tag: Credit for Prior Learning
Upcoming Event
November 16, 2026
Expanding Access to Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) for Formerly Incarcerated Learners
Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) is widely recognized as a powerful strategy for supporting adult learners by formally recognizing college-level learning acquired outside the classroom. By validating this learning, institutions can provide faster, more flexible, and more affordable pathways to a degree. Despite growing adoption, CPL remains unevenly implemented across higher education. Institutions struggle to scale CPL due to limited infrastructure, inconsistent transfer policies, and skepticism about non-classroom learning. These barriers are particularly pronounced for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated learners…
Past Event
October 8, 2026
From Experience to Credit
Learning and Opportunity Within and Beyond Incarceration
For over 36 million Americans, Credit for Prior Learning (or CPL) provides a pathway back to higher education by awarding college credit for learning gained outside the traditional classroom. Could CPL help justice-impacted learners make progress toward a degree? Ithaka S+R and College Unbound are collaborating on a project to expand access to Credit for Prior Learning for students with lived experiences in carceral settings. On October 8 at 3:00-4:30 PM…
Blog Post
January 29, 2026
Expanding Access to Credit for Prior Learning for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Learners
Despite the growing adoption of Credit for Prior Learning in higher education, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated learners remain disconnected from the advantages CPL can offer. While recent efforts have expanded access to higher education in prison, they have also tended to reinforce a narrow definition of academic learning—one that privileges classroom-based instruction and overlooks the diverse lived experiences that shape learning in carceral environments.