Frequently Asked Questions

RPL may help you get your diploma or certificate from NBCC by reducing the number of courses you are required to take. This does not change your overall program length, but having a lighter course load each term can give you more time to study or pursue other activities.

The RPL application process can also help you prepare for job interviews as you assess your prior learning and prepare documentation that demonstrates your knowledge and skills.

Credit transfer is when you receive credit for learning you gained from one or more equivalent courses you previously completed at a recognized post-secondary institution. You may submit up to four previously completed courses for credit toward one NBCC course. You must have achieved at least 60% in the course(s) submitted for evaluation and the prior learning must match at least 80% of the competencies and outcomes of the respective NBCC course. Credit transfer is indicated as CR on your NBCC transcript.

Credit equivalency is when you earn credit for learning you gained from work or life experience, non-formal learning, on-the-job training, volunteerism, self-directed study, military service, workshops, etc. The prior learning must match at least 80% of the competencies and outcomes of the respective NBCC course. Credit equivalency is indicated as EQ on your NBCC transcript.

Full-time students are not eligible for refunds on individual courses that have been approved for credit transfer/equivalency.

Students who earn credit transfer/equivalency for more than 40% of their scheduled program credits in a term are only considered eligible for refund if they applied for RPL in the first application period for that term. See the Application Dates page for details.

IMPORTANT: Switching from full-time to part-time status can impact your eligibility for student loans, study permits/visas, and other funding.

To learn more about refund eligibility requirements, see the Refunds page.

You should first seek academic advisement from a Coordinating Instructor in your school to confirm if you are eligible for pre-approval of credit. Pre-approval is an option for students who wish to make up an NBCC course at an external post-secondary institution. You must submit an application to the RPL Office and be approved prior to enrolling in the external course.

For more details, please see the pre-approval application guide.

Yes. There is currently no fee for RPL services at NBCC.

You may apply for RPL for any course you are scheduled to take in the period designated on the Application Dates page. Check your delivery sequence on the RPL Portal to find out which courses you are required to take in each term throughout your program.

You can watch a video tutorial on how to use the delivery sequence feature.

Tip for finding the correct delivery sequence: To confirm you’ve picked the right delivery sequence, check that the first term listed in the selected delivery sequence is the term in which you began your program. For example, if you started in Winter 2022 but the sequence you pick shows Fall 2022 first, you’ll know you’ve selected the wrong sequence.

You are eligible for credit transfer or credit equivalency if you:

• Are active in a full-time (post-secondary) program*;
• Are in good financial and academic standing with the college; [see STUDENT STANDING policy (pdf)].
• Have obtained a minimum grade of 60% in any previous course(s) you are submitting for evaluation; and
• Have successfully completed (or are in the process of completing**) all pre-requisite NBCC courses (if applicable).

*Note for Professional and Part-time Learning (Continuing Education) students:
We will also accept RPL applications from students who intend to complete the Educational Assistant or Early Childhood Education programs through Continuing Education/PPL (part-time). Other Continuing Education/PPL programs are not eligible for RPL at this time. Please note you must be registered in at least one course in order to access the application form.

**Note regarding in-progress pre-requisite courses:
You may submit an application for credit transfer or credit equivalency while you are in the process of completing the required pre-requisites, however, your application will remain on hold until you are able to provide proof that you have been successful in the pre-requisite course.  

You may only apply for credit toward courses scheduled to begin within the designated time frame each term (see Application Dates). Applications are usually processed within 3-4 weeks of submission. You must continue to attend class and complete all of your assignments until you receive your result from the RPL Office.

You may apply for RPL for any course you are scheduled to take in the period designated on the Application Dates page. Check your delivery sequence on the RPL Portal to find out which courses you are required to take in each term throughout your program. 

Yes, if you intend to complete the Educational Assistant or Early Childhood Education certificates through Continuing Education/PPL (part-time). Other Continuing Education/PPL programs are not eligible for RPL at this time. Please note you must be registered in at least one course in order to access the application form.

