Credit by Examination

Students have the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge in a subject by taking exams such as CLEP, DANTES, or NYU.

If you're an eligible undergraduate or graduate MAT student fulfilling deficiency credit requirements and achieve acceptable scores on these exams, you can earn credit by examination, which counts as transfer credit. To find out which exams qualify for credit at NLU, visit our transfer credit guide.

• Make sure to select Credit for Prior Learning and then click Submit.
• From there, select your exam and choose either General Education (if you want to fulfill General Education credit through examination) or Equivalency Guide to view exams that transfer to various courses (including General Education, Major Courses, and Electives).

CLEP Exams: Take Your Test Onsite or Virtually

CLEP exams assess your knowledge across various academic subjects, including Composition and Literature, Foreign Languages, History and Social Sciences, Science and Mathematics, and Business. These exams are timed but don't penalize for wrong or skipped answers. Credit awards range from 5QH to 14QH.

You have two options to take a CLEP exam:

1. Onsite Testing:

   • Take the exam in person at our Wheeling or Chicago locations by signing up for an available testing slot.
   • At the Lisle campus, arrange a special testing date and time for your convenience by emailing cpl@nl.edu. 

2. Virtual Testing:

   • Take the exam remotely from home through CLEP's platform.

If you prefer an in-person exam at NLU, follow these steps:

1. Visit the CLEP testing registration website (College Board) to select, register, and pay for your exam.
   1. Ensure you choose to send your CLEP test transcript to us at the Wheeling campus (National Louis University, Attn: Admissions Department, 1000 Capitol Drive, Wheeling IL 60090).
   2. Go here for additional guidance.
2. Sign up for a testing slot through our NLU In-Person CLEP Testing Sign-up.
   1. You'll need to provide your CLEP Testing Ticket # from College Board during sign-up.
3. Arrive at the NLU location 30 minutes before your testing time with a government-issued ID (with photo) and your CLEP testing ticket.

Funding Your CLEP and DSST Exams with DANTES

DANTES, the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support, provides funding for CLEP exams, making them free for eligible military personnel, civilians, and spouses. To learn more about exam funding and eligibility criteria, visit the DANTES Funding page.

Since 2006, DANTES has also authorized up-front funding for DSST exams for eligible military members at authorized National Test Centers that offer Internet-based DSST exams. For details on DSST exam funding and eligibility criteria, check out the DSST funding webpage.

DANTES exams cover various subjects in Business and academia, including Humanities, Mathematics, Physical and Life Sciences, Social Sciences, and Technical Writing. These exams don't penalize for incorrect or skipped answers, and all DANTES exams carry a credit award equivalent to 5QH.

Please note that NLU currently doesn't administer DANTES-funded CLEP or DSST exams. If you take these exams at another institution, remember to send your score reports to NLU for the transfer credit evaluation process.

NYU Language Proficiency Exam: Only Available Virtually

You can now showcase your language proficiency through the NYU language proficiency exam virtually, covering more than 30 different languages. Explore the full catalog and register for the exam on the NYU Testing webpage. Visit their website for more details and to get started.