California Pushes Colleges to Count Work Experience for Credit

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

California has implemented new policies that require colleges to award academic credit for relevant work experience, in an effort to help adult learners earn degrees more quickly. However, the rollout of these policies has been uneven, with some colleges struggling to establish clear processes for evaluating and awarding such credits.

Why it matters

The push to count work experience for college credit is part of a broader effort in California to make higher education more accessible and affordable, especially for working adults who may have significant professional experience but lack a formal degree. Proponents argue this can help address skills gaps and boost degree attainment rates, but implementation challenges remain.

The details

Under the new policies, California colleges must develop clear processes for evaluating students' prior learning and work experience, and award academic credit accordingly. This is intended to help adult learners like Laylah Rivers, who had over a decade of work experience but still had to start from scratch when enrolling in community college. However, colleges have faced difficulties establishing consistent standards and procedures for assessing prior learning, leading to uneven implementation across the state.

• In 2024, California passed legislation requiring all public colleges to award credit for prior learning.
• The policies went into effect starting in the 2025-2026 academic year.

What they’re saying

What’s next

Colleges across California are continuing to work on developing and refining their processes for evaluating and awarding credit for prior learning, with the goal of making the system more consistent and equitable for adult students.