Lasell University accepts CLEP credits, which can save real time if you want to clear general education or elective courses without sitting through a full 15-week class. CLEP scores come from The College Board, and most exams use a 20-80 scale with 50 as the standard passing mark. A single good score can replace a course that would otherwise eat up 3 or 4 credits and a whole semester slot. CLEP stands for College Level Examination Program. It lets you earn credit for what you already know, whether you picked it up from work, self-study, military training, or a past class you never finished. Lasell University includes CLEP in its credit-transfer options, so this is not some side door. It sits inside the school’s normal prior-learning and transfer-credit process. The tricky part is not whether Lasell takes CLEP. The real question is which exams count, what score Lasell wants, and how many credits you can stack before you hit a cap. A student with 2 summer months, 1 exam slot, and a fall registration deadline has to plan this backward. That timing decides whether the credit lands on the transcript before classes fill up.
What CLEP Credit Means at Lasell
CLEP credit means Lasell gives you college credit for passing a standardized exam instead of sitting in a 15-week class. The College Board runs 33 CLEP exams, and most of them cover 3 to 6 credits at schools that accept them. One exam can cover a full course and free up a slot for a class you actually need for your major.
At Lasell, CLEP sits in the same lane as other prior-learning credit. You use it for general education, electives, and some subject requirements when the school approves the match. A 3-credit exam can matter a lot more than it sounds, because 3 credits often equals 1 course and about 1 class meeting pattern for a semester. Treat that as a scheduling tool, not a side perk.
The catch: CLEP only helps if the exam matches a Lasell-approved area. A 35-year-old paramedic with 5 hours a week for study should not start with a random exam; they should match the test to a required course and save the effort for the highest-credit fit.
Lasell University uses CLEP as part of its transfer-credit menu, which means the school treats it like real academic credit, not a bonus sticker. A community-college student trying to register for fall classes by August should check the CLEP list before paying for the exam. That way the score has a job before test day, not after.
Which CLEP Exams Lasell Recognizes
Lasell’s CLEP approval list is narrower than the full 33-exam CLEP catalog, so match your test to a Lasell course first. The school uses CLEP for selected general-education and elective credit, not as a free pass for every subject.
- Lasell recognizes CLEP exams that map to approved courses in areas like composition, humanities, social sciences, and math. Check the exact course match before you register.
- College Composition and College Composition Modular usually matter most for writing requirements. A score of 50 can cover 3 credits at many schools, so verify Lasell’s writing rule before you bank on it.
- Introductory Psychology and Introductory Sociology often fit general education. Those exams help if you need one 3-credit slot, not a whole major sequence.
- College Algebra and Precalculus can be useful for students avoiding a full math class. If your major needs a higher-level course, don’t waste time on a lower match.
- Business Law and Microeconomics can sometimes satisfy business or elective requirements. Use the exact course title Lasell lists, since a near match does not count.
- Lasell does not award CLEP credit for every major-specific course, lab course, or upper-level sequence. If the department controls the requirement, ask before you test.
- Foreign Language CLEP credit can be limited by placement or program rules. A 2-semester language requirement and a 4-semester language requirement are not the same thing, so read the catalog carefully.
Scores Lasell Will Actually Count
CLEP scoring runs from 20 to 80, and 50 is the standard passing score. Lasell uses the school’s own policy on top of that standard, so a passing CLEP score does not automatically mean every possible course will post. Score first, then check the course match. That order saves you from assuming a 50 covers the same ground in every department.
Reality check: A 50 and an 80 both produce credit when the school accepts that exam, so chasing a perfect score can waste study time. A homeschool senior trying to clear 3 CLEPs in one summer should aim for the cutoff Lasell accepts, then move to the next subject instead of polishing one exam for two extra weeks.
Some exams give you 3 credits, and others can reach 6 or more depending on the subject and the school’s chart. That number changes your plan, because a 6-credit result can replace 2 courses while a 3-credit result only clears 1. If a test costs about $93 plus a test-center fee, that price should push you to choose the exam that covers the biggest requirement first.
Lasell can also set subject-specific rules, like accepting the score for elective credit but not for a required major class. A passing score alone does not tell the whole story. Check the exact department rule before you spend the money or the study time.
The Complete Resource for CLEP Credits
TransferCredit.org has a full resource page built for clep credits — covering CLEP/DSST prep with chapter quizzes and video lessons, plus the ACE/NCCRS-approved backup course if you do not pass the exam. $29/month covers both, and credits transfer to partner colleges.
Get CLEP Prep Bundle →How Many CLEP Credits You Can Use
Lasell University places a cap on how much CLEP credit can count toward a degree, and that cap sits inside the school’s larger transfer-credit rules. The limit usually covers the total number of exam credits, plus separate rules for major, minor, and general education areas. Those layers matter because 12 credits toward electives do not help if your major will not take them.
Most students should think in blocks of 3 credits. That is the usual size of one CLEP course match, and it lines up with one standard semester class. If you stack 4 exams and each one posts 3 credits, you have 12 credits on the table, but Lasell’s maximum may cut that number down before graduation audit time.
Bottom line: Do not build a full degree plan around CLEP alone. A student with 18 months left before graduation should use CLEP to clear bottlenecks, like a required gen-ed or an elective slot, and keep the major sequence on campus.
Lasell may also block some credits from counting in the major or minor even when they count toward total graduation credits. That is common in schools with tight program rules. The smart move is to map each exam to a named course, not just a subject area, before you test.
