/Institutions/North-Park-University/json/2023-2024/North-Park-University-2023-2024-Academic-Catalog-local.json

/Institutions/North-Park-University/json/2023-2024/North-Park-University-2023-2024-Academic-Catalog.json

Testing and Placement Credit

Advanced Placement

Many high school graduates have completed college-level courses in high school and have taken Advanced Placement examinations of the College Board (CB). North Park recognizes such programs and encourages superior high school students to seek college credit through these examinations and thereby accelerate their progress toward degrees. The University may grant credit where a grade of 3, 4, or 5 has been earned on the CB Advanced Placement examination. Credit received under the Advanced Placement program may be applied toward North Park graduation requirements. No tuition charge is made for these credits. Students who wish to obtain such credit should have their examination scores forwarded to the Center for Student Engagement.

College Credit While Still in High School

First year students entering North Park University who have earned college credit as part of their high school curriculum (“dual credit”) are permitted to transfer credits following our standard transfer policies while maintaining their first year status in consideration for merit-based scholarship awards and orientation-related activities, and registration for CORE 1000. Students must enroll at North Park in the semester immediately following their high school graduation to be considered for first year scholarships, and must submit their official college transcripts in order to receive transfer credit for those courses. Standard transfer credit guidelines apply; students must earn a D or higher to obtain North Park credit (C or higher for major coursework), and transfer credits will be applicable to the overall graduation requirement but not necessarily the major requirement.

Students who have graduated from high school and enroll in college the following semester will be considered transfer students for scholarship purposes, assuming they have earned 12 or more transferable college credits.

College Level Examination Program

North Park University may grant credit for university-level knowledge as demonstrated by passing grades on the exams offered by the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Credit received under the CLEP program may be applied toward North Park’s graduation requirements. A fee per credit hour will be assessed in order that the credits posts to the student’s transcript. Students who wish to obtain such credit should have their examination scores forwarded to the Center for Student Engagement. CLEP scores will be reviewed according to the guidelines:

A student is not eligible to receive credit-by-examination in any course that he or she has previously audited or taken for credit.

Credit will post to a student’s transcript once the student has officially enrolled at North Park University and has paid the fee per credit hour.

North Park University must receive an official copy of the CLEP score in order to process and post the credit. A student may earn a maximum of 30 credits.

Examination for Placement or Credit

Credit by examination is available to any student by petition and upon departmental approval. A student qualifies to receive credit upon the receipt of a grade of B or better in the subject examination; however, a grade of P will be recorded in the student’s transcript.

A student may not receive credit by examination in a previously audited course.

Petitions for credit by examination must be presented to the department chairperson before a test is taken. Repeat times vary according to discipline. Information and petition forms are available through the Center for Student Engagement. The student is responsible for any applicable fees.

Modern Language Examination

If you already speak a language other than English you may fulfill— or be exempt from—the foreign language requirement based on this experience and your native (or primary) language. Use the rules below to help you determine how you can prove proficiency.

Rule 1: Native Language is English

If English is the primary language spoken in your home country and the primary language of instruction in high school or beyond, you have two basic options to fulfill the foreign language requirement.

1. Take coursework at North Park to complete proficiency to the 1020 level of another language.
2. If you already know a language other than English, you may take a challenge exam to prove proficiency in that language.
   • If that language is offered at North Park, please contact the Modern Language department to arrange for a challenge exam. These exams are free of charge and are offered prior to the beginning of each semester.
   • If the language you know is not offered at North Park you can arrange to be tested by a qualified person at another four-year university. You may not use a community college, community center, church, or relative to administer a proficiency test, and you are responsible for any fees related to taking the test or having the results posted to North Park. Please contact the Center for Student Engagement for further information.

Rule 2: Native Language Other Than English

If English wasn’t the primary language of your home country, and wasn’t the primary language of instruction in high school or beyond, you must show proficiency in the English language to fulfill the GE foreign language requirement. You can do this in one of three ways:

1. Complete all required English as a Second Language (ESL) coursework
2. Testing out of the ESL program by taking a proficiency exam
3. By otherwise being exempted from taking the ESL placement test

Contact Dennis Bricault in the Department of Modern Languages for more information about the ESL program and placement test.

Important Notes

If you are from a country with a primary language other than English, but English was the primary language of instruction in your high school or beyond, you should follow the guidelines for Rule 2 above, and contact Dennis Bricault with any questions.

Your fulfillment of the foreign language requirement will be posted to your academic record following your successful completion of one semester at North Park.

North Park does not award academic credit for testing out of the 1010/1020 level of any language.

Students majoring in a language, international business, or global studies may be eligible to receive academic credit for language proficiency beyond the 1020 level, and will be charged a fee per credit hour granted as well as a posting fee for these academic credits.

Please contact the Center for Student Engagement for further information.