Challenge Exams

Challenge exams are available to students who are able to demonstrate proficiency in the course learning outcomes through prior education or experience but may not have eligible transfer of credit.

Note: CAP 501 Masters Capstone Project and DSC 700 series Dissertation courses cannot be completed by challenge exam or comparable paper submission.

Challenge examinations consist of the final exam for the course and require the exam to be proctored; learn more about exam proctoring online at achs.edu/exam-proctoring-requirements. In courses that culminate in a final paper, the challenge exam consists of comparable writing assessments. A $75 fee applies for each Challenge Exam.

Before attempting the exam, students may review the course description, learning outcomes, and required textbooks on the ACHS website under each course description.

The passing score for challenge exams is 70%.

No more than 25% of the credits towards a degree can be obtained through examinations and are subject to ACHS’s maximum allowable transfer of credit requirements in combination with transfer of credit for earned academic credit. Details are available from Admissions or Student Services; view fee information online at achs.edu/other-fees. Challenge exams may generally only be attempted once; additional attempts require approval by the Academic Standards Committee.

Students who successfully pass a challenge exam will not incur tuition charges for the course(s). If a student successfully passes a challenge exam after the course tuition has been applied to the student’s account, the course will be canceled and a prorated tuition adjustment will be credited to the student’s account in accordance with the institution’s refund policy (refer to the refund policy).

Apply for a challenge exam online here.

Students may also be eligible to earn credit by CLEP, DSST and AP exams: