How to compare credit-by-exam degree paths
Learners piling up credits through CLEP, DSST and prior learning assessment often wonder whether to push all the way to a bachelor's degree or stop at an associate degree or a certificate first. Enter your credits once and this page lines up all three paths side by side so you can see which one you are closest to. Every requirement is an input field, so a catalog with different minimums still works.
For each path the page works out how many total credits, major credits and general education credits are still missing. The term count takes the larger of the total shortfall and the combined major plus general shortfall, divides it by the credits you plan to take each term and rounds up. That avoids the trap where the total looks satisfied while the major is still short. A path whose three requirements are all satisfied is marked as met with 0 credits left.
This page is built to compare paths, not to plan individual courses. Which specific exams transfer, residency requirements and caps on exam credit are not modelled, and those caps often decide the real answer. Confirm the final requirements with the awarding institution.
Frequently asked questions
The larger of two numbers is used: the total credit shortfall, and the major shortfall plus the general education shortfall. That figure is divided by the credits you plan to take each term and rounded up, so a path where the total is fine but the major is short is not missed.
Yes. When credits earned equal the requirement the shortfall shows as 0 cr and the path is marked as met, with 0 terms remaining.
Every total and every major and general minimum is an input field. The prefilled numbers are common patterns as of September 2026, so replace them with the figures from your own catalog.