Course Challenge
Course challenges apply to both graduate and undergraduate students.
If you feel your background, education, and experience have given you sufficient knowledge in a subject area, you may challenge certain courses. That is, you may be able to receive credit for the course by passing a challenge exam.
Which Courses Can I Challenge?
Each department selects which courses are available for challenge and may develop screening procedures to determine if you are eligible to take the challenge exam. You may not challenge a course to improve a previous grade earned in that course.
How to Receive Credit for a Course Challenge
- Check that you are enrolled in the semester for which you want to earn Course Challenge credits.
- Ask the academic department for permission to register for a challenge exam.
- Complete the Credit for Prior Learning form and submit the form to the appropriate department. There is a fee of $50 per course to take the challenge exam prepared by an academic department. For externally prepared challenge exams, there is a fee of $20 per course to be paid to the university. Any Boise State fees for tests are paid directly by the student. Any proctoring/testing center fees are paid by the academic department out of the university fee. The fee is the same whether you are a full-time or part-time student. For departmentally prepared exams, the department determines the grading system.
- You will receive an email when your course challenge credit is processed.
Grade on Transcript
Grades may be recorded as either Pass (P) or as a letter grade (A+ through C-). Grades of D+ or lower will not be transcribed. Before you take the exam, the department will tell you what type of grading is available.
Limitations on Course Challenges
Course challenge credit is only posted to the current or future semesters. Course Challenges cannot be used to repeat a class previously graded. You may earn up to one-third (1/3) of your total credits required for graduation through credit for prior learning.