ASU Online accepts DSST credits, but only when the exam aligns with an approved ASU equivalency and you hit the right score. That sounds simple. It is not. A score that works for one class can land as plain elective credit, or do nothing at all, so the exam choice matters as much as the test itself. DSST stands for DANTES Subject Standardized Tests. The College Board now runs the program, and the exams cover subjects like Business, Psychology, and Natural Sciences. Most DSST exams use a 100-point scale, and schools usually set their own cutoff. For ASU Online, that means you should match the exam to a real degree need before you pay for a test center slot or start drilling flashcards. That matters a lot for a transfer student trying to clear 3 general-education classes before a fall start date. It also matters for a working adult with 6 hours a week, because the wrong DSST can waste a month of study time. ASU Online sits inside a big transfer system, but the credit only helps if it fits the plan. Good credit saves money. Bad credit just gives you another transcript line.
ASU Online’s DSST Policy, Plainly
ASU Online accepts DSST credit in the same basic way it accepts other exam-based transfer credit: the test has to match an ASU course, and the score has to clear the school’s minimum. DSST is not a free-for-all. A Business Law score can help in one degree plan, while the same test might sit useless in another if the major already blocks outside credit.
The catch: The exam title does not decide the outcome by itself. ASU looks at the subject, the score, and the degree path, so a student aiming at a business degree should check the catalog before testing. That one habit saves money twice: once on the exam fee and again on a retake.
A concrete case: a 35-year-old paramedic working 12-hour shifts has 4 study hours a week, so the smart move is to pick one DSST that maps to a general-education slot first, not three random exams. That kind of schedule does not reward guesswork. It rewards a clean target and a fast submission plan.
DSST exams usually cost about $93 plus a test-center fee, and most exams run 90 minutes. Use that price and time window to compare DSST with a 3-credit class that can cost hundreds of dollars more. A single exam can be the cheaper path, but only if ASU Online gives you actual degree credit instead of a dead-end elective.
Which DSST Exams ASU Online Takes
The useful question is not “Does ASU take DSST?” The real question is which DSST exam lines up with a course you actually need. Some exams hit direct equivalents, some fill elective space, and some do not help your plan at all. If you are chasing a 120-credit bachelor’s degree, one wrong test can eat a month and still leave your degree map unchanged. ASU Online transfer options help you compare the fit before you sit for the exam.
| DSST Exam | Typical ASU Online Result | Practical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Business Law | Direct or elective credit | Best for business or general ed |
| Principles of Statistics | Course match if approved | Useful for STEM, business, social science |
| Intro to World Religions | General elective | Fills humanities space |
| Principles of Finance | Direct or elective credit | Good for business majors |
| Introduction to Psychology | Course match if approved | Common gen-ed option |
Reality check: Passing a DSST at 50 does the same job as a perfect score if ASU grants the same credit. That means you should stop chasing bragging rights and aim at the lowest score that still earns credit. Most students waste more time polishing a score than they save in tuition.
Scores, Minimums, and Credit Caps
DSST exams use a scale from 20 to 80, and 50 usually marks the standard passing point. Use that 50 as your floor, not your finish line, because ASU Online still decides whether the score matches a course or only earns elective credit. If the school posts a higher cutoff for a specific subject, the exam score alone will not fix that.
ASU Online caps transfer credit inside its degree rules, and most bachelor’s programs still require at least 30 credits earned directly at the university. That means external credit can help a lot, but it cannot erase the home-campus part of the degree. Check your program sheet before you test, because a 120-credit plan and a 60-credit associate-to-bachelor’s path do not leave the same room for outside exams.
A homeschool senior who wants to take 3 DSST exams over one summer should sort the credits by need, not by subject interest. If one exam clears a 3-credit humanities slot and another only lands as elective credit, the first test gets priority. That kind of sorting matters more than raw test volume.
Bottom line: The best DSST is the one that closes a real degree gap. A $93 exam that replaces a 3-credit class beats a cheaper test that leaves the plan unchanged, so run the math before you register. Credit caps make the difference between smart testing and expensive trivia.
The Complete Resource for ASU Online DSST
TransferCredit.org has a full resource page built for asu online dsst — 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.
Browse ASU DSST Prep →Submitting DSST Scores to ASU Online
ASU Online usually needs official DSST results, not screenshots or self-reported scores. Send the record through the testing system, then watch your ASU student account for the transfer update. If your name, birth date, or ASU ID does not match, the process slows down fast.
- Log in to the DSST score-reporting channel and request an official score send to Arizona State University Online.
- Use the exact legal name on your ASU application, your ASU ID if you have one, and the same birth date from your test record.
- Pick the exam carefully before you send scores, because a $93 exam only helps if ASU can match it to credit.
- Keep your confirmation page and order number until ASU posts the credit, since a missing record can add days.
- Check your ASU transfer-credit report 7 to 14 business days later and follow up if the exam still shows as pending.
