Experiential Learning

For some students, professional experience or life experience may be accepted as university credit and be recorded as such onto the student’s Lindenwood transcript. Credit earned in this fashion is referred to as credit for experiential learning.

The following skills or experiences may be considered equivalent to university credit for purposes of receiving experiential learning credit:

  • Professional skills acquired on the job.
  • Participation in business seminars.
  • Experience in community affairs.
  • Professional training in particular fields.
  • Non-credit-bearing coursework that contain academic content.

Notes: (1) Credit is awarded only for university-level knowledge and the learning gained from the experience. Experiential learning credit is not granted for non-university level learning, having completed routine professional tasks, having acquired outdated or forgotten knowledge, or for private experiences.

(2) Limits for experiential credits earned may be imposed on the acquisition of such credit for certain technical skills and specialties.

(3) Credit is not given for learning that duplicates a university course the student has already taken.

Students may request to receive up to 27 hours of credit for experiential learning, depending on the requirements of their degree programs. The total number of credit hours awarded for experiential learning may vary according to the time spent on particular activities and the nature of the learning experience.  Some national and state certifications and licensures may be eligible for more than 27 hours based on industry standards and levels of assessed learning.*

Added after publishing - December Addendum - 12/12/2023.*

Students may satisfy some of the requirements for their majors through experiential learning credit; however, a student must complete the greater of 18 credit hours or 40 percent of all coursework toward the major must be taken at Lindenwood University.

Note: Lindenwood cannot guarantee how any other university might interpret transfer credit earned from the Experiential Learning Credit program.