Please submit one Transfer Credit application per post-secondary institution.

It is up to the student to initiate the Transfer Credit process with the RPL Administrator who will then coordinate the review process. Students must submit a copy of their post-secondary transcripts if they haven't done so already. (For students who have completed post-secondary within Alberta, Olds College may be able to request your transcripts electronically).

All transcripts, course outlines, and other supporting documentation must be in English. If your documentation is in another language, you must provide a certified English literal translation (word-for-word) along with a notarized colour copy of the original documents.

All Transfer Credit applications must be received no later than 4 weeks prior to the drop deadline of the course being assessed. Any applications submitted after that time are not guaranteed to be reviewed. 

In order to receive transfer credit, courses must meet the following equivalency criteria:

• 80% of the course content must be comparable
• Course credit hours must be comparable
• A minimum letter grade must be obtained (comparable to Olds College grading scale)
• A minimum letter grade of C is required for a certificate or diploma program. Applied degree programs require a minimum letter grade of C+
• Course(s) must have been completed within the last 10 years

Transfer credit will result in credit being granted for the course but will not be included in the calculation of the grade point averages (Policy D19 - Grading). 

Fees: $75 non-refundable administrative fee for each successfully transferred course.

Students with previous informal or non-formal learning can apply for PLAR. Students submit one PLAR application per Olds College course they are seeking credit for.

Students are required to submit proof that demonstrates that they have met 80% of the course competencies from the Olds College Competency Profile. This is achieved by connecting their informal and non-formal learning to corresponding course competencies. 

It is up to the student to initiate the PLAR process with the RPL Administrator who will then coordinate the review process. If successful, a student is awarded Olds College credit and a grade of PLA is reflected on the academic transcript. The PLA grade is not calculated into the student’s Grade Point Average (GPA). 

Fees: The following nonrefundable fees are charged for PLAR: 

• $75 non-refundable administrative fee per PLAR application, and 
• Half the cost of tuition per course for awarded credit.

Students who have acquired skills or knowledge relevant to the competencies of an Olds College course may request a challenge exam. 

Challenge exams are not available for all Olds College courses and are not available for the purposes of improving a grade. The RPL Administrator will consult with the Associate Dean who works with Faculty to determine if a course is eligible for a challenge exam. 

To be eligible to write a challenge exam, a student must meet one of the following criteria: 

• Successful completion of a post-secondary diploma or degree (proof required) 
• 5 or more years of industry-related experience 

Challenge exam application, writing, and grading must be completed by the add/drop deadline of the course that is being challenged. 

To be granted credit from a challenge exam a student must meet a minimum B- grade (72%). Upon successful completion, a grade of “P” will be issued on the student’s transcript. The “P” grade will not be calculated into the Grade Point Average (GPA). If unsuccessful, a grade of “F” will be assigned and this grade will be calculated into the grade point average (GPA). 

Fees: The following nonrefundable fees are charged for challenge exams: 

• $75 administrative fee per challenge exam application, due prior to writing each exam, and 
• Half the cost of tuition per course for awarded credit.