College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
Modesto Junior College and California Community Colleges apply credit earned through College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exam scores to satisfy some academic requirements. MJC grants credit in accordance with the following policies and procedures.
Request CLEP Scores
- Complete an application to enroll at MJC. CLEP scores can only be used for academic credit by currently enrolled MJC students.
- Visit the CLEP website at https://clep.collegeboard.org/exams to learn how to request that your scores be sent to MJC. This may require a fee.
Have CLEP scores sent to:
Enrollment Services
Modesto Junior College
435 College Avenue
Modesto, CA 95350 - Allow 4-6 weeks, then log in to Piratesnet to see how your CLEP scores have been interpreted in accordance with MJC policy. For example, a student who has successfully completed the CLEP exam in Biology will see this on the transcript:
CLEP Diploma Program Evaluation Process
Upon MJC’s receipt of CLEP Scores that adhere to the minimum in the CLEP Credit Crosswalk on the following page will automatically:
- apply as elective unit credit to the 60 units required for associate degree
- be used to satisfy General Education breadth area and unit requirements as indicated
Using CLEP Scores to Satisfy MJC Requirements
In Degrees, Certificates, or Skills Recognition Awards
To use a CLEP score to satisfy a course requirement for an MJC award, follow the Course Substitution Process upheld by the college division that offers the course. Visit the division office to get a Course Substitution form.
To Satisfy Prerequisites for Courses
To use a CLEP examination score to satisfy a course prerequisite, students will need to request and complete a Prerequisite Challenge Petition in the division office offering the course. TRANSFER CAUTION: Students who plan to transfer and want to use CLEP scores to satisfy prerequisites at MJC may encounter later challenges meeting academic requirements at the transfer institution. Students should review CLEP credit policies at their targeted transfer institutions before attempting to use CLEP to satisfy prerequisites at MJC.
Transferring with CLEP Credit
If the student plans to transfer to a public or private university to pursue a baccalaureate degree, bear in mind that CLEP credit-granting policies vary at each institution for:
- admission
- major requirements
- prerequisites
- baccalaureate degree requirements
- GE Breadth requirements
To learn about CLEP credit-granting policies upheld by transfer institutions, students should meet with an MJC counselor to research university CLEP policies on the Internet.
TRANSFER CAUTION: MJC students who have used the Course Substitution Process or the Prerequisite Challenge process to satisfy program or prerequisite requirements should not take the comparable MJC course. Transfer credit will not be granted for both.
University of California (UC) does not accept CLEP or DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) exams.
California State University (CSU) requires a passing score of at least 50 on the CLEP exam. Each campus in the CSU system determines how it will apply external examinations toward credit in the major. For students not already certified in GE (General Education) and/or American Institutions, the campus also determines how to apply credit from such exams toward the local degree requirement. Students who use CLEP scores to satisfy prerequisites at MJC may encounter later challenges meeting academic requirements at the transfer institution. Students should review CLEP credit policies at their targeted transfer institutions before attempting to use CLEP to satisfy prerequisites at MJC.
CSU-GE Breadth
Because the CSU system honors full or area CSU-GE “breadth certifications” from MJC for the baccalaureate degree, certifications showing that CLEP scores were used to satisfy MJC’s CSU-GE requirements will also satisfy the transfer CSU’s breadth requirement for baccalaureate degree. For more information on the CSU-GE Certification process and CLEP examinations, visit the Counseling Office, Student Services Building, Room 226. (CSU Executive Order 1036, Section 1.2.4)
CLEP Allowances and Restrictions
- Units earned from CLEP exams, while recorded as “pass/no pass” or “P/NP” units on the transcript, are not subject to the college maximum of 14 units of P/NP grading.
- Units earned from CLEP exams will not be considered units earned through “Credit by Examination”, and therefore are not subject to the college’s maximum of 30 Credit by Examination units.
