8 weeks but may vary depending on total submissions.

• Journals may not be used to waive courses in the required course of study.
• Students have one opportunity to rewrite a journal if not awarded credit on their first attempt.
• Supporting documents are required to validate the student's experience related to the journal topic selected.
• Journals should be written and submitted in an approved template from our website. Link: https://www.phoenix.edu/admissions/prior_learning_assessment/submission-process.html
• Journal topics should be approved by PLA before they are written and submitted. Link: https://www.phoenix.edu/admissions/prior_learning_assessment/submission-process.html