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a) Credit will only be granted for relevant formal study completed within ten years prior to application for an APEX Australia Course. Formal study completed more than ten years prior to application for an APEX Australia Course will not be eligible unless there is evidence of continued relevance of this study for the applied APEX Australia Course.

b) Credit may be granted for the successful completion formal studies, including the below:

• units of study which form part of an accredited course provided by a recognised tertiary institution;
• non-award courses offered by a recognised tertiary institution (higher than AQF Level 5);
• accredited courses at AQF Level 5 and above awarded by a registered tertiary institution;
• courses provided by a professional association or other similar body

c) Credit shall only be granted where there is substantial overlap with content and/or learning outcomes of APEX Australia units of study in the Course for which credit is claimed.

d) When assessing credit for formal studies the criteria below will be considered:

• the educational practices and standards of the external tertiary institution or any accreditation obtained by such tertiary institution that may be relevant to the APEX Australia Course;
• the objectives of the prior studies and the methods adopted by the external tertiary institution to achieve those objectives;
• admission requirements to the external course;
• the duration of the external course, entry requirements, course objectives;
• methods of assessment;
• learning outcomes of the course, and unit / subject learning outcome;
• volume of learning for the course and the unit;
• content of study;
• course and program AQF level;
• credit point weighting of the unit/subject in the context of the course;
• any other relevant criteria.

e) As a guide, the AQF Qualifications Pathways Policy for the quantum of credit granted to students towards higher level AQF qualifications in the same or related discipline are as follows:

• up to 50% credit for an Advanced Diploma or Associate Degree linked to a 3-year Bachelor Degree.
• up to 37.5% credit for an Advanced Diploma or Associate Degree linked to a 4-year Bachelor Degree.
• up to 33% credit for a Diploma linked to a 3-year Bachelor Degree.
• up to 25% credit for a Diploma linked to a 4-year Bachelor Degree.

As applicable, recognition of credit from prior learning (or RPL) from prior formal studies will only be granted toward first and/or second year (100-level and 200-level) units of the course the student applied for.

a) Credit may be granted for prior work experience where learning can be documented to the satisfaction of the Course Coordinator. The onus shall be on the applicant to provide the appropriate evidence to demonstrate the relevant skills, knowledge and understanding (see below).

b) If applicable, recognition of credit from prior learning (or RPL) from prior work experience will only be granted toward first year (100-level) units of the course the student applied for.

c) Evidence required to be submitted include (but is not limited to):

• a full description of the position, role(s)/activities, and performance outcomes;
• employment letter (on business letterhead) including any written references;
• current full CV;
• evidence that the work experience was equivalent to at least 2 years full time (paid or volunteer positions) work within the past 5 years;
• evidence of work completed: pay slips; report of performance reviews; involvement in professional associations or development; evidence of work produced e.g. presentations and collaborations;
• any other evidence that the applicant sees fit to demonstrate the existence and relevance of the work experience toward the credit sought.

d) When assessing credit for work experience, the following will be considered, including:

• Comparability – the skills of the work experience is comparable in content and standard with the learning outcomes of the unit(s) of study in which credit is sought;
• Authenticity – the applicant has demonstrated the learning outcomes that are being claimed;
• Currency – the learning outcomes are still valid and performable;
• Quality – the learning has reached the acceptable level;
• Relevance – the learning is applicable to the unit of study claimed;
• Transferability – the learning outcome can be applied outside the specific context in which it was learned.

a) Credit may be granted for units of study completed at APEX Australia toward another APEX Australia Course.

b) Credit will be granted for those units of study already undertaken which form part of the Course at APEX Australia to which the student is transferring.

c) The maximum credit that can be granted in these circumstances is not limited.

OVERSEAS STUDENTS

a) If the applicant is an overseas student applying for a study visa the following also applies:

Where credit is granted before a visa is issued, the actual course duration in the COE issued to the student will be reduced to reflect the shorter course duration. The student will be notified in writing including the following: the reduced number of units the student may need to study to gain the qualification; the impact on the course duration; the impact on the eCOE; and the reduced tuition fees payable.

Where credit is granted a visa is issued, APEX Australia will report the change of course duration via PRISMS and issue a new eCOE. The student will be notified in writing including the following: the reduced number of units the student may need to study to gain the qualification; the impact on the course duration; the impact on the eCOE; and the reduced tuition fees payable.

APPLICATION FOR CREDIT

An application for credit for prior learning must be made on the appropriate form at the time the student applies for admission to APEX Australia. Please refer to the APEX Australia Credit for Prior Learning Application Form. The application should be accompanied by sufficient documentary evidence to support the application.

APEX Australia reserves the right to refuse an application for credit for prior learning after the second week of classes that the new student is undertaking.