What is the Accreditation of Prior Learning (APCL)?

The Accreditation of Prior Learning, or APL, is a process by which this University (and many others) gives credit against learning achieved by an individual before entry to a programme of study at Birmingham.

Such prior learning may have been previously assessed and certificated by an education provider (for example, by another institution of Higher Education). In which case recognition of this kind of learning is known as the Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning or APCL. It may also have been acquired outside the formal education and training systems (for example, through work experience) and would therefore be recognised by the process of Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning or APEL.

The APL process does not apply to the assessment of your prior learning and/or experience for the purpose of entry to a programme of study, only to the assessment of your eligibility for entry with credit.

Whether your APL claim is based on prior certificated learning or prior experiential learning, it is important to realise that it is the achievement of learning, or the outcomes of that learning, that is being accredited rather than the activity of learning itself.

The scope of these guidelines is for Accreditation of Prior Certified Learning (APCL). If you wish to make a claim for the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) please contact the admissions office by email apl@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Do I need to make an APCL claim?

An APCL claim is only required in certain circumstances and should not be confused with other procedures within Admissions and Academic Services.. Please study the following list carefully to find out if APCL applies in your case. If you are still unsure whether you need to make a claim you are welcome to contact the Admissions Manager with responsibility for APL for advice.

You do not need to make an APCL claim if

• You are requesting entry to a course on the basis of non-standard qualifications rather than entry with credit. Unless you are asking to be exempted from a module or modules of a course offered by the University of Birmingham (in which case a claim for APCL would be required) your application for admission will be assessed by the relevant admissions tutor independently of the University’s APCL process.
• You are requesting direct entry to years two or three (that is, to levels I, Intermediate/RQF Level 5, or H, Honours/RQF Level 6) of a standard Undergraduate course. In this case you should indicate your desired year of entry in the ‘point of entry’ section of the UCAS application form and the relevant admissions tutor will assess your request in conjunction with your application for admission. Queries about this process should be directed to the relevant admissions tutor and/or the Admissions Office.
• You intend to transfer previous studies taken at the University of Birmingham into a course offered at another Educational Institution and are requesting evidence of these studies from Birmingham. In which case you can order a copy of your transcript from Taught Student Administration using the our secure document website 
• You undertook but did not complete studies at the University of Birmingham no more than two years ago and left the University, but now wish to restart the same programme of study. For example, you left the University after completing 120 credits of a MEd started in September 2016 and are asking to return and complete the MEd in September 2018. In this case your existing student record could be reactivated by Academic Services provided the College who run the programme agrees and you have not been awarded an alternative qualification for your previous study. Please note, it is not possible to request a reactivation of your previous record if you were required to withdraw due to academic failure.
• You were awarded a qualification by the University of Birmingham no more than two years ago and now wish to study for a higher award of the same course. For example, you were awarded a PG Dip in Autism (Adults) and wish to return and study for the MEd in Autism (Adults). In this case you could be directly transferred to the MEd by Academic Services provided the College who run the programme agrees and you return the degree certificate of your original award to Academic Services.

In all other circumstances you will need to make a claim for APCL.

What is Credit?

Credit provides a means of quantifying learning outcomes achievable in a given number of notional hours and at a given level. Learning outcomes are used to identify whether students have demonstrated through assessment the minimum level of learning required to pass a module and thus gain the required credit. In this way previous learning can be identified which can be assessed and ‘credited’ against an award. APCL is the process by which an applicant’s previously accrued credit is assessed to determine whether it can be used to gain exemption from modules of a programme of study at the University of Birmingham.

What is a module?

A module is a component of a course with its own approved aims and objectives and assessment methods. Modules normally consist of 10 or 20 credits and are taken at specified levels (for example, a module might be worth 20 credits at Masters level). Applicants are welcome to make a claim for exemption from a University of Birmingham module on the basis of previously accrued credit with a value greater than that module. For example, an applicant could claim exemption from a Birmingham module worth 20 credits on the basis of a previously completed module worth 40 credits. However please note that credit cannot be given for part of a module. For example, it is not possible to request exemption from half of a 40 credit module on the basis of a previously completed module worth 20 credits.

Credit Values and Levels of Awards

In order to complete your APCL application form you will need to know the credit value and level of study of your previous qualification. Below you will find a table showing the levels of study of some common awards. For comparison purposes you will also find a separate table illustrating the credit requirements of a number of awards offered by the University of Birmingham. If you unsure of the credit value and level of your prior qualification you are advised to contact the institution where your studies were completed for advice.

Further information about frameworks for Higher Education qualifications can also be found at QAA (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education) and Ofqual (Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation).

