Alternative Credit

There are many ways that students earn credit:

Advanced Placement (AP) College credits may be granted based on achievement in college-level high school courses. FVCC awards college credit to undergraduate degree students on the basis of official Advanced Placement score reports. All AP credits awarded credit but no grade is assigned. There is no limit to the number of AP credits a student can bring in to FVCC but some transfer institutions do have limits.  Check “Credit Maximums” in the UM and MSU Catalogs for some of these limits.

Advance Placement (AP) credit is evaluated by the Admissions Office and posted to the student’s transcript as transfer work. More and more high school students are taking advantage of AP courses while in high school. However, a common issue surrounding the evaluation of AP credit is that many entering freshmen have taken AP courses but the official scoring records are mailed to FVCC in the late summer prior to a student’s initial enrollment. Students who attend summer orientation will not have had their AP coursework evaluated.

For a student at summer orientation who has taken AP courses, it is best to advise around the courses that would be the FVCC equivalent (such as History or Psychology) and then check the student’s transcript later in the fall for the official posting/course evaluation.

To date, there are 35 AP courses that are accepted at FVCC for transfer credit if a student has taken the course and has earned a final score of “3” or above. Contact the Admissions Office with specific questions about AP credit.

International Baccalaureate (IB)  FVCC recognizes IB achievement and awards eight credits for each higher level exam passed with examination scores of four or higher.  Standard Level exams are not accepted. Contact Admissions for credit acceptance policy. International Baccalaureate Policy.doc

College Level Equivalency Program (CLEP) CLEP tests are given nationwide in lots of subject areas and are widely accepted. FVCC follows the American Council on Education (ACE) guide which calls for a minimum score of 50 to receive credit. There is no limit on CLEP credits transferred in, and they can be used for general education requirements. No grade is assigned to the credit. The closest CLEP testing center is UM, and it costs about $70 per subject. Tests are administered on a computer and immediately scored. To arrange for a test appointment, call UM Testing Center at 406-243-6257.

Running Start This program is well established in our region, and we have about 300 high school and home schooled?students a year who take classes from us. They are screened by taking a placement test and having the permission of the high school, parents and the college. They are not specifically identified as Running Start students in the classroom, so they truly have the college experience. They can choose to take their courses for college credit only or for dual-credit which means it counts on the high school transcript as well. Credits earned in Running Start are just like any others taken in college and satisfy requirements and transfer.