Credit may be earned at WKU through the following examination programs: the Advanced Placement Program (AP), the American College Testing Program (ACT), the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and departmental examinations developed by WKU departmental faculty committees. The credit hours earned through these examinations will count toward graduation, but will not be used to compute grade point averages since a letter grade will not be given.

Although students may receive credit hours through any of these five programs, duplicate credit may not be earned. For example, a student who earns credit hours for English 100 through the AP program may not receive additional credit for English 100 on the ACT exam, on a departmental exam, or on the CLEP general or subject exams.

High school seniors should take CLEP and ACT or SAT examinations by February at the latest so that the results may be available for use in selecting courses during the March or June Academic Transition Program (ATP).

The Office of Admissions notifies students of their eligibility for credit upon receiving an application for admission and the official test score report. Students will receive the credit during the first semester of enrollment

Advanced Placement Program (AP)

Students may earn college credit through the Advanced Placement Program of the College Board upon attaining the minimum score on the AP examination.

The Office of Admissions notifies students of their eligibility for credit upon receiving an application for admission and the official AP score report. Official scores may be obtained on-line at www.collegeboard.com or by contacting AP Exams, PO Box 6671, Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6671, telephone (888)225-5427. The following code number should be used to have scores sent to WKU: AP-1901. Students will receive the credit during the first semester of enrollment.

ACT or SAT English Proficiency Credit

A student scoring 29 or above on the English section of the Enhanced ACT or 620 or above on the verbal section of the recentered SAT may be awarded three credit hours for English 100. WKU does not require the written component on either exam. A student who earns credit for English 100 on the ACT or SAT may not receive additional credit for English 100. Official ACT or SAT scores should be sent by the testing company to the Office of Admissions as part of the admissions process. ACT scores may be obtained by contacting ACT Records, P.O. Box 451, Iowa City, Iowa 52243, phone (319) 337-1313, or accessing on-line information at www.act.org. The following code number should be used to have scores sent to WKU: ACT-1562. SAT score information can be obtained by calling 1-800-SAT-SCORE or on-line at www.collegeboard.com. The following code number should be used to have scores sent to WKU: SAT-1901. The Office of Admissions will notify applicants who qualify for academic credit on the basis of the ACT/SAT scores.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

The CLEP examinations may be taken each month at any national testing center, including the testing center at WKU. Information about CLEP may be obtained by writing CLEP, CN 6600, Princeton, New Jersey 08540-6600, or accessing on-line information at www.collegeboard.com, or contacting the Counseling and Testing Center, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky 42101, (270) 745-3159. The following code number should be used to have scores sent to WKU: CLEP-1901.

Students may register for CLEP examinations at WKU by contacting the Counseling and Testing Center.

Students applying to WKU should have their scores sent to the Office of Admissions. Students currently enrolled at WKU should request that their scores be sent to the Office of the Registrar. The appropriate office will then notify applicants who qualify for academic credit.

Policies

1. A student who has completed a course or has received credit by examination at WKU or at another accredited college or university may not receive credit for a CLEP examination of similar content.
2. A student may not take a CLEP examination for credit after having taken a college course at a higher level in the same department (subject matter area).
3. A student who has established credit through a CLEP general examination may not earn additional credit by taking a subject examination or vice versa, if there is a substantial overlap of the material covered by the two exams.
4. A student may establish credit in all courses or areas in which he/she is able to demonstrate a proficiency, provided he/she meets the University’s residence requirements for graduation.
5. A student who fails to earn credit on a CLEP examination may not repeat the same examination for one calendar year.
6. A student may not repeat by proficiency testing a course which has been previously taken or failed at WKU or another accredited institution.

General Examinations

CLEP general examinations should be taken prior to the full-time student’s initial enrollment in college or during the early part of the first semester, freshman year. Students enrolling in college for the first time in the fall semester may not receive credit from a CLEP general examination taken after September 30. Students enrolling for the first time in the spring semester may not receive credit from a CLEP general examination taken after January 30.

Part-time students are permitted to earn CLEP general exam credit prior to the completion of 12 semester hours.

Credit earned from the general examinations may be used in fulfilling WKU’s general education requirements, as indicated below.

Subject Examinations
WKU does not require completion of the essay section of the CLEP subject examinations.

International Baccalaureate

Western Kentucky University recognizes the International Baccalaureate (IB) program completed in high school. Credit will be awarded by earning the required score in a specific subject. To receive credit the student must furnish an official IB transcript to the Office of Admissions issued directly from the New York office of the International Baccalaureate Organization. Specific information about required scores and credit may be obtained from the Office of Admissions.

Departmental Examinations

Students enrolled at WKU may also receive credit on the basis of departmental examinations. A student may take a departmental examination in any course listed as satisfying a requirement in any of the categories of general education. Departments may offer departmental exams in other courses at their discretion.

A department may adopt either a standardized examination available from outside the University or develop an appropriate proficiency examination within the department by means of a faculty committee. Departmental proficiency examinations may be written, oral or both.

To be eligible to take a departmental proficiency examination, a student must be fully matriculated, in good standing, and regularly enrolled at WKU. Credits earned in this manner will be recorded on the student’s official transcript but will not be considered as a part of the normal semester load in the term in which the examination is taken. A student may not register for a departmental examination for a course while he or she is enrolled in that course. A student may not take a departmental proficiency examination in a course which has been previously taken at WKU or at another accredited institution.

A student desiring to take a departmental examination must complete an appropriate request form in the Office of the Registrar. A fee of $25 per credit hour must be paid at the time the form is submitted. The form must be submitted to the Registrar prior to the end of the third week of classes in either the fall or spring semesters. The Registrar will notify the appropriate department of the student’s request. The department will administer the proficiency examination during the seventh week of classes. The student must obtain the specific time and place for testing from the department head.

After testing has been completed, the department head will notify the Registrar in writing as to whether or not the student demonstrated acceptable proficiency. If the department recommends that credit be granted, the semester hours earned will be recorded on the official transcript. However, the credit will not be used in computing the grade point average since letter grades will not be assigned.