What Are Life Experience Credits?
Hayward University's life experience credit evaluation process is designed to acknowledge and award academic credit for the specialized skills and knowledge that nontraditional students acquire throughout their careers.
Life Experience Credit Evaluation Process: Hayward University has established a method to evaluate life experience credits, assessing the knowledge and skills gained by nontraditional students outside the traditional classroom environment.
Scope of Life Experience Credit: The university considers various sources of learning for life experience credit, including college-level learning before admission to Hayward, formal education through military and government-sponsored coursework, knowledge acquired through professional experience, volunteer work, the utilization of artistic talents, and proficiency in computers and foreign languages (including sign language).
The aim of the life experience credit program is to enable nontraditional students to earn academic credit for their experiences, thereby allowing them to complete their degree—whether it be a bachelor's, master's, or PhD—more quickly and at a reduced cost. The emphasis is that credit is not simply awarded for having experiences; rather, it is contingent upon the student's ability to demonstrate that these experiences are equivalent to college-level coursework. Faculty evaluators play a vital role in guiding students to showcase that they possess knowledge comparable to the curriculum taught at Hayward University. One of the highlighted advantages is that leveraging the life experience credit program can facilitate a faster completion of their degree, aligning with the university's commitment to recognizing and valuing the diverse learning pathways of nontraditional students.
