ACE (the American Council on Education) makes certain recommendations regarding how many credits your experience is worth. No school is obligated to accept the recommendations. To get credit for military experience you need to apply to a school that follows the ACE guidelines.

The Big 3 follow the ACE guidelines as do many other colleges – but not credit by credit. Some ACE courses duplicate other courses you may already have or other ACE courses so you cannot simply add up the credits to get your total. Also, it has been reported that a student does not always get the recommended number of credits that ACE suggests. I have not seen this first hand, and rules can change so check with the Big Three before enrolling to ask about your ACE approved classes.

ACE issues a huge directory of course, seminars, continuing education units (CEU’s) and workshops that they have reviewed and made credit recommendations for. You may have already attended such a course or have certifications that are ACE recommended for credits, so be sure to submit any certifications when you enroll. You can also contact ACE to see if your courses, CEU’s, etc., have been reviewed and if they would be awarded credit. If they have not been reviewed you can still use them to get credit through the PLA process.