Traditional education has become one of many possible pathways toward academic and professional achievement, due to an ever-evolving global environment. Individuals now learn as well as develop skills outside of classrooms—through employment experience, industry certifications, training programs, and personal projects. However, in many instances, formalized systems of education do not recognize this type of learning.

Innovative online Atlantic International University (AIU) has developed a unique and flexible assessment system, as well as a credit recognition system, to bridge the gap between the professional experience obtained by an individual, and the formalized educational system that provides degrees.
We, at AIU, also vouch to surely help you finish your degree faster with this approach.

AIU recognizes that a learner’s experience is not limited only to the act of reading and listening to lectures, so that an individual can demonstrate their ability to apply the knowledge and skills gained from life, employment, and educational experience to the content necessary to complete their degree, thereby helping to reduce the time and financial expenditures that would otherwise be incurred as part of the educational experience, as well as allowing the student to customize their educational experience to meet their unique career goals. The system also maintains the integrity and rigor of academic content while accounting for the variety of ways that individuals acquire knowledge through their previous experiences.


AIU relentlessly work to create a personalized and practical learning experience by connecting the professional experience gained by an individual through their work with the formal realm of education, providing each individual with the opportunity to accomplish fast track degree program that reflect their level of knowledge and skill, as well as assisting students in attaining the education needed to achieve their career and academic goals.

Philosophy of Flexible Learning at AIU

The philosophy of Flexible Learning at AIU is based on the notion that education should be reflective of your real-world experiences. By this philosophy there are numerous types of learning experiences (e.g., on-the-job training, volunteering, professional development programs, certifications, and personal exploration) and AIU allows you to transform these experiences into college-level credit through assessment (assessment of prior learning [APL]).

The Flexible Learning Philosophy of AIU is built on the validation of past experience, the relevance of learning, and the recognition of prior achievements or credit for past accomplishments while continuing to maintain academic standards that demonstrate both credibility and rigor in the evaluation process.  The application of the Flexible Learning assessment process will promote a lifelong-learning environment, stimulate further advancement within their career paths, and provide greater value to students through maximized use of their previous learning experiences in conjunction with their current degree program.  The transparent, structured, and student-centered learning environment of AIU allows adult learners and working professionals to create an understanding of how their previous experiences may translate to degree advancement.

AIU Accelerate®- Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) 

As a major component of AIU’s flexible assessment system, AIU Accelerate® is an extensive program that assesses knowledge obtained outside the classroom and determines if it meets college-level requirements, thus allowing it to be applied to a student’s degree. 

There are many areas of learning experience that AIU Accelerate evaluates:

Work Experience/Professional Experience: Work experience can be assessed by AIU Accelerate to determine if the knowledge and skills obtained and used in the workplace would equal those typically acquired/learned in a college classroom setting.

Non-college Program/Industrial Training: AIU Accelerate can also assess college level learning acquired through training programs provided by a company or industrial organization to determine if a student can receive college credits for the measurable learning outcomes achieved during these programs.

Professional Certification: If a student has obtained a professional certification, AIU will typically be able to apply as credit towards a student’s online degree completion, if the certification relates to the major or field of study of the student.

Standardized Tests: A student’s Grade Point Average (GPA) and greater test scores (e.g., Advanced Placement Examinations/Tests/exams (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)) will serve as sufficient evidence of mastery of college-level learning in a particular subject or subject area.

Individualized Assessment: Students may demonstrate college-level in-class or out-of-class project accomplishment through the use of portfolios, experiential essays and other competency based education documentation providing supportive evidence of completed projects/achievements.

Challenge Exams: AIU provides its students with opportunities to demonstrate mastery of subject material through the successful result of such examination under AIU’s criteria and have the student receive college credit for such demonstration.

These methods allow for flexibility in assessing all of those different forms of learning that prior work, training or education accomplishments include and convert them to academic credit.

How Are Prior Learning Credits Applied?

 Prior Learning Credit awarded through AIU Accelerate will be recorded on your transcript with a grade of Proficiency (PR). Therefore, PR credits will :

• Count toward the total number of credits needed for graduation
• Do not affect your GPA
• Are only applied to the courses which match the learning outcomes of your degree program.

All students are required to submit appropriate documentation to prove that their past learning experience meets the college level. By doing so, AIU ensures that the credit earned is a reflection of legitimate knowledge and, at the same time, will maintain the academic integrity of the AIU degrees. The thorough evaluation process at AIU assures students that they are receiving accurate recognition and application of their prior learning accomplishments.

Transfer of Credit Recognition at AIU

In addition to the Assessment of Prior Learning, AIU will accept transfer credits from other accredited colleges/universities, providing that the transferred credits will not be re-taken by the student. By utilizing this policy, AIU provides flexible degree program students with a proper avenue for obtaining a degree in a more efficient and economical manner.

Eligibility for Transfer of Credit and Evaluation Process for Incoming Transfer Credit

• Transfer credits from accredited institutions (including universities worldwide) may be eligible for transfer.
• International transcripts will be evaluated by approved evaluation agencies to ensure equivalency to AIU courses.
• Transcripts that are referred to AIU will be evaluated based on course content and course level to determine equivalency with AIU degree requirements.

Combining Transfer of Credit with Assessment of Prior Learning

AIU’s policy regarding transfer of credits operates in conjunction with the Assessment of Prior Learning. Therefore, students have the ability to combine transfer credits earned from previous institutions, professional experience, standardized test scores, and any other form of learning to maximize the amount of education earned through traditional and non-traditional educational pathways. This combination of methods allows a way to complete your degree through maximal efficiency, while ensuring that a significant percentage of credits earned toward your degree have been earned through AIU, in turn, providing assurance of the academic standards, as well as the ability to obtain flexibility in the process.