Limitations on Credit

The University is concerned to ensure that all students meet a required standard on its awards and that all students are treated equitably. Where APCL is being sought for the award of academic credit the University must make certain that the learning derived from prior certificated study is equivalent to that of the learning that might otherwise have been achieved by following the full programme of study. Consequently it must be satisfied that the evidence submitted in support of an APCL claim meets the following criteria:

• Validity. The evidence must show that the prior learning for which you are making a claim is relevant to the programme of study you have applied for at the University of Birmingham. You must be able to demonstrate that there is an appropriate match in both level and content between your previous studies and the Birmingham module or modules for which you are seeking exemption.
• Currency. Prior learning must have been gained recently enough to still be of value. The time limits on learning will vary according to subject area but qualifications more than five years old are unlikely to be considered.
• Sufficiency. You must provide enough evidence to demonstrate fully the achievement of the credit being claimed.
• Authenticity. The evidence should be clearly related to your own efforts and able to be verified as such.

Please note it is your responsibility to check that your previous studies were taken at the same level as (or higher than) the Birmingham qualification you wish to claim credit towards. For example, if you are seeking to bring previously accrued credit into a BPhil you must ensure that your prior learning was taken at level H (Honours)/RQF Level 6 or above. If your prior learning was taken at a lower level than the Birmingham award for which you are seeking exemption we will be unable to consider your claim for APCL.

The only exception to this would be if the University of Birmingham course you are seeking to transfer credit into contains a module (or modules) offered at a lower level than the overall qualification. Under University regulations it is possible for a Masters degree and a Postgraduate Diploma to contain a maximum of 30 credits below Masters level; and for a Postgraduate Certificate to contact a maximum of 20 credits below Masters level. In this case it would be possible to make an APCL claim for the module taken at a lower level on the basis of previous studies which were also taken at that same level. Please note that it is not standard for University of Birmingham qualifications to contain module/s taken at a level lower than that of the overall award, and it is therefore your responsibility to check if this applies to the course you are seeking to import credit into before making an application for APCL on the basis of credit taken at a lower level.

You must also ensure that the credit value of your previous studies is equivalent to (or higher than) the module/s of the Birmingham qualification for which you are seeking exemption. For example, since APL regulations permit exemption from whole modules only, previous studies with a value of 20 credits can only be used to make an APCL claim for a University of Birmingham module worth 20 credits or less.

The university does not award general credit and is only able to consider an applicant’s previous study for APCL if it closely matches the content of the University of Birmingham modules from which the applicant is seeking exemption. In assessing an APCL claim the University will consider if the stated learning outcomes of the module/s from which the applicant is requesting exemption have been adequately met by his or her previous studies and will only award exemption from a module or modules of a University programme if this is the case. If you are unsure if whether your previous studies are a close enough match to the Birmingham qualification towards which you are claiming credit you are welcome to contact the relevant admissions tutor for an informal discussion prior to making an application for APCL.

If your previous studies are more than five years old but you still wish to make a claim for APCL you should contact the admissions tutor of the University of Birmingham programme into which you wish to import credit prior to making an application. He or she will be able to assess the currency of your prior learning and advise you if it is worth pursuing a claim. If you are advised to do so you will be required to provide a statement of currency on your APCL application form. However, recommendation to pursue an APCL claim on the basis of studies that are more than five years old does not guarantee that exemption will be granted.

The maximum amount of credit that can be imported into an award via APCL is two-thirds of the qualification. For example, a maximum of 120 credits towards a 180 credit Masters degree. This excludes any compulsory dissertation or thesis elements stated in the programme requirements for which exemption will not be granted. Two-thirds is the upper limit and as such does not reflect the standard amount of credit awarded by the University.

How and when to make an APCL claim?

If you wish to make a claim for the Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning, please complete the form at the end of this page.

You must not make an application for APCL until after you have made an application for admission to the University of Birmingham course you wish to claim credit towards and at minimum are holding a Conditional Offer for that course. For example, if you are requesting exemption from modules of a Masters course run at Birmingham you must make an application for admission to this Masters course via the Admissions Office, and be successful in gaining an offer of a place, before making an application for APCL. If you are requesting exemption on the basis of previous studies completed at the University of Birmingham this means making a new application for admission to the course you wish to claim credit towards.

You should apply for APCL no less than one month prior to the commencement date of the University of Birmingham course you wish to claim credit towards. For example, if the course is due to commence on 30 September the Admissions Manager should receive your application for APCL by 30 August. If the course is studied part time over more than one year then you should make a claim for APCL up to one month prior to the commencement of each year of study.

Please note the following important information:

• We cannot guarantee that APL applications received late will be processed in time.
• It is not possible to request exemption from Birmingham modules that you have already begun to study.
• An application for admission to a course is completely separate from an application for APCL and each application will be assessed individually on their merits.

Documentation to support your APCL claim

In order for your APCL claim to be considered you must ensure that you provide the supporting evidence requested in in the application form. You will need to complete or upload with your application descriptions of any courses or modules completed outside the University of Birmingham. For example, this documentation should provide information about the overall aims of your previously studied course, show the content of each module taken as part of the course and describe the methods of assessment used. This is the kind of information that might be available in a course handbook or brochure. It may also be available on the institution’s website. If so, you are welcome to specify the web address where we can obtain this information. Otherwise you should request the required documentation from your prior educational institution. Failure to provide sufficient information about your previous study will result in a delay in processing your APCL claim.