- CLEP cannot be used with the IGETC pattern. (IGETC Standards 1.9, 5/21/2018)
- Units earned from CLEP exams cannot be used to satisfy the college’s Twelve-Units-in-Residence requirement for associate degree.
- Units earned from CLEP exams cannot be used as evidence of enrollment at MJC in order to satisfy eligibility criteria for financial aid, veterans programs, or EOP&S.
CLEP Credit Crosswalk
| CLEP Exam Title | Minimum Score | Semester Units | MJC-GE Area | CSU-GE Area |
| American Government | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: B | CSU-GE: D |
| American Literature | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: C | CSU-GE: C2 |
| Analyzing and Interpreting Literature | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: C | CSU-GE: C2 |
| Biology | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: A | CSU-GE: B2 |
| Calculus | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: D2 | CSU-GE: B4 |
| Chemistry | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: A | CSU-GE: B1 |
| College Algebra | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: D2 | CSU-GE:B4 |
| College Algebra-Trigonometry | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: D2 | CSU-GE:B4 |
| College Composition | 50 | 0 | ||
| College Composition Modular | 50 | 0 | ||
| College Mathematics | 50 | 3 | ||
| English Composition (no essay) | 50 | 0 | ||
| English Composition with Essay | 50 | 0 | ||
| English Literature | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: C | CSU-GE: C2* (F11) |
| Financial Accounting | 50 | 3 | ||
| French Language, Level 1 | 50 | 6 | ||
| French Language, Level 2 | 59 | 9 | MJC-GE: C | CSU-GE: C2* |
| Freshman College Composition | 50 | 0 | ||
| German Language, Level 1 | 50 | 6 | ||
| German Language, Level 2 | 60 | 9 | MJC-GE: C | CSU-GE: C2* |
| History of the US I: Early Colonization | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: B | CSU-GE: D & US 1 |
| History of the US II: 1865 to the Present | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: B | CSU-GE: D & US 1 |
| Human Growth and Devt. | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: B | CSU-GE: E |
| Humanities | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: C | CSU-GE: C2 |
| Information Systems | 50 | 3 | ||
| Introductory Business Law | 50 | 3 | ||
| Introduction to Educational Psychology | 50 | 3 | ||
| Introductory Psychology | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: B | CSU-GE: D |
| Introductory Sociology | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: B | CSU-GE: D |
| Natural Sciences | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: A | CSU-GE: B1 or B2 |
| Precalculus | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: D2 | CSU-GE: B4 |
| Principles of Accounting | 50 | 0 | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: B | CSU-GE: D |
| Principles of Management | 50 | 3 | ||
| Principles of Marketing | 50 | 3 | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: B | CSU-GE: D |
| Social Sciences and History | 50 | 3 | ||
| Spanish with Writing Level 1 | 50 | 0 | ||
| Spanish with Writing Level 2 | 63 | 3 | MJC-GE: C | CSU-GE: C2 (F19) |
| Spanish Language, Level 1 |
50 | 6 | ||
| Spanish Language, Level 2 |
63 | 9* | MJC-GE: C | CSU-GE: C2 |
| Trigonometry | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE:D2 | CSU-GE: B4** (F06) |
| Western Civlization I: Ancient Near East to 1648 | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: B or C | CSU-GE: C2 or D |
| Western Civilization II: 1648 to Present | 50 | 3 | MJC-GE: B | CSU-GE: D |
* Prior to F15, unit values were accepted to a maximum of 12. F15, the maximum allowable units decreased to 9
** Scores accepted only if the CLEP exam was completed prior to the term indicated
MJC-GE area acceptances are in accordance with ASCCC Spring 2011 ASCCC Resolution 09.01
CSU-GE area acceptances are in accordance with CSU Executive Orders 1100 and 1036, and CSU Coded Memo ASA 2018-06 (Attachment 2).
IGETC does not allow use of CLEP credit to satisfy requirements (IGETC Standards, 1.9, 5/21/18)