Required Documentation/Evidence and Eligibility You must provide evidence with appropriate documentation to demonstrate your knowledge and the learning you have acquired is acceptable to the college level and meets Degree program requirements before you can qualify for transfer credit, or prior learning assessment. Such documentation must be in accordance with the college outcomes (degree requirements) and demonstrate the relationship between your knowledge and your degree program so that all credit awarded helps you in achieving an educational objective.

Evidence of learning based on life experiences alone will not qualify you for credit; you must have documentation (evidence) of the learning you have acquired through various methods including portfolios, certification documents, documentation of training/testing, etc. The amount of credit you receive for your prior learning will depend on the evaluation of your evidence and will be evaluated individually using fairness, equity, and academic rigor as the principal focus of the assessment to ensure that all credit from prior learning evidenced is quantifiable in relation to your knowledge and skills (authentic).

AIU’s Accelerated Completion Time for Degrees  

One of the main features of AIU’s flexible assessment method is the ability to ensure you finish your degree faster than traditional forms of assessment. Many students take several years of coursework to complete their degree programs because they have extensive job experience and/or already have knowledge of the areas studied. The flexibility of the Assess Anyway process allows you to use other forms of learning to convert your job-related experiences into academic credit and thus will allow you to finish your degree faster than at any other institute.

With AIU’s accelerated degree, you can earn credit for the knowledge/skills you obtained while working, as well as for certifications you have obtained in the job, training/testing completed at work, and in the Institute Certification programs. The knowledge/skills obtained from many years of experience will be formally recognized and will be needed for your graduation degree. By combining transfer credit earned from accredited universities and credits awarded through an assessment of prior learning, you can achieve your degree in significantly less time and save on tuition.

AIU flexible learning and assessment method in its fast track degree program enables you to develop a unique academic program that can enhance your future employment opportunities. By customizing your academic program, you will be able to eliminate redundant courses without academic value and also will have the opportunity to complete your degrees in a timely manner without sacrificing the academic value/rigor of your degree. Because of AIU’s flexible assessment philosophy, if you have extensive job-related experience and/or have certifications and/or have completed specializations or have previously earned college credit(s), you will be able to convert your previous job-related experience and/or certifications and/or specializations and/or credit(s) to your degree(s) from AIU. 

By recognizing your prior accomplishments, AIU provides you an opportunity to receive credit for previous accomplishments; therefore you will have a distinct advantage in obtaining your fast track degree program faster than students attending other schools, and will be able to immediately enter the job market and will be way ahead of your peers due to the degrees and/or knowledge and/or skills you have developed.

Great Advantages of AIU’s Flexible Assessment System

The flexible assessment and credit recognition at AIU promotes many advantages for students that want a productive and relevant educational experience.

Fast Completion of Degrees: Students can complete their degree programs quicker through the application of prior learning and transfer credits; therefore, less course-taking.

Cost Savings: The cost saving benefits of earning credit through prior learning or transfer credits further contribute toward decreased college tuition and education-related costs.

Career Relatedness: By allowing students to build their degree plans based on their past professional experience and future career goals; thereby creating a more relevant and personalized college experience.

Formal Recognition of Knowledge: The prior learning assessment provides students with a formal way to document their current knowledge and skills from outside of college or university courses

Ownership of Education: Students off fast track degree program will have increased ownership of their educational pursuits through how their experiences are converted to school credits, giving greater opportunity to design a degree that fits their current abilities and future employment.

AIU Guidelines and Integrity in Academia

All of Atlantic International University’s academic credits—including credits gained via transfer or prior learning assessment—were earned through adherence to the most rigorous academic standards. AIU recognizes a large variety of learning experiences; however, AIU’s acceptance of transfer credit by other educational institutes is not guaranteed. To ensure that students receive credits that are appropriate based on their degree program, all students must provide appropriate documentation to AIU to support their earned credits and those credits will be evaluated carefully to ensure that the credits meet the defined requirements for the degree program to which a student is pursuing. AIU’s system supports the integrity, rigor, and value of the degree programs available at AIU and provides formal recognition for all students for true learning contiguous with high academic standards.

The Bottom Line

Atlantic International University is providing an innovative model of educational flexibility and the acknowledgment of self paced learning in all forms through AIU Accelerate, transfer credit recognition, and comprehensive prior learning assessment system. Through this recognition of prior learning, students can maximize their academic progress; minimize their expenses; and expedite their completion of their respective degrees while receiving a quality education with recognized degree value. AIU validates work experience, acknowledges true world experience, and allows students to determine their individual paths to a fulfilling education.

If you are ready to take control of what you do and want to turn your professional experience, your certification, and your prior learning into creditable academic credits for a degree program; there is not a better opportunity than to take those actions today. There are opportunities available at Atlantic International University to assist you to build a degree program based on your individual learning experiences. Additionally, start your journey toward your academic and career achievement; send us your inquiry for additional information. 

Apply today for an education that is creditable for your true learning.

Author Bio

Ananya Biswas, Senior Content Strategist at Atlantic International University, blends creativity with strategy to craft compelling narratives. With 9+ years of expertise in content strategizing, creation and marketing, she champions in meeting high quality content standards and empowers global audiences through impactful storytelling and brand engagement.