We recognise that you’ve been learning all your life and have built up a wide range of abilities and transferable skills.
Whether you have qualifications from a previous degree, or experience working in a relevant industry, you can use that time to claim credit on your degree, in some cases replacing your elective module. APL can come in two forms:
- Certificated (APCL)
APCL recognises prior learning where you completed an assessment where you received a certificate, such as a higher education course you completed before coming to university. - Experiential (APEL)
APEL is the knowledge you’ve learned through work, study or life experiences. More than just spending time in an industry, you’ll have to show a portfolio of work to prove what you’ve learnt from that experience.
Making a claim for recognition of prior learning is free for certificated study (APCL), although claims for experiential study (APEL) can depend on your student status.
The potential costs of claiming APEL
Claiming with a qualification more than five years old
If you’re trying to claim for APL using a qualification that is more than five years old, you will be asked to fill out a Statement of Currency form, so you can prove you have kept up your knowledge.
If your qualification isn’t completely relevant to the degree module you want to claim for, then we will ask how you have maintained your study and research since your qualification was awarded.
Documents
Accreditation of prior certificated learning guidance (APCL)