Credit By Exam
Cornerstone grants advanced placement or college credit on the basis of examination. A maximum of 30 credit hours earned by CLEP, Advanced Placement (AP), DSST and/or International Baccalaureate (IB) may be applied toward a degree program. You are encouraged to verify the equivalent course with the Registrar’s Office prior to taking one of the exams.
No charge will be assessed for the processing of AP, CLEP or DSST credits. For information on applying college credit earned through placement exams, review the following criteria for AP, CLEP, DSST and IB test scores.
Advanced Placement
- A test score of 3, 4 or 5 permits a waiver of the course and awards credit.
- Earning credit by exam will not be allowed for courses previously waived to allow enrollment in an advanced course.
- You may earn a maximum of 30 credits by exam.
- No charge will be assessed for the processing of AP credits.
| AP | Minimum Score | Credits | Cornerstone Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art History | 4 | 3 | HUM-311 Imagination in Culture |
| Biology | 3 | 4 | BIO-110/112 Intro to Biological Sciences |
| Calculus AB | 3 | 4 | MAT-131 – Calculus I |
| Calculus BC | 3 | 8 | MAT-131,132 – Calculus I, II |
| Chemistry | 3 | 8 | CHM-124/125, 126/127 Gen Chem I & II |
| Chinese Lang and Culture | 3 | 6 | Elective credit |
| Chinese Lang and Culture | 4 | 9 | Elective credit |
| Chinese Lang and Culture | 5 | 12 | Elective credit |
| English Lang/Comp | 3 | 6 | ENG-114 & COM-120 |
| English Lit/Comp | 3 | 6 | ENG-114 & ENG-223 Intro to Lit |
| Environ Science | 3 | 3 | Science Elective |
| European History | 3 | 6 | HIS Elective |
| French Language | 3 | 6 | FRN-102 and FRN-201 |
| French Language | 4 | 9 | FRN-102, 201, 202 |
| French Language | 5 | 12 | FRN-101, 102, 201 and 202 |
| German Language | 3 | 6 | GER-102 and GER-201 |
| German Language | 4 | 9 | GER-102, 201 and 202 |
| German Language | 5 | 12 | GER-101, 102, 201 and 202 |
| Comparative Govt & Politics | 3 | 3 | SSC Elective |
| U.S. Government & Politics | 3 | 3 | SSC-211 American Government |
| Human Geography | 3 | 3 | SSC-161 World Geography |
| Italian Language & Culture | 3 | 6 | Elective credit |
| Italian Language & Culture | 4 | 9 | Elective credit |
| Italian Language & Culture | 5 | 12 | Elective credit |
| Japanese Language & Culture | 3 | 6 | Elective credit |
| Japanese Language & Culture | 4 | 9 | Elective credit |
| Japanese Language & Culture | 5 | 12 | Elective credit |
| Music Theory | 3 | 3 | MUS-110 Music Fundamentals |
| 4 | 6 | MUS-110 and MUS-126 | |
| Physics 1 | 3 | 4 | PHY-214/215 General Physics I |
| Physics 2 | 3 | 4 | PHY-216/217 General Physics II |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 3 | 4 | PHY-224/225 Physics for Scientists & Engineers I |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 3 | 4 | PHY-226/227 Physics for Scientists & Engineers II |
| Precalculus | 3 | 4 | MAT-122 Precalculus |
| Psychology | 3 | 3 | PSY-111 General Psychology |
| Research | 3 | 6 | General Elective |
| Seminar | 3 | 3 | General Elective |
| Spanish Language | 3 | 6 | SPA-101, SPA-102 |
| Spanish Language | 4 | 9 | SPA-101, 102 , 201 |
| Spanish Language | 5 | 12 | SPA-101, 102, 201, 317 |
| Spanish Literature | 3 | 9 | SPA-101, 102, 222 |
| Spanish Literature | 4 | 12 | SPA-101, 102, 222, 223 |
| Spanish Literature | 5 | 15 | SPA-101, 102, 222, 223, 334 |
| Statistics | 3 | 3 | MAT-151 Statistics |
| United States History | 3 | 6 | HIS-221, 222 U.S. History I, II |
| World History | 3 | 6 | HIS-114 World Civ II |
CLEP
You may be granted college credit on the basis of examination. The amount of credit is determined by American Council on Education recommendations approved by the Cornerstone Education Policy Committee. Credit by exam can be acquired by the following means:
- College Level Examination Program (CLEP) with scores according to the following list.
