Your learning continues here.
Accessible. Affordable. Professional.
The School of Graduate and Continuing Studies is committed to lifelong education for adult learners. We connect the best of the Christian liberal arts tradition with professional expertise to prepare you for the next stage in your career.
The School of Graduate and Continuing Studies makes a Calvin education accessible and affordable to learners from across the world and at every stage of life. We offer certificate, degree, and professional development programs that go beyond the traditional classroom to meet the needs of adult learners, both online and on campus.
Levels of Study
Graduate Programs
Achieve your goals through a master's degree or graduate certificate online or on campus.
Bachelor's Degree Completion
Programs designed for adults who started a degree and now want to finish it.
Professional Development
Enhance your knowledge and skills with our short courses for professionals, online and in person.
Wayfinder Program
Free undergraduate college courses for adult learners facing barriers to higher education.
Calvin Prison Initiative
A Christian liberal arts program provided to incarcerated individuals at Handlon correctional facility.
Credit for Prior Learning
Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) is a framework that Calvin University uses to evaluate and issue credit for college-level learning gained outside of the traditional academic environment. Examples may include experiential learning from self-study, open educational resources, non-credit coursework, community service, training in the workforce or the military, professional development, and conferences. Calvin offers CPL in two categories: adult undergraduates in degree-completion; graduate and post-baccalaureate.
Calvin’s policies allow the following maximum credits to be obtained through the transfer of non-classroom-based credit evaluated through Calvin’s CPL process. These credits may be used to satisfy or waive requirements:
Adult Degree-Completion: 32 credit hours
Graduate & Post-Baccalaureate: 9 credit hours
Calvin has pre-approved some learning experiences and evaluates others on a case-by-case basis. The criteria for evaluation includes:
- Does the experience reflect college-level learning at a level that is appropriate to undergraduate or graduate education?
- Does the experience include clear evidence of time on task that would justify a specific number of credits?
- Does the experience include specific documentation (e.g., exam scores, certificate of completion) that validates student completion of the experience?
- For specific programs (rather than general elective credit), does the experience meet learning objectives that are appropriate to program requirements?
Pre-approved CPL include:
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA): 2 credits, equivalent to IDIS 108
- Treetops Collective Concentric Leader Program: 15 credits, waiver for GCS 380 (Internship)
Interested in applying for CPL? Start the process by emailing continuingstudies@calvin.edu.
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