What you need to
know to earn your
online degree faster

How do Fast Track exams work?

Once you have enrolled as a student, the first step is to sign up for a Fast Track exam through your admissions advisor. They’ll make sure you are signed up for all of the exams that make sense for the life and work experience you have and are applicable to the program you are pursuing. Fast Track exams run weekly and there is no additional cost.

Once the exam opens, you’ll have a set period of time to complete the exam online. On average, each Fast Track exam takes 3-5 hours to complete. If you earn a score of 70% or higher for undergraduate exams or 80% for graduate exams, you’ll receive proficiency credit for the class, the course will be removed from your schedule, and you won’t have to pay the tuition for that course. If you score below a 70% (undergraduate) or 80% (graduate), the course remains on your schedule as planned, but there is no penalty to your grade point average or academic standing.

You cannot re-take a Fast Track exam that you have attempted and not passed.

Do Fast Track exams apply to any degree?

As a CTU student, you can take specific Fast Track exams that cover a variety of courses in our degree programs. Eligible programs include business, project management, information technology, and more.

Which CTU degree programs are eligible for Fast Track exams?

Fast Track exams are available for classes like math, English, and IT —core classes which are required for many CTU degree programs.

See a list of available Fast Track exams by degree.

Are there any other ways to earn credit?

In addition to Fast Track exams and earning credit at accredited postsecondary institutions, the following options are eligible for evaluation toward academic credit through CTU.

Our CTU Prior Learning Assessment evaluators can provide degree planning assistance. Official transcripts and formal documents are required before evaluation of transfer credit can occur. CTU will provide unofficial evaluations based on unofficial transcripts, however, the evaluation cannot become official until we verify that your documents meet the established transfer credit criteria.

• Experiential Learning Portfolio (ELP): If you think you may qualify for experiential credit, start the process by contacting the Prior Learning Assessment Department to determine your eligibility. You will be asked to build an Experiential Learning Portfolio (ELP) that should establish a direct alignment with the course in which you want to obtain credit. The final portfolio is submitted to the Prior Learning Assessment Department and/or a Dean and assigned to a Program Chair for evaluation and determination of credit. An ELP is required for each course in which you believe you have experiential credit.
• Professional training/certification or military training: CTU uses American Council on Education (ACE) guidelines to determine if your prior training, experience or certifications are applicable to your degree program and eligible for proficiency credit equivalency requirements. This may include college credit for military experience, college credit for qualifying work experience, training with officially documented clock hours, continuing Education Units (CEUs), or other certified company training.
• CTU MOS Commitment: Active and veteran military students can use their military occupational specialty code (MOS) to apply the skill and experience they gained while serving in the military. The CTU MOS Commitment provides members of the military with a personalized and comprehensive review of all eligible credit which includes the JST, all MOS codes held, any prior education and professional training or certifications. By including the MOS in this review, military members may be eligible to get more credit towards a degree and potentially earn a degree in less time.
• Standardized Assessment: You may be able to earn credit by demonstrating knowledge competency through standardized assessments, such as Advanced Placement (AP) examinations, CLEP examinations, or DSST examinations.
• Transfer credit: Some of our degree programs allow you to transfer credits from accredited schools other than CTU. Once your prior schools’ official transcripts have been received by CTU, we can determine if your credits can apply, and a Prior Learning Assessment evaluator will guide you through the transfer-in credits process**.

**Transfer credit is evaluated on an individual basis. Not all credits are eligible to transfer. See the University Catalog for transfer credit policies.