If a college or university is listed as a cooperating institution in the guides, are they compelled to accept credit recommendations?
No. ACE makes credit recommendations. Participating colleges and universities agree to consider our recommendations. A college is not required to grant as much credit as is recommended by the reviewers, nor is a college limited to granting only that recommended amount of credit. Some institutions may choose to waive a particular course based on the recommendations instead of granting credit hours for your prior learning. Each institution, and, in many cases, each academic unit and department within each institution, sets its own policies for granting credit.
