MCLA Community Standards (formerly known as the Student Handbook)

To view a copy of MCLA's Community Standards, please go to ​https://www.mcla.edu/info-for/current-student/community-standards/index.php.

Credit for Learning Experiences Outside of MCLA

The College recognizes that significant learning occurs outside the formal academic experience at MCLA, through community activities, military service, or other study. Students may receive credit for such experiences through a number of programs that are detailed below.

STANDARDIZED TESTS

Academic credit will be awarded for students achieving certain standards on the following assessments:

International Baccalaureate (IB) Program

The IB program is a standardized curriculum that is offered in many countries, including the U.S. After 2 years of advanced study, students take external exams called higher level (HL) exams in their area of intensive study which are scored using a 1-7 scale, with 7 being the highest score. MCLA recognizes both the IB Diploma and Certificates. The College will award 6 to 8 credits for each higher level exam passed with a score of 4 or better. (Eight credits are awarded in the sciences and six credits are awarded in all other subject areas.) For more information, please contact the Registrar's office at 413-662-5216 or registrar@mcla.edu.

Advanced Placement (AP) Program

Sponsored by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB), the AP program offers students the opportunity to earn college credits. The standardized AP exam usually is taken upon completion of a specific course of study in high school. The College will grant course credit for an AP score of 3 or higher. An official copy of the CEEB report must be sent to the MCLA Office of Admission for evaluation. For more information, please contact the Registrar's office at 413-662-5216 or registrar@mcla.edu.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Sponsored by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB), the College Level Examination Program provides standardized tests across a diverse array of college-level courses. Academic Advising and Support maintains a list of the MCLA course equivalents (core and departmental) for CLEP exams. For each CLEP examination awarding 3 or 6 credits, MCLA requires a minimum score of 50, representing the mean test score of students who earn a C in the corresponding college-level course. For students seeking 12 credits in foreign language, the following scores are required: French 62, German 63, Spanish 66. For more information, please contact Academic Advising and Support at 413-662-5585 or advising@mcla.edu.