Credit from Military Experience
How to Earn Credit
A veteran or member of the active armed services or the selected reserves who is a student may be eligible to earn Penn State credit for educational experiences and for Military Occupational Specialties (MOS), Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC), Marine Corps Enlisted Rating (MCE), and Coast Guard Rating (CGR).
Penn State will consider possible credits based upon a transcript from the American Council on Education (ACE) College Credit Recommendation Service. If applying for admission to Penn State, you can have an ACE transcript sent directly to the Undergraduate Admissions Office for evaluation of transferable credits.
Contact ACE at:
College Credit Recommendation and Transcript Service (ACE CREDIT)
American Council on Education
One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 250
Washington, DC 20036
866-205-6267
Specific Branches of the Armed Services
In all cases, the appropriate official transcript should be sent to the Undergraduate Admissions Office.
Air Force
An official transcript is required and can be requested from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).
Contact CCAF at:
CCAF/DES
130 West Maxwell Blvd
Maxwell AFB AL 36112-6613
800-646-1858
Army, Coast Guard (USCG), Marine Corps, and Navy
Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy students who are current or former members of the Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, or Navy and have a Common Access Card (CAC) may use their CAC card to log in to the Joint Services Transcript website for their Joint Services Transcript (JST).
Students who are current or former members of the Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, or Navy and do not have a Common Access Card (CAC) reader, should register for a Joint Services Transcript (JST) account.
If you have more questions about ordering a military transcript through the Joint Services Transcript website, visit their Frequently Asked Questions.
Note: Syllabi are not required if you've attended Military Service Schools (Joint Services Transcript) or the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF). Undergraduate Admissions will submit syllabi on your behalf, if a course has not previously been evaluated.
Other Ways of Earning Credit
In addition to earning credit through education while in the military, our military and veteran students can earn Penn State credit in other ways, including:
Credit by Validation
Current students can request consideration of credit from transcripts not transferable through other means. Forms can be obtained from the Undergraduate Admissions Office. This procedure requires an academic review.
Portfolio Assessment
Current students should contact the academic college for the college’s procedure. The student must identify the specific Penn State course and then in accordance with the college’s procedure, make the request for a portfolio review by petition.
Tuition Advisory
Please be advised that a student’s tuition will increase when the Penn State transcript reflects 59.1 total credits. Credits earned from sources such as tests, like AP or IB exams, other colleges or universities, or military credit, are considered transfer credits and are included in the cumulative credit total. If the credits you are transferring or have transferred to Penn State place you above 59.1 total credits after the start of the semester, your tuition will increase immediately. You will receive a bill for the additional tuition on the first day of the following month. For more information, visit the Office of the Bursar's website.