- A maximum number of 30 credits will be assessed by way of credit by exam (i.e., AP, CLEP, DANTES).
- No charge will be assessed for the processing of CLEP credits.
| CLEP | Credits Awarded | Score Required | Cornerstone Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Government | 3 | 50 | SSC-211 American Government |
| American Literature | 3 | 50 | ENG-334 American Renaissance |
| Analyzing & Interpreting Literature | 3 | 50 | ENG-223 Introduction to Literature |
| Biology | 6 | 50 | BIO-110/112 Intro to Biological Science |
| Calculus | 4 | 50 | MAT-131 Calculus I |
| Chemistry | 6 | 50 | CHM-124/125 and 126/127 General Chem I & II |
| College Algebra | 3 | 50 | MAT-121 College Algebra |
| College Composition | 6 | 50 | ENG-114 & COM-120 |
| College Composition Modular | 3 | 50 | ENG-114 College Composition |
| College Mathematics | 3 | 50 | MAT-110 College Mathematics |
| English Literature | 6 | 50 | ENG-342 British Romantic & Victorian Lit |
| Financial Accounting | 3 | 50 | ACC-221 Accounting I |
| French Language Level 1* | 6 | 50 | FRN-101, 102 French I, II |
| French Language Level 2* | 9 | 62 | FRN-102/201/202 |
| German Language Level 1* | 6 | 50 | Foreign Language Elective |
| German Language Level 2* | 9 | 60 | Foreign Language Elective |
| History of US I: To 1877 | 3 | 50 | HIS-221 U.S. History I |
| History of US II: 1877 to present | 3 | 50 | HIS-222 U.S. History II |
| Growth & Development | 3 | 50 | PSY-235 Lifespan Dvlpt Psychology |
| Humanities | 3 | 50 | HUM-311 Imagination in Culture |
| Information Systems | 3 | 50 | CIS-211 Foundations of Info Systems |
| Intro to Educational Psychology | 3 | 50 | EDU elective |
| Introductory Business Law | 3 | 50 | BUS-361 Business Law |
| Introductory Sociology | 3 | 50 | SOC-111 Introduction to Sociology |
| Introductory Psychology | 3 | 50 | PSY-111 General Psychology |
| Natural Science | 6 | 50 | SCI Elective |
| Precalculus | 3 | 50 | MAT-122 Trigonometry |
| Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 | 50 | ECN-231 Macroeconomics |
| Principles of Management | 3 | 50 | MGT-231 Prin. of Management |
| Principles of Marketing | 3 | 50 | MKT-251 Principles of Marketing |
| Principles of Microeconomics | 3 | 50 | ECN-232 Microeconomics |
| Social Sciences & History | 6 | 50 | SSC Elective |
| Spanish Language Level 1* | 6 | 50 | SPA-101, 102 Elem Spanish I, II |
| Western Civilization I: to 1648 | 3 | 50 | HIS Elective |
| Western Civilization II: 1648- Pres | 3 | 50 | HIS Elective |
*Credit will not be awarded for both levels of the same foreign language exam.
DSST
You may be granted college credit on the basis of examination. The amount of credit is determined by American Council on Education recommendations approved by the Cornerstone Education Policy Committee. Credit by exam can be acquired by the following means:
- Defense Activity for Nontraditional Education Support (DANTES) Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) with scores according to the following list.
- A maximum number of 30 credits will be assessed by way of credit by exam (i.e., AP, CLEP, DSST).
