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Credit by Examination

CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS), allows students to save money and time by earning college credits through college-level exams. Not all exams are accepted and score requirements apply. Students should consult with their advisor prior to scheduling an exam to be sure that the exam fulfills a degree requirement.

  • Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education Program (AICE)
    • The Cambridge AICE program is an international, advanced secondary curriculum and assessment program equivalent to the British system of “A-Levels.”
  • Advanced Placement (AP) – code 758
  • BYU Foreign Language Achievement Testing Service
    • Students may receive credit for one exam in Mandarin and one exam in Cantonese (either simplifiedor traditional) but not two exams in one language.
    • Students cannot receive credit for other language exams within the same subject (for example, BYU Spanish and CLEP Spanish).
    • For information about taking the BYU Language Achievement Tests, contact pla@sps.cuny.edu.
  • College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) - code 4436
  • Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT)
    • The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) is a multi-service school for active and reserve service members, foreign military students, and civilian personnel working in the federal government and various law enforcement agencies. DLPT exams assess the target language proficiency of native speakers of English who have learned a foreign language as a second language.
  • DSST exams (formerly known as DANTES) - code 9323
  • International Baccalaureate (IB)
    • Students who have completed an International Baccalaureate diploma with a score of 30 or higher will receive 30 General Education credits. Students who completed an IB diploma with a score of 29 or less, and students who did not receive a diploma will be awarded 7 credits for each higher-level exam with a score of “5” or higher and 3 credits for each standard-level exam with a score of “5” or higher.
  • Saylor Academy Courses

Common Core Abbreviations

Approved exams award credit for a specific course or a common core requirement. If an exam meets a common core requirement, please refer to the legend below.

CE - Creative Expression
CO - College Option
EC - English Composition
IS - Individual & Society
LPS - Life & Physical Science
MQR - Math & Quantitative Reasoning
SW - Scientific World
US - US Experience in its Diversity
WCGI - World Cultures & Global Issues

PLA Exam Equivalencies

*Exams are subject to an American Council on Education (ACE) evaluation, which have expiration dates. This does not necessarily mean that the exams will no longer be offered, but CUNY SPS cannot guarantee which exams will be approved for renewal and/or made available. If you would like to know more about the upcoming deadline dates, please visit: https://cunyonline.digication.com/CUNYSPSCPL/updates.

Minimum Grade Requirement:

A minimum grade of C or better may be required for major and/or minor required courses at CUNY SPS.  Please visit the college catalog for more information on minimum grade requirements for your selected degree program.   If considering taking an Exam for credit, note the following minimum scores needed to reach the equivalent of C or better for major and minor requirements. 
AP – 3 or above
CLEP – 50 or above 
DSST – 400 or above 
Saylor – 73 or above