Certifications let students save and earn at the same time

When students earn an industry certification, they’re not just earning a credential for their resume. They’re also potentially saving money on higher education. It’s no secret that pursuing higher education in the United States comes at a high cost to students. According to EducationData.org, the average federal student loan debt is $36,510 per borrower, and students with private student loans have a debt averaging $54,921 per borrower. Any chance students can get to earn college credit while in high school is a great move. That’s where ACE CREDIT comes in.

What is ACE CREDIT?

Founded in 1918, the American Council on Education (ACE) is the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents and more than 200 related associations nationwide. It provides leadership on key higher education issues and influences public policy through advocacy.

ACE CREDIT connects workplace learning with colleges and universities by helping adults gain access to academic credit for formal courses and examinations taken in the workplace or other settings outside traditional higher education. For more than 40 years, colleges and universities have trusted ACE CREDIT to provide reliable course equivalency information to facilitate their decisions to award academic credit. And now, students who pass select Certiport exams can earn this valuable credit as well.

Which Certiport Exams Qualify for ACE CREDIT?

The American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE Learning Evaluations®) has evaluated and recommended college credit for multiple Certiport programs, including:

  • Autodesk Certified User
  • Adobe Certified Professional
  • Communication Skills for Business
  • Entrepreneurship and Small Business
  • IC3 Digital Literacy
  • Intuit
  • IT Specialist
  • Microsoft Certified Fundamentals
  • Microsoft Office Specialist

You can find the full list here.

How Do Students Obtain ACE College Credit?

Certiport’s partnership with ACE’s Transcript Service makes obtaining college credit simple.

First, students should verify with their university/college admissions office that it grants credit for the specific certification.

Second, students should send their transcript to their college or university via Credly’s Acclaim platform. Information on transcript services is available in the ACE Student Resource Center


Interested in having your certified students earn college credit? Learn more here.