College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
The College Entrance Examination Board offers examinations covering material taught in courses that most students take in the first two years of college. Students may earn credit for CLEP exams with a passing score of 50 or more. Coastline grants unit and Option 1 general education credit for most exams.
- CLEP credits will count towards general education, major, or elective credits for the Associate degree or transferable CSU units. See the CLEP Chart for the required scores and applicability.
- The University of California does not grant credit for CLEP.
- CLEP may or may not be accepted by other colleges and universities. A student must check with the specific transfer institution to determine regulations regarding CLEP. General CLEP policies can be found in the college catalogs.
- CLEP exams may not be used to retake or improve a grade in a course at Coastline or any other institution.
- CLEP credit posted to another institution’s transcript will be reevaluated based on Coastline’s standards and may or may not be equal to credit received at another institution. CLEP credit posted to a student’s Coastline transcript may or may not be accepted for equal units at another institution.
- Coastline has a CLEP and DSST National Test Center on base at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
Transfer Students: The CSU requires a passing score of at least 50 on the CLEP exam. CSU campuses will grant unit credit toward admission and American Institutions requirements. Some CSUs will grant credit toward the major, but this is determined by each individual campus. Check with your counselor for more information.
| CLEP Exam | CCC Passing Score | CCC Subject Credit | CCC AA/AS GE Area | CSU Passing Score | CSU Semester Transfer Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Government | 50 | (3) | Area 4 | 50 | 3 |
| American Literature | 50 | (3) | Area 3B | 50 | 3 |
| Analyzing, Interpreting Literature | 50 | ENGL C140 (3) | Area 3B | 50 | 3 |
| Biology | 50 | BIOL C100 (3) | Area 5B | 50 | 3 |
| Calculus | 50 | MATH C180 (5) | Area 2 | 50 | 3 |
| Chemistry | 50 | CHEM C130 (4) | Area 5A | 50 | 3 |
| College Algebra | 50 | MATH C115 (4) | Area 2 | 50 | 3 |
| College Composition | 50 | N/A | 0 | 50 | 0 |
| College Composition-Modular | 50 | N/A | 0 | 50 | 0 |
| College Mathematics | 50 | MATH C100 (3) | Area 2 | 50 | 0 |
| English Literature | 50 | (3) | Area 3B | 50 | 3 |
| Financial Accounting | 50 | N/A | N/A | 50 | 3 |
| French Level I1 | 50 | (6) | Area 3B | 50 | 6 |
| French Level II1 | 59 | (9) | Area 3B | 59 | 12 |
| French Level II1 | 59 | (9) | Area 3B | 59 | 9 |
| German Level I1 | 50 | (6) | Area 3B | 50 | 6 |
| German Level II1 | 50 | (9) | Area 3B | 60 | 12 |
| German Level II1 | 50 | (9) | Area 3B | 60 | 9 |
| History, US I | 50 | (3) | Area 4 | 50 | 3 |
| History, US II | 50 | (3) | Area 4 | 50 | 3 |
| Human Growth and Development | 50 | PSYC C118 (3) | Area 4 or 7E | 50 | 3 |
| Humanities | 50 | HUM C100 (3) | Area 3B | 50 | 3 |
| Information Systems | 50 | CIS C111 (3) | N/A | 50 | 3 |
| Introduction to Educational Psychology | 50 | N/A | N/A | 50 | 3 |
| Introduction Business Law | 50 | N/A | N/A | 50 | 3 |
| Introduction Psychology | 50 | PSYC C100 (3) | Area 4 | 50 | 3 |
| Introduction Sociology | 50 | SOC C100 (3) | Area 4 | 50 | 3 |
| Natural Sciences | 50 | (6) | Area 5B | 50 | 3 |
| Pre-Calculus | 50 | MATH C170 (5) | Area 2 | 50 | 3 |
| Principles of Macroeconomics | 50 | ECON C175 (3) | Area 4 | 50 | 3 |
| Principles of Management | 50 | MGMT C100 (3) | 0 | 50 | 3 |
| Principles of Marketing | 50 | BUS C150 (3) | 0 | 50 | 3 |
| Principles of Microeconomics | 50 | ECON C170 (3) | Area 4 | 50 | 3 |
| Social Science & History | 50 | N/A | 0 | 50 | 0 |
| Spanish Level I1 | 50 | (6) | Area 3B | 50 | 6 |
| Spanish Level II1 | 50 | (9) | Area 3B | 63 | 12 |
| Spanish Level II1 | 50 | (9) | Area 3B | 63 | 9 |
| Trigonometry | 50 | MATH C120 (3) | Area 2 | 50 | 3 |
| Western Civilization I | 50 | (3) | Area 4 | 50 | 3 |
| Western Civilization II | 50 | (3) | Area 4 | 50 | 3 |
- 1
If a student passes more than one CLEP test in the same language other than English (e.g. two exams in French), then only one examination may be applied to the baccalaureate. For each test in a language other than English, a passing score of 50 is considered “Level I” and earns six units of baccalaureate credit.
- 2
Students seeking certification in GE Breadth prior to transfer must have passed the test before this date.