How to Get College Credits Fast [2024 Ultimate Guide]
By Joy Miller
Edited by Tania Staley
Updated on September 18, 2024
Wondering how to get college credits fast?
We can tell you how to get college credits at blazing-fast speeds—because we’ve done it!
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There are several ways to earn college credits quickly, but a mix of methods typically yields the best results. To earn college credits fast, you can:
You do not have to spend years in college to finish your degree!
Ready to get started? Here we go…
With our step-by-step guide, you could free up 880 hours of your life by shaving an entire semester (or year) of classes and study time from your degree plan.
Although this guide focuses on how to earn 15 credits fast, you could earn 30 credits or more using these methods. The key is to check your target school’s credit policies to maximize your accelerated learning options.
These methods can help you get college credits faster, but they are just a starting point. Feel free to mix and mingle these methods to maximize the number of credits you can apply to your degree plan.
Yes, it is possible. Depending on your current knowledge and prior experiences, you could get 15 college credits in a single day’s work!
It might seem far-fetched, but it’s true—and we will walk you through the process step-by-step in this guide.
We prefer to use a mixture of these methods to maximize our credit opportunities: Exams for Credit + Credit for Prior Learning + Accelerated Classes = Credits Earned Quickly!
You DO NOT have to sit in a classroom for 16 weeks to get college credits. The fastest way to complete your courses is through accelerated online programs.
Accelerated courses can be finished in only 6 to 8 weeks (sometimes less). That’s fast!
Many universities offer fully accelerated bachelor’s degree programs, so you could potentially shave years off the time it takes to earn your degree!
Getting credit for classes you did not attend may sound like cheating, but this method is legitimate. Over 2,000 accredited universities accept College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams.
To get the most bang for your buck, choose two exams worth 6 credits and one worth 3 credits. Most exams are multiple-choice and just 90 minutes long, so they don’t require much of your time.
Here are the steps to get 15 college credits with CLEP exams:
1. Choose two exams worth 6 credits each from this list.
2. Choose one exam worth 3 college credits.
3. Make sure the university you apply to will give you credit for these exams.
How to do this is:
4. Register for your CLEP exams and pay the fee.
Military service members may qualify for free exams!
5 . Choose your study guide.
This pops up when you register for the exam. The CLEP Official Study Guide offers practice questions for all possible CLEP exams, which can be helpful if you plan to take more than one exam. There are also individual exam guides available.
6. Set up your appointment with a test center near you.
7. Practice, practice, practice.
We aren’t promising that this will be easy, but studying for and taking these classes will be quicker than taking a class. You might already know this stuff anyway!
8. Take your exam(s) and earn your credits!
By choosing topics you are already comfortable with and studying carefully, you can quickly earn several credits and save valuable time.
Like CLEP exams, DSST exams are widely accepted. with over 1,500 colleges honoring credits earned through this method.
DSST exams are two hours long and multiple choice.
The steps for taking these exams are similar to taking CLEP exams:
1. Check that your college accepts DSST credit.
Don’t waste your time or money. Always check first!
2. Choose the exam(s) you want to take.
There are a lot of choices, including astronomy, finances, and even public speaking. You can earn 3 credits for each exam you pass.
3. Locate your testing center by searching the database.
You can also use that page to check which schools accept DSST credit.
4. Call the testing center before you plan to take the exam.
Some centers schedule exam times and some do walk-ins. Sometimes there are extra fees.
5. Go online and practice for your test.
You can take up to 3 full-length tests online.
6. Go to the testing center and bring your test fee.
7 . Show that test who’s boss!
You may be alone in the exam room so give yourself a high five after you finish, knowing you scored 3 credits just like that!
This doesn’t seem too hard, does it? You may put more effort into planning a vacation, which you could do in your free time after taking these exams because you won’t be in class!
Yes, you can get college credit for your life experience. It doesn’t get any easier than that!
Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) is a program through which you can receive college credits for work experiences and training that apply to your required college classes.
The requirements for this credit and the number of credits accepted will vary from school to school, but they tend to be similar. Some schools accept 15 credit hours, while others accept up to 30.
Here’s how to get college credit for your life experience:
1. Check if your college awards credit for prior learning.
2. Read over the course descriptions.
You’ll want to research which classes most closely align with your work and life experience.
3. Meet with your academic advisor.
You’ll want to get the full picture of what your school requires and familiarize yourself with the rules.
4. Write up your portfolio.
Your school will have a specific way to compile your portfolio, right down to font and page numbers. This is your chance to show them your attention to detail!
