Life Experience Program

The Life Experience Program is only open to matriculated students in a degree or certificate program at Hudson Valley Community College.

The program is designed to provide matriculated students with an alternative method of obtaining college credit. Knowledge acquired from a combination of work experience, non-credit courses, seminar training and workshops may translate into college credit. If you can document your experience and articulate the learning that resulted, you may be eligible to receive life experience credit.

The means by which you demonstrate your prior learning is through a portfolio assessment. The academic department responsible for the course you are seeking credit for evaluates the portfolio. On the average, applicants receive three to nine credits, but more is possible. Not every course can be evaluated through the Life Experience Program, and not every department participates in this program. The evaluation and granting of life experience credit is at the discretion of the academic department chair and faculty.

NOTE: Students interested in obtaining credit for military experience should contact the Registrar's Office at (518) 629-4574.

How to Apply

1. Before you apply for life experience credit, meet with an advisor in Continuing Education to determine if you are a good candidate for the program.
2. Review the courses required in your curriculum outline in the College Catalog and compare the course descriptions with the knowledge you have gained as a result of your life experience.
3. Select those courses in which you will be able to demonstrate your understanding of the subject matter. The number of credits granted through the Life Experience Program will be equal to the number of credits listed in the college catalog for each course.
4. Complete the application and submit it along with a copy of your most recent resume to:
   Hudson Valley Community College
   Office of Continuing Education
   80 Vandenburgh Avenue, Troy, NY 12180
5. After we receive your application and resume, it is forwarded to the appropriate department chairperson to determine whether or not your request for credit has merit. If it does, you are assigned a faculty evaluator and will follow the guidelines for developing a portfolio.