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Alternative Credit Options

Alternative Credit Options/Credit for Prior Learning

The Alternative Credit Option/CPL Progam aims to assist students in identifying alternative low-cost opportunities to earn credits towards the completion of their degrees. We recognize that many of our students have a considerable amount of learning, work, and life experience that might be applicable for college credit. For further information regarding the below alternative options you may contact:

Alisa Cooper
Program Coordinator

Nikaury Paulino
Program Assistant

For general inquiries on Alternative Credit Options please contact:
College.CompletionCredit@lehman.cuny.edu

Alternative Credit Option Program Information

Prior to selecting an Alternative Credit Option, students are advised to speak with their Academic Advisor, a Program Advisor/Director, or a member of the Alternative Credit Option Team. Students should also be aware of the following information before deciding to complete an Alternative Credit Option.

  • Alternative Credit Options do not count towards full-time enrollment, they are not calculated into the GPA, and are not covered by Financial Aid.
  • Students seeking to earn more than 9 credits in Alternative Credit Options/Credit for Prior Learning, must contact a member of the Alternative Credit Option team for approval. Credits in ACO/CPL exceeding 9 without approval may be subject to denial.
  • Alternative Credit Options and Credit for Prior Learning are offered through platforms outside of the Lehman College institution, however, we do honor Lehman College approved CPL/Alternative Options for credit. Students are responsible for understanding any fees associated with each respective credit option, eligibility requirements, length of completion and deadlines. The Alternative Credit Option program is not responsible for trouble shooting any issues that are connected to each platform or inability to complete an ACO/CPL option as a result of delay in certificate receipt from each corresponding platform.
  • Excelsior Scholarship students must contact the Excelsior Coordinator/TAP Specialist at Lehman College to determine their eligibility before taking an Alternative Credit Option Haneefah.Sebro@lehman.cuny.edu

AP (Advanced Placement) | CLEP (College Level Examination Program) | COURSERA | FEMA | HSA COURSERA | IB International Baccalaureate | Military Service Credits | Google Data Science Certificate | Bloomberg Certificates


Click Here To OpenAP (Advanced Placement)

Undergraduate students who have completed Advanced Placement (AP) courses in high school and have passed the AP exam administered by the College Board with grades of 4 or 5 are welcome to submit their scores to the Alternative Credit Option Program via email. Once a copy of their score has been received, students will be exempt from taking the equivalent courses required at Lehman College. *Students will not receive credit for an AP course equivalent to which they have already earned credit from at Lehman, or have in progress.

Eligibility Criteria Completed AP courses in High School and successfully passed the AP test of the College Entrance Examination Board
How to Register? For a list of AP exams, the Lehman Equivalent and the necessary score to earn credit, please click here.
How to Submit for Credit? Incoming Freshman should request their scores to be sent electronically through College Board. When requesting an eletronic copy of your scores, kindly ensure you include Lehman's School Code: 2312. Current students may submit scores (in PDF format only) labeled with your full name and student EMPLID to college.completioncredit@lehman.cuny.edu.

Click Here To OpenCLEP (College Level Examination Program)

The College Board's College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) allows students to test their proficiency in college-level material in introductory subjects and earn college credit. Earn college credits for the information you already know through The College Level Examination Program®. CLEP is nationally recognized standardized testing based on intro-level course material. Lehman College provides credit for successful scores on specified CLEP exams. These exams have been reviewed and are approved to satisfy Lehman course equivalents. Some courses may not be considered equivalent but will count as elective credit at Lehman College.

*World Language: Students may choose to complete only ONE of the following exams and will not receive credit for taking both Spanish Language Level 1&2 or Spanish Writing 1&2.*

Eligibility Criteria Open General Education Electives or Liberal Arts Elective credit (depending on exam equivalent).
How to Register? To view a step-by-step registration guide and a list of CLEP, the Lehman Equivalent and the credit amount, click here.
How to Submit for Credit? Send a copy of your CLEP scores directly to the college (in pdf format only) labeled with your full name and student EMPLID to College.CompletionCredit@lehman.cuny.edu.

Click Here To OpenCOURSERA

Build your career and expand your professional knowledge through Coursera while earning college credits. Coursera is nationally recognized as an online educational platform providing University and College students with an online range of video lectures taught by university professors and company staff around the nation. Lehman College offers the opportunity to complete specific online courses through Coursera that have been reviewed and are approved to satisfy the Lehman College Liberal Arts credit requirements.

Students seeking to earn credit through the Lehman-approved Coursera certificates MUST purchase their certificate from Coursera to submit to the Alternative Credit option program. Courses completed without proof of certification will not be awarded credit.

Eligibility Criteria Open Liberal Art Credits/Gen Ed Electives
How to Register? Register for approved Coursera courses and purchase certificate once completed to submit for credit. Click here.
How to Submit for Credit? Submit certificate of completion in PDF format labeled "FirstnameLastname_EMPLID" with subject line" COURSERA _ course name" to College.CompletionCredit@lehman.cuny.edu

Click Here To OpenFEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)

Through FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute/Independent Study Program students may earn online training free of charge. Students must only select IS courses that are worth 1 college credit (1 CEU). Courses may not be combined to equate 1 CEU. IS courses that do not meet this requirement will not be accepted for credit at Lehman College. A list of the most up to date available IS study courses is available directly on the EMI study website.