- No charge will be assessed for the processing of DSST credits.
| DSST | Credits | Cornerstone Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| American Government & Politics | 3 | SSC211 American Government |
| Art of the Western World | 3 | HUM-311 |
| Astronomy | 3 | SCI elective |
| Business Ethics and Society | 3 | BUS elective |
| Business Mathematics | 3 | MAT Elective |
| Civil War & Reconstruction | 3 | HIS Elective |
| Computing and Information Technology | 3 | CIS Elective |
| Criminal Justice | 3 | SOC Elective |
| Environmental Science | 3 | ECO Elective |
| Ethics in America | 3 | PHI Elective |
| Ethics in Technology | 3 | General Elective |
| Foundations of Education | 3 | EDU Elective |
| Fund of College Algebra | 3 | MAT121 College Algebra |
| Fundamentals of Counseling | 3 | PSY Elective |
| Fundamentals of Cybersecurity | 3 | CIS Elective |
| General Anthropology | 3 | SSC Elective |
| Health and Human Development | 3 | KIN Elective |
| History of the Soviet Union | 3 | HIS Upper Level Elective |
| History of the Vietnam War | 3 | HIS Elective |
| Human Resource Management | 3 | MGT332 Human Resource Management |
| Introduction to Business | 3 | BUS Elective |
| Introduction to Geography | 3 | SSC161 World Geography |
| Introduction to Geology | 3 | SCI Elective |
| Introduction to Law Enforcement | 3 | General Elective |
| Introduction to Psychology | 3 | PSY111 General Psychology |
| Introduction to World Religions | 3 | BTM212 World Religions |
| Lifespan Developmental Psychology | 3 | PSY235 Lifespan Developmental Psychology |
| Management Information Systems | 3 | CIS211 Foundations of Info Systems |
| Math for Liberal Arts | 3 | MAT110 College Mathematics |
| Money and Banking | 3 | ECN334 Money and Banking |
| Organizational Behavior | 3 | MGT335 Organizational Behavior |
| Personal Finance | 3 | BUS241 Personal Financial Planning |
| Principles of Advanced English Comp | 3 | COM120 Truth & Rhetoric or ENG118 Intro to Writing and Research |
| Principles of Finance | 3 | FIN341 Principles of Finance |
| Principles of Public Speaking | 3 | COM Elective |
| Principles of Statistics | 3 | MAT151 Statistics |
| Principles of Supervision | 3 | MGT231 Principles of Management |
| Substance Abuse | 3 | SOC Elective |
| Technical Writing | 3 | ENG Elective |
International Baccalaureate
A student may be awarded college credit on the basis of International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations. The amount of credit and level of placement are approved by the Cornerstone Education Policy Committee. IB Higher Learning exams will be accepted with scores of 5, 6 or 7. Letter grades are not given in any course for which credit is granted. These credits may be used to satisfy degree requirements but do not apply to the residency requirement and are treated as transfer credit.
- No charge will be assessed for the processing of IB credits.
- Students must provide an official IB transcript to the Admissions Office at the point of admission.
| IB Course (HL only: scores 5, 6 or 7) | CU Equivalent | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | BIO-111 or 151 | 4 |
| Chemistry | CHM-121 & CHM-122 | 8 |
| Economics | ECN-231 | 3 |
| English Language & Literature | ENG-224 | 3 |
| English Literature | ENG-223 | 3 |
| History | HIS Elective | 3 |
| Mathematics | MAT-121 | 3 |
| Music HL | HUM-311 | 3 |
| Physics | PHY-211 & PHY-212 | 8 |
| Psychology | PSY-111 | 3 |
| Spanish B | SPA-201 | 3 (score = 5) |
| Spanish B | SPA-201 & SPA-202 | 6 (score = 6, 7) |
Sophia Learning
Cornerstone University accepts Sophia Learning transfer credits that are ACE approved. Transcripts should be sent through Parchment, Clearinghouse or Credly.
Registrar's Office
Contact
- P:
- 616.222.1426
Hours
MON - FRI: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
SAT & SUN: Closed