Oct 08, 2024  
Catalog/Handbook 2022-2023 
    
Catalog/Handbook 2022-2023 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Accelerated Credit


Accelerated Mechanisms

Polk State College follows the Florida guidelines in accepting credit for nationally standardized accelerated mechanisms. Credit is awarded in accordance with State Board Rule 6A-10.024, allowing the student to proceed toward his or her educational goals as rapidly as possible. Polk State may accept accelerated credit not listed on the Florida guidelines (or accept credit in addition to the Florida guidelines) if the score and situation warrant it.   

The Florida Department of Education maintains an approved list of equivalencies for various kinds of accelerated opportunities, which can be found on the articulation website. The FloridaShines.org website links to details for each of the following:

  • Advanced Placement (AP)
  • Advanced International Certificate of Education Program (AICE)
  • International Baccalaureate (IB)
  • College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
  • DSST (DANTES)
  • Excelsior College Exams                                                                                                                                            

In addition, FloridaShines.org maintains a Frequently Asked Questions page about accelerated credit and a comparison of high school accelerated credit opportunities such as Dual-Enrollment, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate courses.

Minimum satisfactory scores for accelerated credit are set by the State Board of Education and are subject to change. Current scores can be found on the Florida Department of Education website. Credit is not awarded in areas for which college credit has already been earned, or a course of similar content has been attempted at the college level.

Polk State College reserves the right to evaluate credit from other accelerated means. The student is welcome to submit documentation and official records for consideration for the afore mentioned accelerated mechanisms (and others that are not necessarily authorized by the state, but meet the rigors of college academic equivalency). Examination scores must be submitted on an official score report from the organization administering the examination. Accelerated credit is posted to the academic record along with the source of the credit. A student planning on transferring to a school outside of the Florida State University System (SUS) or Florida College System (FCS) is responsible for determining the acceptability of this credit.

A maximum of 45 semester hours of combined accelerated credit, or Advanced Placement, or other non-traditional earned credit may be applied toward an associate degree of 60 credit hours.