Eligibility Criteria General Education Electives ONLY
How to Register? Click here.
How to Submit for Credit? As of 2/01/2023 we will be accepting credits by the following. Upon the successful completion of an Independent Study course, students will receive a link to their completion certificate.  From here, students will have the option to download a “Student IS Transcript” You will be able to save this in pdf format and then submit to us at college.completioncredit@lehman labeled with your full name and student EMPLID.

Click Here To OpenHSA COURSERA

Build your career and expand your professional knowledge through Coursera while earning college credits. Coursera is nationally recognized as an online educational platform providing University and College students with an online range of video lectures taught by university professors and company staff around the nation. Lehman College offers the opportunity to complete specific online courses through Coursera that have been reviewed and are approved to satisfy the Lehman College General Education elective requirements. HSA Coursera courses DO NOT meet Liberal Arts requirements

Students seeking to earn credit through the Lehman-approved Coursera certificates MUST purchase their certificate from Coursera to submit to the Alternative Credit option program. Courses completed without proof of certification will not be awarded credit.

Eligibility Criteria Open General Electives/ HSA Elective Credit

Students seeking Health Services Administration (HSA) elective credit should do so under the guidance of an HSA advisor. Students seeking to earn credit for General Education electives MUST contact their academic advisor or reach us at college.completioncredit@lehman.cuny.edu
How to Register? Register for approved Coursera courses and purchase certificate once completed to submit for credit.

Click here.
How to Submit for Credit? Submit certificate of completion in PDF format labeled "FirstnameLastname_EMPLID" with subject line" COURSERA_course name" to college.completioncredit@lehman.cuny.edu

Click Here To OpenGoogle Data Science Certificate

The Google Data Science Certificate via Coursera includes over 180 hours of instruction and hundreds of practice-based assessments, which will help you simulate real-world data analytics scenarios that are critical for success in the workplace. The content is highly interactive and exclusively developed by Google employees with decades of experience in data analytics. Through a mix of videos, assessments, and hands-on labs, you’ll get introduced to analysis tools and platforms and key analytical skills required for an entry-level job.

Skills you’ll gain will include: Data cleaning, problem solving, critical thinking, data ethics, and data visualization

Platforms and tools you will learn include: Presentations, Spreadsheets, SQL, Tableau and R Programming.

In addition to expert training and hands-on projects, you'll complete a case study that you can share with potential employers to showcase your new skill set. Learn concrete skills that top employers are hiring for right now.

Eligibility Criteria Open General Education Elective credit, these are NOT Liberal Arts Credits. Students who complete the certificate will earn 1 credit in DAT 181, 1 credit in DAT 184 and 1 credit in BBA 190, for a total of 3 credits. Partial credit cannot be earned.
How to Register? Register for Google Data Science through Coursera and purchase certificate. Click here.
How to Submit for Credit?

Submit certificate of completion in PDF format labeled "FirstnameLastname_EMPLID" with subject line" COURSERA _ course name" to college.completionCredit@lehman.cuny.edu

Click Here To OpenBloomberg Certificate

"Preparing for the realities of an uncertain labor market is a challenge. Bloomberg’s e-learning certificate courses offer an advantage by empowering students and early career finance professionals with the hands-on knowledge and real-world experience needed to compete and succeed.”

The Bloomberg 101 Certification consists of three courses. Students seeking to earn credit must complete all three of the following: Bloomberg Marketing Concepts, Environmental Social Governance, and Bloomberg Finance Fundamentals. Courses completed without proof of certification will not be awarded credit.

Eligibility Criteria

Students who complete the certification will earn 2 Economics elective credit.

How to Register? To register for the Bloomberg 101 Certificate please click here.
How to Submit for Credit?

Submit certificate of completion in PDF format labeled "FirstnameLastname_EMPLID" with subject line" Bloomberg _ course name" to college.completioncredit@lehman.cuny.edu

Click Here To OpenIB International Baccalaureate

Lehman College admits students who have completed the International Baccalaureate diploma. Following the CUNY policy, a student at Lehman College can earn credit from an International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The credits awarded will apply towards the overall number of credits required for graduation.

Eligibility Criteria Lehman College students can earn IB credits in two ways:
  • 30+ Points with an IB Diploma: Students who have completed an IB Diploma with 30 points or higher will be awarded 30 credits.
  • 29 Points or less, and students who did not complete the Diploma: Students with a score of 29 or less, and students that did not complete the IB diploma, may be awarded college credits for Higher-Level IB exams with scores of "5" or better per the Lehman equivalencies.
How to Register? To request IBO transcript and diploma, please click here.
How to Submit for Credit? An official IB transcript and diploma (if applicable) are required for credit review.

Please submit an official IB transcript to wanda.majette@lehman.cuny.edu in PDF format, labeled with Full name and EMPLID.

Click Here To OpenMilitary Service Credits

The college follows the recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE) in granting credit for military training based on the review of a student’s military transcripts. If you are a veteran and wish to apply for military service credit, please file an Application for Military Service Credit through the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs, located in Shuster Hall, Room 201B. Veterans enrolled at the college may also be eligible to earn credits for select military training and education according to the rules governing the evaluation of transfer credits as presented in the Undergraduate Bulletin.

Eligibility Criteria Military Training
How to Register? File an Application for Military Service Credit through the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs
How to Submit for Credit? Please contact the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs: Office of Veteran and Military Affairs at veterans.affairs@lehman.cuny.edu

For more information on Non-CUNY courses, trainings, and exams, please visit the Transfer Explorer website.