Third Party College Credit Options
Contents
Overview
In addition to the courses in our Saylor Direct Credit program (our main college credit initiative), a number of Saylor Academy courses have been aligned to third party exams that connect to college credit.
Saylor Academy does not own or administer any of the exams below and we are not responsible for their content, nor can we guarantee that the information here is fully up to date; we present this information as a service to our students who are looking for flexible, affordable college credit options. We worked with exam providers (Thomas Edison State University, Excelsior College, StraighterLine) or reviewed existing credit-bearing exams to ensure that our courses sufficiently covered the topics assessed. Saylor Academy courses should be a useful and free learning resources toward passing and earning credit for the exams below.
Follow links to learn more about the different options as well as important information about fees, transcripts, updates, scheduling, etc.
Course & Exam Alignments
Course | Type | Alignment(s) |
---|---|---|
BIO307: Microbiology | StraighterLine | Microbiology |
BUS103: Introduction to Financial Accounting | TECEP | ACC-101-TE Principles of Financial Accounting |
BUS105: Managerial Accounting | TECEP | ACC-102-TE Principles of Managerial Accounting |
BUS403: Negotiations and Conflict Management | TECEP | NEG-401-TE Negotiations and Conflict Management |
CS402: Computer Communications and Networks | TECEP | CMP-354-TE Networking Technologies |
ECON101: Principles of Microeconomics | CLEP; TECEP | Principles of Microeconomics; ECO-112-TE Microeconomics |
ECON102: Principles of Macroeconomics | UExcel | ECOX-262: Introduction to Macroeconomics |
ENVS203: Environmental Ethics, Justice, and World Views | TECEP | ETH-210-TE Environmental Ethics |
ENGL210: Technical Writing | TECEP | ENG-201-TE Technical Writing |
HIST103: World History in the Early Modern and Modern Eras | TECEP | HIS-126-TE World History from 1600 to Present |
MA101: Single-Variable Calculus I | UExcel | MATX-150: Calculus |
MA121: Introduction to Statistics | StraighterLine; TECEP | STA-201-TE Principles of Statistics |
K12MATH013: Calculus AB | AP | Calculus AB |
K12MATH014: Advanced Statistics | AP | Statistics |
POLSC221: Introduction to Comparative Politics | TECEP | POS-282-TE Introduction to Comparative Politics |
POLSC232: American Government | CLEP | American Government |
PSYCH101: Introduction to Psychology | UExcel | PSYX-101: Introduction to Psychology |
Third Party Provider Information
UExcel® (Excelsior College)
Saylor Academy courses can help students prepare for the nationally recognized Excelsior College UExcel Examinations, a credit-by-examination program recognized by the American Council on Education (ACE). Students who earn credit by using UExcel exams may apply the credit earned toward an Excelsior degree program pathway or obtain a transcript for a small fee to transfer the credit to more than 2,000 accredited institutions in the ACE CREDIT College and University Network. As always, be sure to confirm transferability to your school first.
We have worked closely with Excelsior College to match Saylor Academy courses with UExcel content guides. If you successfully work through one of the aligned Saylor courses, you should be prepared to pass the Excelsior College exams and earn college credit.
For complete instructions on how to register for an Excelsior exam, view the our partnership page on Excelsior’s site, or follow the steps in this guide.
▸ Learn more about UExcel exams
▸ Learn more about Excelsior College
TECEP® (Thomas Edison State University)
We have worked closely with Thomas Edison State University to match Saylor Academy courses with TECEP content guides. If you successfully work through one of the aligned Saylor courses, you should be prepared to pass the TECEP exams and earn college credit.
Passing the exam will earn you 3 credit hours at Thomas Edison State University. Many schools will accept TECEP scores in transfer; students interested in applying the credit at another college can request transcripts from Thomas Edison State College for a small fee – be sure to confirm transferability to your school first.
▸ Learn more about TECEP exams, fees, and how to register.
Upon completing your exam, you will be prompted to take a short survey. We encourage that you take the time to fill this out, as it will allow you to tell Thomas Edison State University if you used Saylor Academy materials to prepare for their exam. This information can be useful in encouraging the development of additional TECEP exams and credit opportunities aligned to Saylor courses.
▸ Learn more about Thomas Edison State University
StraighterLine
Please note that BIO307: Microbiology may not cover all the topics tested in the StraighterLine exam; additional materials are suggested by StraighterLine to prepare.
Students can use Saylor Academy courses to prepare for assessments created and administered by StraighterLine. In addition to the over 30 Partner Colleges that have formal transfer agreements with StraighterLine, the assessments are recommended for credit by the American Council on Education (ACE), which counts more than 2,000 accredited institutions in the ACE CREDIT College and University Network. As always, be sure to confirm transferability to your school first.
Unlike other Saylor Academy exams, students may not re-attempt a StraighterLine exam more than once, so make sure to fully prepare prior to taking the exam. For the best cost savings, we recommend that you take multiple exams within a few weeks; with the $99 monthly fee, completing several exams within a month or two would reduce the per-credit cost of these exams.
▸ Learn more about StraighterLine or call 1-877-str8erline (1-877-787-8375).
CLEP® (College Board)
Complete information about the CLEP program is available here.
AP® (College Board)
Complete information about the AP program is available here and includes important details on testing independently of a formal school program.
Additional Information
- The courses and organizations above represent those we have explicitly worked to align. You may be able to use other Saylor Academy courses in preparation for these or other exams as well as other kinds of credentialing options, such as portfolio assessments, supervised independent study, etc.
- We maintain a public spreadsheet of free and affordable college credit options here. (Got an addition or update? Let us know!)
- If your school is one of our credit transfer partners or operates a special program in cooperation with Saylor Academy, you might have additional college credit opportunities through Saylor Academy.