Discuss your life experiences, clubs, volunteering, training, hobbies, recreation, and travel experiences. Describe your competencies and goals, and demonstrate how you have covered the material from the course description. Include any documents, awards, or letters of recommendation you have received.
5. Hand in your portfolio to your advisor.
Once you’ve polished your portfolio, submit it for assessment and pay the required fees.
Creating your portfolio can require hard work, but the potential rewards are worth it. This can be a much faster and cheaper way to earn college credit!
Are you keeping up with all these acronyms? Welcome to the academic world. Acronyms are king.
TECEP exams are another way to use the knowledge you have already gained to get credits. Here’s how:
1. Check to see if your school honors TECEP credit.
2. Choose your exam(s) and study.
Read through the list of TECEP exams and find the ones that fit you. There are lots of choices from nutrition to psychology to music history. Review the test descriptions. These will tell you what the exam covers and provide studying ideas and sample questions.
3. Register for your exam.
You can do this on the Thomas Edison State University website. You’ll also have to pay a registration fee.
4. Take your exam.
The best part about these exams is you can take them from the comfort of your own home. College credit without even leaving your house!
TECEP exams can be taken online or in a traditional pen-and-paper method with a local professor, university staff member, or librarian overseeing your exam.
Thomas Edison State University even allows you to suggest exams that you would like to have offered.
Do you speak a second language? Or better yet, can you listen, read, and write in another language? That skill alone could earn you 16 credits!
You can take a language exam worth 12 to 16 credits through the New York University School of Professional Studies.
To take this exam, you’ll need to do the following:
If you are interested in taking one of these exams:
Exams can be taken onsite at NYU or off-site for an extra fee. If taken off-site, arrangements must be made to have a college faculty member, administrator, or government or company official proctor the exam.
Learning a second language is hard work. If you have already done the work, you should get the credit for it.
This is the big-money option! You can take one GRE subject exam with Charter Oak State College and receive 24 credits. That’s 8 classes worth of credits in one exam!
The catch is you have to be an enrolled student with Charter Oak, but that’s not a big deal if you aren’t currently attending a college or university. If Charter Oak State doesn’t interest you, you can still get college credits fast using one of the other 7 options outlined above.
With Charter Oak’s exams, you can earn up to 24 credits in:
You can earn up to 18 credits in:
To use this method, you will need to:
Completing the GRE can require a lot of study and preparation time but could be worth the effort if you have a strong background in any of the exam topics.
Yes, it depends on each university’s policies, but most universities will allow you to test out of 15 to 30 credit hours.
You can read more about testing out of college courses online.
Yes, some colleges award college credit for prior learning and experience. Usually, you have to submit your resume and a portfolio outlining your relevant experience to be considered for prior learning credit.
The fastest way to get college credits before you attend is to take CLEP or DSST exams. Most accredited universities award college credit for these exams.
In addition, if you are currently a high school student, your school may offer a dual-enrollment program that awards both high school and college credit for taking a single course.
How long it takes to get 15 credits will depend on the length of your college’s academic terms. If the college offers accelerated classes, you can typically earn 15 college credits in 12 to 16 weeks.
If you want to speed up the process, you can also take CLEP or DSST exams to help you earn your college credits faster.
If you attend a traditional campus, it will take one year to complete 30 college credits. If you test out of 30 college credit hours using CLEP or DSST exams, you can get 30 college credits in just a few weeks, assuming you want to take one week to study for each exam.
Alternatively, you can enroll in accelerated programs that can allow you to finish 30 college credits in about 30 weeks, assuming you take two classes at a time and enroll in 6-week online courses.
It takes two years to complete 60 college credits in a traditional college setting.
But, you may have the option to test out of up to 30 credit hours, a year’s worth of credits. In addition, your university might offer credit for prior learning opportunities to help you complete your degree in less time.
If you opt for online classes, you also have the option to enroll at a university offering accelerated 6-week or 8-week online classes.
It takes three years to complete 90 college credits in a traditional program.
That being said, you can use a combination of credit by exam, credit for prior learning, and accelerated online classes to complete 90 credit hours in two years or less.
Traditionally, it takes four years to complete 120 college credits.
Alternatively, you can enroll in accelerated 6-week or 8-week online classes and considerably speed up your time to completion. You can also utilize credit by exam and credit for prior learning programs.
The world is changing and how we do education is changing just as quickly. You have loads of experience, skills, and knowledge but may not have extra time and money.
Making use of the methods we’ve discussed can help you get college credits fast so you can spend more time on what matters most to you.
Ready to get started? Review colleges that offer accelerated classes and credit by exam and credit for prior learning opportunities by clicking “find my program” below!
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