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.
  • New York State Seal of Biliteracy (NYSSB)
    • This award is denoted by a seal affixed to the student’s diploma and a notation on the student’s high school transcript.  To earn the NYSSB, students must demonstrate Intermediate High proficiency in English and the required level of proficiency in one or more world languages set forth by the NYS Learning Standards for World Languages, adopted by the NYS Board of Regents in March 2021. Students seeking credit for NYSSB, must submit an official High School Transcript.
  • 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

Minimum Grade Requirement for Exams:

To earn credit for certain majors or minors at CUNY SPS, a minimum grade of C or better is required. If you are taking an exam for credit to apply to certain majors or minors, the following minimum scores are needed to meet this requirement:
• AP – 3 or above
• CLEP – 50 or above
• DSST – 400 or above
•Saylor – 73% or above (for major or minor courses)

Please note: While a score of 70% is the general minimum for earning credit through Saylor exams,if you are using the Saylor exam for a major or minor course, you must score at least 73% to meet the C or better requirement. For more information on specific grade requirements for your degree, consult the college catalog.