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COLLEGE LEVEL EXAMINATION PROGRAM (CLEP)

The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a group of standardized tests created and administered by the College Board. These tests assess college-level knowledge in thirty six subject areas and provide a mechanism for earning college credits without taking college courses.

massart clep policy

A student may receive up to six (6) non-course credits from CLEP exams toward general education electives. Students, who entered or were readmitted to the College during the 2017-2018 Academic Year, and any following academic year, are bound by this credit limit. Students who entered or were readmitted to the College before the 2017-2018 Academic Year are not.

The CLEP exam score must be at least the score recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE).  A complete list of CLEP exams, the ACE recommended minimum score per test, and the credit weight associated with each test is available on CollegeBoard.org. MassArt accepts all but the College Composition Modular CLEP exam.

Quick Tips

  • Check Your Eligibility. CLEP credits are counted towards a student’s earned transfer credits. MassArt allows students to bring in a total of 30 HART/LA combined transfer credits. Any earned CLEP credits would count towards this allowance of 30 transfer credits. If you have already brought 30 academic transfer credits in to MassArt, you should not take a CLEP exam.
     
  • Get Advised. It is important that students avoid redundant content when choosing a CLEP exam. For example, if you have taken and earned credit for an Introduction to Psychology course, you would not be able to transfer in credit for the Introductory Psychology CLEP exam. For these reasons and more, it is important that students receive advisement from the Registrar’s Office before registering for a CLEP exam. Students who are considering CLEP should contact the Assistant Registrar, Sarah Hoff, at sbhoff@massart.edu
     
  • Send your CLEP score. You are required to order your CLEP score transcript and have it sent to the Registrar's Office at MassArt. Because it can take a few weeks for official CLEP transcripts to arrive at the Registrar's Office, it is also recommended that you submit a copy of your same day score report to Sarah Hoff, Assistant Registrar. You can submit them in person or via email.