You must also upload proof of the completion of any studies completed outside the University of Birmingham. We require original or certified copies (that is, copies bearing an original certification stamp) of your university transcript and, if you were awarded a qualification, degree certificate. If you do send original documents please note that we will be unable to return them to you by registered post unless you provide a pre-paid postage envelope. Otherwise any original documents will be returned by First Class mail only. Please refer to the Admission (verification) for acceptable means of verifying your qualifications. If you have already provided verification of the previous studies you are seeking to transfer into a programme of study at Birmingham as part of your Postgraduate application then please indicate this in the checklist at the end of the application form. If your previous studies were taken at the University of Birmingham you do not need to provide proof of completion unless we ask you to do so after assessing your application.

If your claim is on the basis of qualifications obtained more than 5 years ago, you will need to provide a statement explaining why you believe your prior learning is still current for the purpose of credit transfer. You should describe ways in which you have kept your previous studies up-to-date, for example via work experience, and demonstrate how this subsequent learning relates to your studies. Please ensure that you provide dates for any subsequent learning you are asking us to consider. Please note, we may ask you to submit additional documentation in support of this statement at a later date.

As per our verification policy, you will also need to post certified copies or original documents to verify your previous studies to the Admissions Office at the address below – unless your previous studies were completed at the University of Birmingham, or you have already verified your previous study as part of the Undergraduate or Postgraduate application process. If a decision is made to award you credit then no credit can be formally awarded unless and until you provide verification of your previous study.

Please email your supporting documents to apl@contacts.bham.ac.uk

What happens after we receive your application for APCL?

Once we have received your application for APCL it will be checked to make sure that there is sufficient evidence to allow us to process your claim. If the application form is incomplete, or you have failed to enclose adequate supporting documentation, we will contact you to let you know and your application will be put on hold until you have supplied the missing information or documentation. Likewise if there are any queries about your previous studies to be resolved before processing your claim we will contact you for more information. Your application will not be processed until such time as you have provided us with the required evidence.

In some circumstances it may also be necessary for us to contact your prior Educational Institution for information about your studies. For example, we may need to ask them to provide more detailed evidence about course content than is available in a standard course syllabus.

Once we are happy that your application is complete, your application form will be sent to the relevant Department/School along with an APCL decision form. The admissions tutor/APL contact will make an initial assessment of your application and determine if there is sufficient supporting evidence to enable him or her to make a decision. if not we will contact you to request additional information.

The relevant admissions tutor will assess your APCL claim and inform the Admissions Office of the decision. The Admissions Office will notify you of the Department’s decision in writing. If your application for APCL is successful the letter will state the amount of credit to be awarded and the titles of any exempted modules. These exempted modules will be entered into your student record as APL modules by staff within Academic Services.

The Admissions Office will copy the decision letter to colleagues in Taught Student Administration and the Finance Office so that your tuition fees can be adjusted accordingly. Taught Student Administration will also email you details of your revised tuition fee liability. If your application is unsuccessful reasons for the decision will be given in the decision letter.

Please note that if your APCL claim is successful we will be unable to send you a decision letter until such time as you are holding an Unconditional offer of a place on the University of Birmingham course you are claiming credit towards.

Due to the varied nature of APCL claims it is difficult to give a precise turnaround time for decisions. However, as a guide you should expect to receive a decision on your application in approximately 4-6 weeks. If you have not received a decision within that time you are welcome to contact the Admissions at apl@contacts.bham.ac.uk to check on the status of your application.

Appeals

The University will not review an APL decision where the grounds for requesting are viewed as simply that the applicant disagrees with the academic judgement that has been applied, and where there is no evidence that the correct procedures have not been followed. The University shall not be obliged to consider an appeal simply on the grounds that the applicant is unwilling to accept the original decision not to grant credit, and seeks to overturn that decision.

If your claim for APCL is unsuccessful you may only request a review of the decision on the basis of additional evidence that was unavailable at the time of the application. For example, if you subsequently obtain additional documentation pertaining to you prior certificated study which supports your claim. This request should be made in writing and addressed to the Admissions Manager with responsibility for APL at apl@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Postgraduate loan for Masters study in the UK

Please be aware that students wishing to use APCL credits towards their degree will not be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate loan for Masters study in the UK.

Apply for Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL)

Please make sure that you complete the application form, including all relevant supporting documentation in full. You must also provide evidence of qualifications, in line with our verification policy. Failure to supply adequate evidence with your application will mean that we are unable to process your claim.

Please note that completion of this application does not guarantee that exemption will be granted. The deadline for submitting an APCL application is no later than six weeks before the start date of your programme. We cannot guarantee that applications received after this deadline will be processed in time for a credit to be awarded.

Please refer to the questions/ sections above before completing this form.