Earn Credit by Exam

Advanced Placement exams are taken after students complete the corresponding Advanced Placement course in high school. Advanced Placement courses are challenging, college-level courses that are designed to parallel typical lower-level undergraduate courses. Exams are developed by committees of college and secondary faculty and are given to test groups of students in actual college courses to determine appropriate passing scores. More information about Advanced Placement, including descriptions of courses and sample examination questions, is available at College Board.

You may apply up to 45 hours of non-traditional (AP) credit may be applied toward your degree. Duplicate credit will not be awarded. Credits earned will not be included on the official Gulf Coast State College transcript until you have maintained enrollment in a credit course past the published drop/add period.

The Cambridge AICE program is an international, advanced secondary curriculum and assessment program equivalent to the British system of "A-levels". AS-Level courses are comprised of curriculum lasting one academic year. A-Level courses encompass all AS-Level curriculum as well as additional topics. A-Level coursework is completed over two academic years. For information about the program, including course syllabi, can be found at Cambridge AICE online.

You may apply up to 45 hours of non-traditional (AICE) credit toward a degree. Duplicate credit will not be awarded. Credits earned will not be included on your official Gulf Coast State College transcript until you have maintained enrollment in a credit course past the published drop/add period.

The International Baccalaureate program is a challenging curriculum offered to high school students around the world. It is designed to prepare you for advanced work in many countries' postsecondary systems. Because it is international, the curriculum is not always as closely aligned with courses in American colleges and universities as Advanced Placement courses, and student and teachers often choose topics within a fairly wide range. In 2008, the Florida State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.024 and the Board of Governors established that the credit granting recommendations below award equal course credit for diploma and non-diploma holders for passing exam scores. Find out more information about the International Baccalaureate Program.

You may apply up to 45 hours of non-traditional (IB) credit may be applied toward your degree. Duplicate credit will not be awarded. Credits earned will not be included on your official Gulf Coast State College transcript until you have maintained enrollment in a credit course past the published drop/add period.

The College-Level Examination Program or CLEP, unlike Advanced Placement, is not built around a curriculum, but rather is designed to test students’ knowledge on a variety of college-level subjects, regardless of where they may have learned the material. CLEP exams are developed by committees of college faculty who design questions based on what is typically covered in lower-level college courses and who set passing standards for the exams (scores are no longer based on studies of student performance in college courses). With the new computer-based tests, new questions are constantly being added, especially in rapidly-changing fields such as Computer Science. The typical passing score on computer-based CLEP exams for general education purposes is 50, although paper and pencil versions will be different. More information about CLEP, including recent test information guides, can be found online at CLEP-College Board.

The Testing Center at Gulf Coast State College does administer and proctor CLEP examinations. 

The DSST Exam (formerly known as DANTES) is a nationally recognized credit-by-examination program that is accepted by colleges and universities. Originally designed for military veterans and reservists, DSST Exams allows any adult students from a wide range of ages and background to demonstrate their mastery of various introductory college-level materials by testing and subsequently earn college credit with a passing score. There are over 30 DSST Exams, developed by committees of college faculty members, in which students may earn college credits.

For more information about the DSST, students are encouraged to visit GetCollegeCredit.com or you may contact  Gretta Preston with Gulf Coast State College Tyndall Education Center at 850-913-2910 or at tpreston@gulfcoast.edu.

For Active Duty Military

DSST Exams are funded for Active Duty Military personnel through DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support) and they are eligible for one free DSST per subject examination. All Active Duty Military personnel must contact DANTES and inquire about their free examination and register prior to taking any exams at a GCSC Tyndall Education Center. To see if you are eligible for DANTES Funding, consult with the DSST Funding Guide.

And, if the tester does not pass the per-subject exam on their first attempt, they will have to retest 1 month later and at the regular price.

The Testing Center at Gulf Coast State College does NOT administer or proctor DSST examinations.