Submitting CLEP Scores to Lasell
Lasell only evaluates CLEP scores after the official record reaches the right office, so the paperwork side matters as much as the exam itself. Build the process in order and keep your test date, score report, and academic plan in the same folder.
- Register for the CLEP exam through The College Board and pick the subject that matches a Lasell requirement. Most CLEP exams take about 90 minutes, so plan your test day around that window.
- Choose Lasell University as a score recipient before or during registration. If you forget this step, you may need to send the official score report later and wait longer.
- Take the exam at an approved test center and keep your receipt or confirmation. The exam fee usually starts around $93, and the test-center fee can change by site, so check both before you pay.
- Watch for the official score report to move from College Board to Lasell. The score has to arrive in the university’s normal records flow before the registrar can review it.
- Follow up with Lasell’s registrar or transfer office if your score does not post after the normal evaluation window. Keep your course title, exam name, and test date ready so they can match the credit fast.
When Lasell Reviews Your CLEP Work
Once Lasell gets the official CLEP score, the review usually moves through the registrar or transfer-credit office and then into the academic record. That review can take 1 to 3 weeks at some schools, and the exact pace depends on term volume, so a student trying to beat an August add deadline should send scores early and keep a screenshot of the College Board report. If the score lands after registration closes, the credit still helps later, but it may not save the current schedule.
- Start the process before peak registration weeks.
- Keep the CLEP subject name and score handy.
- Check for the credit on your academic record.
- Ask about the exact course match if the posting looks vague.
- Use the result to plan the next 3-credit requirement.
If you want a faster path from study to score, take a look at TransferCredit.org’s CLEP prep bundle.
How TransferCredit.org Fits
Frequently Asked Questions about CLEP Credits
Most students assume CLEP only helps at community colleges, but Lasell University does accept CLEP credits. CLEP exams come from The College Board, and most exams use a 20-80 score scale with 50 as the usual passing score. Check Lasell’s current transfer rules before you send scores.
Start by taking your CLEP exam, then ask The College Board to send your official score report to Lasell University. CLEP exams usually last 90 minutes, and you’ll want your Lasell admissions or registrar contact ready so the right office gets the score first.
Yes, Lasell University accepts CLEP credits for some general education work, but not every CLEP exam fits every requirement. Some schools block exams that overlap with courses you already took, so you should match each CLEP title to Lasell’s current equivalency list before you pay for a second test.
Most students send scores first and read the policy later, but what actually works is checking Lasell’s CLEP chart before you test. That saves you from studying for an exam that gives 0 credits or fills a class you already planned to take at Lasell.
If you ignore the rules, Lasell can reject the credit, and you can lose both time and money on the exam fee plus the test-center fee. CLEP usually costs $93 per exam, so one bad choice can set you back for a full registration cycle.
This applies to current Lasell students, transfer students, and adult learners who want degree credit, and it doesn’t help if your program blocks that subject or you already earned duplicate credit. Lasell’s rules still control the final call, so check your degree plan before you register.
Lasell University caps the amount of CLEP credit you can apply toward a degree, and the limit usually sits well below a full bachelor’s degree. Since colleges set their own ceilings, ask Lasell for the current maximum before you stack more than 2 or 3 exams into one plan.
What surprises most students is that passing with a 50 and scoring a much higher number often leads to the same credit result. If Lasell accepts the exam, the score above the minimum usually doesn’t buy extra credits, so stop chasing a 70 if the policy only needs 50.
The most common wrong assumption is that every CLEP exam counts the same way, but Lasell only gives credit where its subject match fits. A history CLEP may help, while a duplicate or off-track exam won’t, so compare the exam title with Lasell’s course list before you book.
Start in your College Board account and choose Lasell University as the score recipient, then keep your exam date and score on file. Official CLEP reports come through The College Board, and schools usually want that record before they post transfer credit.
Yes, Lasell University can accept CLEP credits in English and math, but the exact exam and score rule can differ by subject. A writing score that works for one class might not cover another, so match the CLEP exam name to Lasell’s current policy line by line.
Most students study first and ask later, but what actually works is checking Lasell’s approval list, score floor, and credit cap before you register. That matters most if you’re trying to finish 1 or 2 requirements fast, because one wrong exam can waste a whole test slot.
If your score misses Lasell’s minimum, you get no credit for that exam, even if you were only 1 point short on the 20-80 scale. That’s why you should use a prep plan with timed practice, and if you want a safer path, check TransferCredit.org’s CLEP prep bundle with its pass-or-free guarantee.
Final Thoughts on CLEP Credits
Lasell University accepts CLEP credit, but the real win comes from matching the right exam to the right requirement. A passing score only helps when the subject fits Lasell’s chart, the score clears the school’s cutoff, and the credit still leaves room inside the degree cap. The smartest students start with the catalog, not the test date. The 50-point CLEP standard gives you a clean target, but it also hides a trap. A student can pass an exam and still lose time if the subject does not map to a needed class. A 3-credit exam should earn a spot in your plan only after you know where it lands: gen ed, elective, or a specific requirement. The timing side matters too. If you want the credit to help before a fall add deadline or spring audit, send the score early and keep proof of registration, score receipt, and exam date. A little order here saves a lot of back-and-forth later. If Lasell fits your plan, build your CLEP list now, check the cutoff for each subject, and send the official score as soon as you test.
What it looks like, in order
Ready to Earn College Credit?
CLEP & DSST prep + ACE/NCCRS backup courses · Self-paced · $29/month covers everything