ELAINE W. LEIGH, LINDSAY DAUGHERTY
Awarding College Credit
for Industry Credentials
Findings from Ohio Community Colleges
on Outreach and Intake Practices
S
tates and colleges across the country are engaged in efforts to award college credit for vari-
ous types of learning that took place outside a college environment through such experi-
ences as military training, on-the-job training, and industry credentials awarded for non-
credit training (Kilgore, 2020; Klein-Collins et al., 2020; McKay and Douglas, 2020; Palmer
and Nguyen, 2019; Soler et al., 2024). These credit for prior learning (CPL) opportunities aim to help
college enrollees immediately earn college credit and avoid the duplication of coursework for skills
and knowledge they already hold. When individuals earn CPL, they can potentially save time and
money on earning college credentials. Colleges may attract a broader set of individuals to enroll and
build on their existing skills and credentials.
The Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) has been a leader in establishing statewide
transfer agreements for college credit. Ohio established its first statewide CPL transfer agreements
for high school technical coursework in 2007, and in 2021, the state expanded its agreements to
industry credentials. As of April 2025, ODHE has approved more than 50 industry credentials for
statewide CPL across Ohio’s public colleges (see Appendix A).
Statewide articulation agreements aim to streamline certain CPL opportunities for individu-
als and college staff and ensure consistency across colleges in which CPL opportunities are offered
(Soler et al., 2024). CPL policies set by a single college are often not eligible for transfer (Kilgore,
2020; Ryu, 2013). But statewide CPL agreements ensure transfer across Ohio public community col-
leges and universities. Statewide articulation agreements can also reduce college costs for awarding
CPL by centralizing approval processes.
Although state CPL agreements streamline some aspects of CPL, community colleges and
universities play a critical role in ensuring that students can access the credit they are eligible for
(Daugherty et al., 2023; García and Leibrandt, 2020). Research suggests that CPL take-up among
eligible students is often low (Klein-Collins et al., 2020), and there is wide variation in college prac-
tices around CPL outreach and intake (Kilgore, 2020; Palmer and Nguyen, 2019). Prospective and
incoming students often lack information about CPL opportunities, encounter administratively
burdensome processes for accessing credit, and are charged fees for certain forms of CPL at many
Research Report
