Recognition of Prior Learning

Applications for Spring 2021 are now closed.

IMPORTANT: If you were approved for RPL this year, please check your NBCC transcript to ensure all your credits have been posted. If you notice any errors or have questions, please let us know using the “Questions? Ask Us” contact form on the right side of this page.

Note: Credits approved in Spring 2021 will be posted by the end of May.

To search the Previously Evaluated Courses List, find an NBCC course profile, or check the status of your RPL application, please click this link: https://helpdesk.nbcc.ca/CherwellPortal/RPLPortal

At NBCC, we recognize that learning happens inside and outside the classroom. Our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) program allows you to gain credit for the learning you already possess. You may have taken many different paths to develop this learning, from formal coursework at other post-secondary institutions to informal workshops and seminars, on-the-job training, work experience, volunteerism, military service or family commitments. No matter how or where you gained your experience, RPL provides a way for you to demonstrate your learning and receive formal credit for it.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Values

The RPL Team operates with a culture of respect, transparency, and accountability and is committed to continuously improving processes and services. Diverse forms of learning are valued and assessments are based on the learning achieved, not the individual or where the learning occurred. By acknowledging diversity, embracing inclusivity, and rejecting biases we reduce institutional barriers and facilitate academic and career success for students.

There are two ways you can be awarded credit towards your program at NBCC:

  • Credit Transfer (CR): You may earn credit for courses you previously completed at a recognized post-secondary institution if the learning matches at least 80% of the competencies, scope, depth, and level of learning required for the respective NBCC course and you achieved a minimum grade of 60%.
  • Credit Equivalency (EQ): You may earn credit for learning you gained from work or life experience, volunteerism, self-directed study, military service, on-the-job training, workshops, or seminars. The learning you achieved must match at least 80% of the competencies, scope, depth, and level of learning required in the respective NBCC course.

There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.

Jiddu Krishnamurti

Questions? Ask Us

Use this form to ask questions about RPL or request a meeting with the RPL Coordinator to discuss your application.