Students Save Time and Money with Immaculata University’s Credit for Prior Learning Program

Immaculata University’s Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) program was made for people like Sean Rowe and Josh Gribben.

Rowe, a 2022 Immaculata graduate who majored in criminology with a minor in theology, entered the police academy immediately after high school. His subsequent experience as a uniformed police officer led to detective roles, in which he attended classes offered by the FBI, DEA, and other organizations that covered various topics, including processing crime scenes and conducting forensic investigations.

After retiring from his police and detective duties in 2016, Rowe enrolled at Immaculata, where he was able to capitalize on his law enforcement experience and professional education by saving time and money through the CPL program. Since the program awards academic credit for a student’s learning experiences outside of the classroom, Immaculata counselors determined some of Rowe’s law enforcement classes could be used as a substitute for a forensic science course in his criminology program. In addition, he also received college credit from his police academy training.

Rowe is now using his expertise and education as an adjunct faculty member at Immaculata where he is teaching organized crime and intro to criminal justice. Gribben, who attended Immaculata as a working professional, graduated in 2022 with a degree in business management. Working in the financial securities industry, he earned several professional licenses through the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and was able to receive credit for his professional education through the CPL program.

Josh Gribben

Each of the professional licensure exams taken by Gribben required a significant amount of study time, so he was grateful that Immaculata granted him credit for the three licenses that he earned. “The Credit for Prior Learning program allowed me to use my previous training and learning experiences with credits towards my general elective requirements, which allowed me to achieve my goal even quicker than I had originally hoped,” Gribben said.

Using the knowledge gleaned from several of his finance, business and leadership courses, Gribben was given more responsibility in his new role as sales operations manager and will begin an MBA program this fall.

Immaculata’s CPL program awards credits for various types of approved training and experiences, including workplace training, technical/secretarial school courses, electronics/computer training, military training, Bible school coursework, professional licensures, professional certificates and more.

To receive credit for prior learning, students have four options: take an exam at a College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP) official exam site; provide documentation of previous training, including military, technical school, or any certifications; have IU’s faculty assess on-the-job training programs from non-accredited programs; or submit a life learning portfolio.