How Long ASU Online Review Takes
Most students should expect ASU Online to review DSST scores in about 1 to 3 weeks after the school receives the official record. That window can stretch if the name on the DSST account does not match the ASU file, or if the exam sits in a subject that needs manual review. Use the 1-to-3-week range to plan around registration, not around wishful thinking.
A community-college transfer student trying to lock in fall registration should send scores before the last busy week of the month, not after. If the student waits until the final 5 days before classes start, even a simple record match can miss the deadline. That delay can push a needed class into the next term and wreck the plan for 1 whole semester.
Worth knowing: The slow part usually has nothing to do with the test score itself. It comes from record matching, transcript handling, and degree audit review, so the fix is clean paperwork and early submission. If 10 business days pass with no update, follow up with ASU Online records instead of assuming the credit got lost.
What This Means for Your Degree Plan
DSST credit can knock out general education or elective slots, but it should never be random. A 120-credit bachelor’s degree leaves limited room for outside credit, and ASU still cares about which 3-credit boxes you fill. If you pick the right exam, you can shave weeks off a term plan; if you pick the wrong one, you just buy a test.
- Match each DSST to a real ASU course or elective slot before paying the fee.
- Check your major rules if the degree has 30-credit residency limits.
- Use one exam to replace 3 credits, not to collect trivia.
- Ask your advisor before testing if your program has locked core classes.
- Start with the exam that saves the most time this term, not next year.
Compare ASU Online DSST matches here before you book a test date. Then compare that plan with Educational Psychology and Business Law if those subjects line up with your degree map.
Review the ASU transfer path here before the term starts. Use the exam that moves credits, not the one that just sounds easy.
How TransferCredit.org Fits
Frequently Asked Questions about ASU Online DSST
This applies to you if you're an Arizona State University Online student trying to use DSST scores for transfer credit, and it doesn't apply to courses that ASU says must be taken in residence or to students at other schools. ASU evaluates credit by course, college, and degree plan, so your major and catalog year matter.
Yes, Arizona State University Online accepts DSST credits. ASU uses those scores for transfer credit when the exam matches an approved course and you earn the minimum score ASU lists for that subject, so you still need to check the exact exam on ASU's transfer chart.
If you guess wrong, you can waste a DSST exam fee, delay your degree plan, and lose a month or more while ASU reviews the wrong credit. A 50 on one exam might count and another score might not, so check the matching course before you test.
ASU Online can accept a large block of transfer credit, but your degree still sets the cap, and some programs limit how much outside credit you can use in the major. If you're finishing a 120-credit bachelor's degree, check the 60-credit upper-division rule and the 30-credit residency rule before you stack DSST exams.
Start by checking ASU's official transfer credit guide for your exact DSST exam, then match it to your degree program. After that, send your official DSST score report from Prometric to ASU and keep a copy of the confirmation for your records.
The part that surprises most students is that passing the DSST isn't the same as getting useful credit. A 50 is the standard pass score, but ASU only awards credit when that score lines up with a course it already recognizes, so a pass can still give you nothing.
The most common wrong assumption is that every DSST exam counts the same way at every ASU Online program. That doesn't happen; ASU checks the exam title, subject area, and degree level, and a business credit that fits one major can miss another by 3 or 6 credits.
Most students take the exam first and worry about credit later. That wastes time. What works is checking ASU's transfer chart first, because DSST exams use a 20-80 score scale and you only want to study for exams that ASU already matches to a course.
This applies to you if you're trying to turn a DSST score into ASU Online credit, and it doesn't apply if your school or program requires a higher score than the DSST pass mark. ASU uses subject-by-subject rules, so a 50 may work for one exam and not another.
ASU Online accepts DSST scores when you send the official score report through the test publisher and ASU receives it for evaluation. You should log in to your DSST account, order the score report, and then watch your My ASU page for the transfer update.
If you send the wrong score report or skip the official order, ASU can't post the credit, and you'll sit in review while your registration or graduation plan stalls. Most evaluations take about 2 to 6 weeks, so fix the submission fast if the credit doesn't show up.
If you get the wrong prep bundle, you can miss the 50-point pass mark and waste a test fee, but TransferCredit.org's DSST prep bundle gives you a pass-or-free guarantee. Use it if you want a straight path from study to score.
Final Thoughts on ASU Online DSST
ASU Online does accept DSST credit, but the exam has to fit the school’s approved equivalency and your degree map. That part matters more than the test brand name. A score of 50 on the DSST scale can be enough, yet the wrong subject still wastes time, and the wrong submission order can stall your credit for 1 to 3 weeks. Treat DSST like a tool, not a trophy. A 3-credit win can help a bachelor’s plan move faster, but only if you check the course match, the cutoff, and the credit cap before you register. That is the clean way to use credit-by-exam. It keeps you from spending money on a test that looks smart and does nothing. If your ASU Online plan has room for exam credit, pick the subject that removes the biggest bottleneck first. Then send the official score, watch the transfer report, and follow up if the record sits untouched after 10 business days. That sequence saves headaches.
What it looks like, in order
Ready to Earn College Credit?
CLEP & DSST prep + ACE/NCCRS backup courses · Self-paced · $29/month covers everything