Credit by Examination
Credit for selected courses may be secured by students who demonstrate competency by means of scores on standardized examinations.
Credit for selected courses may be secured by students who demonstrate competency by means of scores on standardized examinations such as Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST), and International Baccalaureate (IB), or, in the case of BIB1006 Old Testament History and Literature: Law and History, BIB1007 Old Testament History and Literature: Poetry and Prophecy, BIB2008 New Testament History and Literature, and MTC1000 Music Theory Fundamentals, by locally prepared examinations.
A maximum of 32 credits by exam may be transferred to Northwestern. Credits may not be earned through CLEP or DSST examinations whose content duplicates credit previously earned.
The following links include scoring information for each of the tests mentioned above:
- AP
- CLEP – Traditional Undergraduate
- CLEP – Adult Undergraduate
- DSST – Traditional Undergraduate
- DSST – Adult Undergraduate
- International Baccalaureate
- Locally Prepared Examinations
- Minnesota Bilingual and Multilingual Seals and World Language Proficiency Certificates
University of Northwestern reserves the right to change, without notice, any credit by examination information to include, but not limited to, minimum test scores, credits awarded, and courses satisfied.
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DSST Testing
University of Northwestern’s Academic Achievement, by appointment only, offers online DSST tests to earn college credit. The DSST credit-by-examination program has tests in more than 30 subject areas, including science, math, business, social sciences, and the humanities. The subject matter reflects the kinds of things people might learn in nontraditional ways, such as on the job or through a hobby.
- General Test Information
- Fees
- Registration
- Tests Offered
- Study Resources
General test information
A fact sheet/study guide can be found at www.getcollegecredit.com. These give useful information regarding topics that will be covered, sample questions, books for review, the number of questions on the test, and the score recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE) for credit. Credit cannot be awarded for tests that overlap what is currently on your transcript(s).
A maximum of two tests may be taken during a session. Tests are administered by appointment only in Academic Achievement located on the fourth floor of Nazareth Hall, N4012. Test taker information and test information can be found on the DSST website. If you have further questions, please contact Academic Achievement at 651-628-3316 or [email protected].
Fees
Registration fee: $40 per test
- Registration fees are collected during online registration and are nonrefundable. Payment must be made using a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express). Exam cancellations are nonrefundable.
Test fee: $100 per test
- Test fees are collected on the test day. Payment must be made using a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express). No personal checks or cash will be accepted.
Registration
You will receive a confirmation e-mail immediately after you register. An informational e-mail including test date, location, and a map of the campus will be e-mailed to you at a later date.
REGISTER ONLINE FOR DSST TESTS
Study resources
You may want to visit the following websites:
- DSST (fact sheets/study guides, statistics, and general info): www.getcollegecredit.com
- Practice tests can be purchased for $5 at: ibt.prometric.com/dsst
- Recommended by students: www.instantcert.com
Registrar’s Office
