PREPARING FOR LIFE ACHIEVEMENT EVALUATION

One of the special incentives of ACE is the opportunity it affords ACE students to earn Queens College academic credits for significant "life achievement." You can apply for credits for any notable prior learning gained through work and/or outside interests which can be shown to be equivalent to college-level learning in an area included in the Queens College curriculum. You are not automatically entitled to or qualified for these credits. There are no fees or charges for any aspect of applying; any credits awarded are tuition-free. You become eligible to apply for evaluation upon completion of the Basic ACE Seminars, and you must not yet have earned your 80th credit. The maximum number of credits that you can earn through "life achievement" evaluation is 36. The number of credits awarded varies, depending on experience. Some students receive no life achievement credits; others earn a few, or an average of 10-15, or, in exceptional cases, the maximum of 36 credits. Some students do not need these credits because of weighty majors and do not even apply for them. (There is no requirement to apply for these credits.) Application for evaluation requires effort and adherence to strict guidelines. You must participate in an orientation, and, after some counseling, you must prepare a collection of documents for a supporting portfolio. You will need to present prior learning experiences in clearly written form with documentation. The ACE staff will supply forms for organizing these materials. You are solely responsible for the validity, accuracy, authenticity, and organization of all materials. After you complete your portfolio(s), ACE will dispatch them to various appropriate academic departments. All credit evaluation is carried out exclusively by the various academic departments, and their decisions regarding the awarding of credits are final.

TYPES OF LIFE ACHIEVEMENT CREDITS

Depending on the substance of the portfolio you prepare, academic departments can award course-equivalent credits and/or elective credits (without specific course numbers). When prior learning is substantial and identical to that gained in a college course, academic departments may award course-equivalent credits, actual credits for courses offered by name and number. These credits usually may be applied to fulfill the college's requirements; you will need to confer with various academic departments about using them for some majors. Elective credits (without specific course numbers) may be awarded for more generalized learning in an academic area. Life achievement credits are not assigned letter grades and are not averaged in the calculation of your grade-point average. They will appear on your Queens College transcript either as course equivalents with course names and numbers and/or as elective credits.

BASIC PREREQUISITES AND ELIGIBILITY

Only matriculated ACE students who have completed all of the Basic ACE Seminars (ACE 001, 004, 005W, 015 and 016; BIOL 011 or CHEM 016 and 017; MATH 110; and PSYCH 101) may apply for life achievement credits. You should apply as soon as you are eligible----when you are nearing completion or have just completed the Basic ACE Seminars. You must apply before earning your 80th credit. Exceptions to the 80-credit limit are occasionally made when transfer students inadvertently exceed the limit due to a large number of transferred credits added to the Basic ACE Seminars.