Please see the Application Dates page for information on application periods and deadlines.

We recommend that you apply as soon as possible once we begin accepting applications. Please check this website regularly for announcements and instructions on how to apply.

Note: If your course is short (1-2 weeks), you must apply before the date the course is scheduled to end. We will not accept applications for courses that are nearly or fully completed. Please submit your application as early as possible to avoid being denied for this reason.

NO. You must submit a SEPARATE application form for EACH NBCC course you are seeking credit for. If you use one form to apply for credit toward more than one NBCC course, your application will be rejected.

It depends. The RPL Office does not grant credit more than once for the same prior learning. Therefore, we would need to perform an assessment to determine whether your previously completed course covers at least 80% of the competencies for both NBCC courses AND if the learning that applies to each NBCC course is different.

If you have used the same course to apply in the past and your application was approved, you should include more courses and/or relevant evidence of informal/experiential learning with your new application.

The RPL Office reserves the right to deny applications when it is determined that the applicable learning from a previous course has already been recognized for credit.

Click the “Attach” button on the task bar at the top of the form. You should see all of your attachments there:

An official transcript is an original document detailing a student’s academic record that is generated by a recognized educational institution, includes an official signature, and is stamped with an embossed seal.

To check the status of your application, click “View Your Open RPL Requests” on the RPL Portal (https://helpdesk.nbcc.ca/CherwellPortal/RPLPortal):

 

“Assigned” means your application is assigned to an RPL team member for screening/assessing. No work has been completed yet.
“In Progress” means your application is being processed by an RPL team member.
“Returned” means your application is on hold until you provide required information via email (course outlines, transcript, other supporting documents, etc.).
“Forwarded” means your application has been forwarded for assessment.
“Pended” means your application is on hold while we wait for you to provide further documentation OR while we wait for results of further assessment.
“Resolved” means your RPL request has been processed and your result has been sent to you by email. You have 3 days to notify us if you intend to appeal.
“Reopened” means we have reopened your application (e.g. if you have appealed the result).
“Closed” means your application is closed and the appeal deadline has passed. The system will no longer accept any emails regarding your application. 

Note: The RPL Office will not respond to requests for status updates while we are processing applications.

Applications typically take 3-4 weeks to process, but there can be various reasons why your results might be further delayed. Sometimes we need more information from you or your previous post-secondary institution in order to determine a result. We may also require assessment feedback from subject matter experts in your school, which can take additional time.

Remember: The RPL Office will not respond to individual requests for status updates, but you can check the status of your application on the RPL Portal. You should also ensure you’ve added @nbcc.ca to your “safe sender” email list and check your junk/spam folder.

You should receive a result within 3-4 weeks of application submission. To avoid longer wait times, please apply as early as possible.

Yes.  If you wish to appeal, you must notify us within 3 days of receiving the email notification of your denial, include a letter explaining your reasons for appeal and attach supporting documentation that shows new evidence of prior learning that you did not include in your original application.

Appeal requests that do not include new evidence of prior learning will be denied.  All appeal decisions are final.

No. If you have already successfully completed courses at NBCC that have the exact same course codes as in your new program, you do not have to apply for credit transfer. You should speak with your instructor and the Administrative Assistant in your department to make sure your previous courses will be applied to your current program.

No. You cannot apply for a credit transfer using a course taken prior to failing an NBCC course because the most recent measurement of your learning (i.e. the failed NBCC course) indicates you have not retained the learning from the course taken previously. To make up the credit elsewhere, you should complete the pre-approval process.

A maximum of 75% of your program’s total credits can be earned through RPL. Exception: Students who began their program prior to July 1, 2021 may earn a maximum of 50% of total program credits through RPL.

Note for full-time students: You could lose your full-time status if you obtain more than 40% of credits per term through RPL.

