26. Challenge for Credit

Challenge for credit is one means by which the university may assess and attach specific value to a student's prior experiential learning outside of the university environment.

The challenge for credit process provides academic, course-level credit for students' prior learning when that learning is not eligible for consideration as a transfer credit. Challenge for credit relates to learning that overlaps with the stated learning outcomes of existing courses at Dalhousie.

The policy defines conditions for, and governs the processes for, challenge for credit of Dalhousie credit courses. Each faculty may opt to allow for challenge for credit for none, some, or all of its courses.

1. Dalhousie University permits a challenge for credit process to be implemented by Faculties.
2. Students who are currently enrolled at Dalhousie and in good standing in an undergraduate degree program at the university are eligible to challenge courses for credit.
3. Each Faculty decides which, if any, of its courses can be challenged for credit by registered students. Program accreditation requirements may constrain which courses may be challenged.
4. When a course can be challenged, the Faculty indicates whether the challenge results in a letter grade for the course or a pass/fail grade.
5. Students planning to challenge for credit will be provided with the course syllabus.
6. The ability to challenge a course in a Faculty shall be available to all students regardless of the degree or major of the student.
7. A student may only challenge a given course once.
8. Challenge for credit cannot be used to replace a transfer credit assessment for course credit from another institution.
9. A student may count a maximum of 15 credit hours of challenge for credit recognition toward their degree requirements. Faculties may add additional constraints on the number of allowed credit hours by challenge for credit in their programs.
10. A student wishing to challenge a course may not have received an alternative assessment for the course credit being sought such as a transfer credit assessment, a registration in the course at Dalhousie or another university, or an unsuccessful exemption request for the course. Also, a student who completes a course at Dalhousie may not subsequently challenge its prerequisites for credit.

Specific information around eligibility, authority, areas of responsibility and procedures is available in the Challenge for Credit Policy in the University Secretariat repository.

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