Possibly. Students are no longer considered to be full time if they are enrolled in less than 60% of their program’s standard full-time credit hours in a given term. That means you can obtain a maximum of 40% of your program’s standard full-time credit hours in a term through RPL. Before you apply for a credit transfer or credit equivalency, you should calculate whether obtaining the credit would result in a status change from full time to part time, which could impact your eligibility for student loans, sponsorships, or study permits/resident visas.

If you have questions about whether you are at risk of losing your full-time status, you should reach out to your Academic Chair for advice.

If you choose to reject an approved credit transfer/equivalency, you must immediately send an email to notify the RPL Office AND the Administrative Assistant in your school.

Send an email to RPL@nbcc.ca and the Administrative Assistant in your school to confirm you wish to reject the approved credit. Your email should clearly identify the course code and title, along with your application Service Request number. 

You must alert us of your decision to reject the approved credit as soon as possible to avoid being removed from your Brightspace course and having the credit transfer/equivalency appear on your transcript.

No. In order to be eligible for RPL, you must be in good academic standing; however, you may apply when your academic suspension has been lifted.

Yes, some clinicals and practicums may be deemed ineligible for RPL. The RPL Office does not currently accept applications for work practicums or internships, which are required to graduate from certain NBCC programs. Practicums are meant to give you an opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge you gained in your NBCC program in a workplace setting. Even if you have previous work experience in the field, you will benefit from completing the practicum because it will give you the chance to highlight your current skills to potential employers and make contacts that can help you throughout your career. Employers tend to look favorably on job applicants who can demonstrate they successfully completed a practicum as part of their academic program.

Please note: If you have completed PERS1228 (Orientation to Community Service) in a previous NBCC program, you are not required to take the full course again. However, we strongly encourage you to participate in the annual College-wide Service Day, which provides a great opportunity for you to develop important skills for success, such as communication, collaboration and creative problem solving through volunteering or service learning.

At present, the only high school course available for credit transfer is New Brunswick High School’s Skilled Trades and Work-Ready Math (Math 120), towards NBCC’s MATH1208/MATH1269 (Math Fundamentals). 

If you have been accepted to a program at NBCC and you have paid the applicable confirmation fees, you are eligible to submit a credit transfer application for Skilled Trades and Work-Ready Math (Math 120) course completed at a NB high school.  Attach a copy of your high school transcript to your RPL application.  No course outline is needed.  You must have achieved at least 60% or C- in your course to be eligible for credit transfer.

Check the Previously Evaluated Courses list (also called the “Master List”) to see if your previous courses have already been approved for credit toward an NBCC course. Click this link and enter your login details to view the list: https://helpdesk.nbcc.ca/CherwellPortal/RPLPortal

If you need help, watch a tutorial on using this feature: https://youtu.be/0Uodt26LDI0

Note: You must submit an RPL application even if your course is approved on the Previously Evaluated Courses list. 

Use the View Course Profile search feature on the RPL portal to find your course profile: https://helpdesk.nbcc.ca/CherwellPortal/RPLPortal

Click this link to watch a tutorial on using this feature: https://youtu.be/WtKFgbHL03E

Use the View Delivery Sequence feature on the RPL Portal to see all the courses you will be required to take each term throughout your program:

 

You can watch a video tutorial on how to use the delivery sequence feature.

Note: Delivery sequences are provided for information purposes only. Changes to the schedule may occur under certain circumstances. Please refer to your class schedule once you are enrolled for confirmation.

Tip for finding the correct delivery sequence: To confirm if you’ve picked the right delivery sequence, check that the first term listed in the selected delivery sequence is the term in which you started your program. For example, if you started in Winter 2022 but the sequence you pick shows Fall 2022 first, you’ll know you’ve selected the wrong sequence.

Email RPL@nbcc.ca or use the contact form on the right side of this page to submit your questions to us. We aim to respond to all inquiries within 24-48 hours.